Leadership Academy Works to Build Strong Leaders
Ten farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness professionals from across Nebraska met in Grand Island Feb. 23-24 for the second session of their year-long training as part of Nebraska Farm Bureau’s (NEFB) Leadership Academy. This session focused on understanding the role and opportunities in Farm Bureau and learning how to be an effective member of a County Farm Bureau.

The session kicked off with Tina Henderson, NEFB senior director of membership, marketing, and
communications, and Adam Peterson, NEFB senior director of leadership/field services, sharing with the group the importance of membership and why is matters. They talked about ways the NEFB team works to strengthen every County Farm Bureau, NEFB successes, and opportunities for new members and young farmers and ranchers, among other topics.
The Leadership Academy cadets also had the opportunity to sit down with Rob Robertson, NEFB chief administrator, and Craig Head, NEFB chief advocacy officer. During the “Chatting with the Chiefs” session, the vision of Nebraska Farm Bureau was shared with cadets and the work being done to achieve that vision, as well as opportunities for cadets to be more involved in helping NEFB achieve its goals.

Day two of the Leadership Academy meeting focused on cadets learning more about themselves to help set a foundation for their leadership development.
“The goal of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Leadership Academy is to cultivate the talents and strengths of our members and connect their passion for agriculture to opportunities of service within the Farm Bureau organization. Great leaders have a clearly defined purpose, purpose fuels passion and work ethic. By developing leadership skills, academy members can develop their passions and positively impact their local communities and the state of Nebraska,” said Audrey Schipporeit, NEFB’s director of generational engagement and facilitator of the 2023 Leadership Academy.
The Leadership Academy will meet again in March.