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(ORLANDO, Fla.) – Jeb Smith, Hastings, and Joanna Vickers, Myakka City, won the Young Farmer and Rancher Discussion Meet and Youth Speech Contest, respectively, during the Florida Farm Bureau Federation’s 60th Annual Meeting in Orlando Oct. 26-29. Hunter Williams, Coral Springs, was first runner-up in the Youth Speech Contest.

“Each year the quality of participants in both of these contests is raised to a new level,” said Dennis Emerson, director of Field Services. “All of the entrants this year were excellent and deserving of the awards.”

Smith, a fifth generation potato farmer from Hastings, is active on the Putnam/St. Johns Farm Bureau Board of Directors and the Hastings Drainage District Board of Directors. Smith received a $500 cash award, a Honda ATV four-wheeler and an expense-paid trip to Reno, Nev. to compete in the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Discussion at the national convention in January 2002.

Vickers, who is home-schooled, is a member of Southeast High School FFA. She is president of Florida High School Rodeo Association and was crowned the association’s queen for 2001. For her speech, “The Future of Biotech Products in Agriculture,” Vickers received a $500 award. Williams received a $250 award as first runner-up.

The Florida Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general agricultural association with more than 143,000 member-families statewide. Headquartered in Gainesville, the Federation is an independent, non-profit agricultural organization and is not associated with any arm of the government.