BOALSBURG – The Pennsylvania Young Ag Professionals (YAP) held their annual leadership conference in Boalsburg, Feb. 13-14 at the Wyndham Garden hotel and conference center.
The conference, which hosted more than 100 YAP members, included multiple guest speakers, breakout rooms, opportunities for networking, live music and a tour of the Penn State University Dairy Barn Complex.
The keynote speaker for the event was renowned motivational speaker and author Matt Episcopo, who spoke about verbal and non-verbal communication and how to make a good impression when meeting others.
The conference also held a pair of general sessions that included an opening discussion panel that featured Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB) Vice President Chris Hoffman, which talked about the benefits and strengths of the organization.
Saturday’s general session featured Eric Vinores of Nationwide, who spoke about retirement for beginning farmers and how to properly transfer the farm to the next generation.
Guest speakers who conducted breakout sessions included Joe Montenegro of PFB, Jordan Henry and Jon Iverson of AFBF, Timothy Wirt of MSC, YAP State Chair Drew Ross and many others.
The event concluded with the tour of Penn State’s Dairy Barn Complex across from Beaver Stadium. The operation includes more than 500 animals that are housed in the dairy facilities and also serves as a research center for the university.
Next years conference is scheduled for Feb. 4-5, 2023, at the Wyndham Garden hotel in Boalsburg.
The YAP allows for multiple leadership development opportunities within the program and is open to all farm bureau members 35 and younger.