The Sweet 16 of Michigan Farm Bureau’s 2023 Young Farmer Discussion Meet competition narrowed to a Final Four who matched wits to open the Nov. 29 Final Four Breakfast. Taking home the state-level win this year was Mecosta County’s Beth Wernette.

Wernette raises beef cattle outside Remus and earlier this year graduated from ProFILE, MFB’s elite leadership development program for young farmers.

Her Farm Bureau resume includes years of active involvement in Mecosta County’s membership, Young Farmer, Promotion & Education programs, as well as attendance at the organization’s Young Farmer and Growing Together conferences and the MFB State Annual Meeting.

With her state-level win, Wernette will advance to represent Michigan in national-level competition.

Rounding out the Final Four were Matt Hensley (Lenawee County), Sam Ludlam (Ottawa County) and Madeleine Smeltzer (Wexford County).

Discussion Meets are a competitive simulated committee meeting, where competitors are judged on their ability to explore a problem and find solutions.

The final round question saw the contestants examining the challenges young farmers face in amassing the capital necessary to start or grow their operations, and how Farm Bureau could better serve its members in surmounting those obstacles.

Rounding out this year’s Sweet 16 were Drew Bordner (St. Joseph), John Bowsky (Sanilac), Matt DeJonge (Washtenaw), Melissa Fusilier (Washtenaw), Amanda Goodfellow (Mecosta), Darcy Lipskey (Sanilac), Charles Loveland (Jackson), Nate Scovill (Shiawassee), Riley Travis (Isabella), Mark Trowbridge (St. Joseph), Morgan Walton (St. Joseph) and Zoey Zupin (Kent).

As the state-level winner, Wernette earned a $2,000 cash prize sponsored by AIS equipment and will represent Michigan at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmer & Rancher Discussion Meet in Salt Lake City, Utah in January.