Abigail Durheim of Stafford County was named this year’s Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Outstanding Young Agriculturalist. She was recognized July 29 at the VFBF Young Farmers Summer Expo in Roanoke.
The Outstanding Young Agriculturalist award program is co-sponsored by the VFBF Young Farmers and Women’s committees and Farm Credit, and recognizes high school juniors and seniors for academic, community and agribusiness achievement and presentations to a panel of judges.
Durheim is the daughter of Daniel and Cheryl Durheim. Although she doesn’t live on a farm, she raises lambs and hogs on nearby rented farmland. She also has been involved in 4-H for the past nine years and shows lambs and hogs. She currently serves as a National 4-H Congress Youth Design Team member and has attended the 4-H Teen Excellence in Leadership Institute.
In addition to raising and showing livestock, Durheim was a member of her school’s National Honor Society and served as freshman class president. She is a recent graduate of the Commonwealth Governor’s School program at Stafford High School and plans to study agriculture communications and marketing.
Her ultimate goal is to become an agricultural lobbyist “so I can share the American farmer’s story with everyone I meet.” Durheim said living in a metropolitan area presents opportunities to “share the farmer’s story and the direct impact that agriculture plays on every single individual’s life.”
Durheim will receive a $1,500 scholarship, courtesy of the VFBF Women’s and Young Farmers committees and Farm Credit.
First runner-up was Cole Reeves of Augusta County, who will receive $500 courtesy of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co.
Other finalists were Tess Seibel and Mason Sowers of Botetourt County; Diaz Tompkins of Chesterfield County; Sarah-Jane French of Cumberland County; Wade Reiter of Dinwiddie County; Christopher Kuhler of Fauquier County; Shelly Underwood of Hanover County; Jayson Gill and Austin Hinton of Lancaster County; Alexis Smith of Mecklenburg County; and Macon Maxey of Pittsylvania County.
Each will receive $250, courtesy of the VFBF Women’s and Young Farmers committees and Farm Credit.
With 126,000 members in 88 county Farm Bureaus, VFBF is Virginia’s largest farmers’ advocacy group. Farm Bureau is a non-governmental, nonpartisan, voluntary organization committed to supporting Virginia’s agriculture industry and preserving the Virginia way of life.
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