MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Two years ago, 18 Alabama farmers and ag professionals embarked on an intense, immersive and impactful leadership development experience.
Six institutes later, members of Class VI graduated from the Agricultural Leaders for Alabama (A.L.F.A. Leaders) program Aug. 16. The young leaders were honored during the Alabama Farmers Federation Farm & Land Conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The class included Trevor Collier, who raises poultry, cattle and Tennessee walking horses in Lauderdale County. The Rogersville farmer said the program exceeded expectations for personal and professional growth.
“It’s been more than leadership,” said Collier, 32. “It’s been about building relationships. Everything we did had a purpose.”
That’s important for a class packed with full-time farmers who spent more than 40 days with each other — and away from their farms and families.
Their inaugural institute in Montgomery laid a strong foundation and delved into Federation structure and impact, including an up-close look at grassroots policy development.
“We learned that you can bring up something at the county level, fine-tune the policy and then see it enacted at the state or federal level,” Collier said. “We can make a difference in our communities from our farms.”
Subsequent sessions introduced the class to state government and national advocacy.
During a week in Washington, D.C., the class met with decision-makers such as U.S. House Ag Committee Chair G.T. Thompson, R-Pa. That sparked a fire in Whitney Haynes. Her family grows row crops, raises cattle and operates a direct-to-consumer farm business in Cullman County’s Fairview.
“I like to explain the what and the why,” said Haynes, 40, also a high school teacher. “I like for ag to be seen and for people to hear what we have to say. I take for granted that everyone lives like us, but they don’t.”
The class’s focus on advocacy extended into a capstone project about workforce development. They used individual and collective strengths, plus the Federation’s vast network, to craft and propose a unified resource to encourage youth to pursue jobs related to farming.
The project resonated with Sidney McKathan. He’s a skip-generation farmer from Covington County whose ingenuity and persistence carved a place in agriculture through beekeeping.
“When I was in school, I wanted to farm, but I thought the only way to was to be a row cropper or an ag teacher,” said McKathan, 35, who farms in Pleasant Home. “Part of the capstone is outreach to tell young people about the possibilities that are out there.”
A quiet, thoughtful leader, McKathan credits A.L.F.A. Leaders for drawing him out of his shell. The program expanded his network of farmer-friends, too.
“It may not seem like it, but this has really pushed me out of my comfort zone,” he said. “Public speaking is still not the most fun, but I can do it. It’s awesome to feel more comfortable in my own skin in front of people.”
That personal growth was prioritized during a session at the Alabama 4-H Center which concentrated on leadership, team building and media training. A workshop in north Alabama focused on volunteerism and service, while an international experience in Brazil introduced the farmers to the U.S.’s largest agricultural competitor.
“Although we were thousands of miles from home, they seem to face the same issues — farm labor, government oversight and consumers who don’t understand where their food comes from,” Collier said.
McKathan offered a wellspring of gratitude to the Federation and its Ag Leadership Programs Director Hunter McBrayer for the investment of time, energy and resources.
“A.L.F.A. Leaders surpassed what I thought it would be,” McKathan said. “I grew in appreciation for what the Farmers Federation does day-to-day, saw state and national advocacy and learned how Alfa serves the state. Plus, I met great people along the way.”
A.L.F.A. Leaders Class VI graduates are:
- Trevor Collier, Lauderdale County
- Joe Corcoran, Barbour County
- Nic Cornelison, Jackson County
- Cara Clough, Marshall County
- LauraBeth Gamache, Lee County
- Ali Gotcher, Colbert County
- Rejeana Gvillo, Hale County
- Whitney Haynes, Cullman County
- Destry Hopper, Baldwin County
- Isaac Jones, Cherokee County
- Josh McCutcheon, Blount County
- Sidney McKathan, Covington County
- Daniel Mullenix, Lee County
- Evan Nelson, Jefferson County
- Sid Phelps, Tallapoosa County
- Matt Smith, St. Clair County
- Ellie Watson, Autauga County
- Noel Welch, Pike County
