An Augusta County agriculture teacher and farmer recently took part in a four-day course to up her public-relations game.
Kristin Beery was one of 13 individuals to graduate from the American Farm Bureau Federation’s women’s communications boot camp held last month in Washington, D.C.
Beery enjoyed meeting women in agriculture from across the country.
“I learned that it really doesn’t matter if you’re in Washington, Colorado, Utah or Virginia. We’re all fighting some of the same battles — just in different landscapes,” she said.
Topics for sessions included public speaking, working with media and crafting targeted messaging. She looks forward to applying her training to annual Virginia State Capitol visits with her high-school students at the Valley Career and Technical Center.
“As a teacher, I feel very comfortable talking in front of my students, but I tend to be a lot more bashful around adults,” Beery said. “This program definitely helped me feel more comfortable and confident in speaking with legislators, other people in agriculture and those outside the industry.”
Beery worked on two sheep farms through high school and went on to Virginia Tech to study animal and poultry sciences. She remains involved in daily operations of two poultry houses, a beef cattle herd and sheep flock on her family’s 340-acre farm in the county.
This is the 23rd boot camp hosted by AFBF, and the program boasts 341 graduates, all of whom are involved in some capacity with Farm Bureau.
“Women are shaping the future of agriculture with their insight, resilience and leadership,” said Isabella Chism, an Indiana row crop farmer and chair of the AFB women’s leadership committee. “Boot camp graduates are well on their way to becoming more polished advocates for agriculture. Their growth will benefit their communities and Farm Bureau on local, state and national levels.”
Applications open in December for the 2026 sessions.
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Crystal Graham
