July 23, 2025
www.gfb.org
Vol. 7 No. 15
INSPIRATION, BELONGING ON DISPLAY AT YF&R CONFERENCE Whether it was inspiration from keynote speaker Amberley Snyder, practical advice on succession planning or sharing fellowship with farm and ranch peers from around the state, attendees at the 2025 Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) Summer Leadership Conference found a sense of belonging. The conference, held July 16-19 on Jekyll Island, operated with the theme, “Where You Belong.” During the opening session on July 17, GFB President Tom McCall thanked the young farmers and ranchers for taking time to attend and emphasized that the organization needs their involvement to continue carrying out its mission of influencing legislators to affect public policy. “On our trip to D.C., those folks up there listen to y’all,” McCall said. “Y’all are the ones in a position to influence what happens on farms. We want you to get involved. Get in touch with your county’s legislative committee chair. We need you on that legislative committee.” Professional rodeo cowgirl Snyder inspired the Netflix movie “Walk. Ride. Rodeo.” She provided the keynote address at the opening session, sharing her experiences, observations and motivations as she has transitioned into life as a paraplegic following a 2010 vehicle accident. Her journey from the accident to winning a national championship as a barrel racer has taken her from relearning basic life skills, adjusting to new ways to get on and ride a horse and driving a pickup adapted with a complete array of hand controls. She’s also dated, gotten married, zip-lined in her wheelchair, paraglided, written a book and produced the movie. At every step, there have been people who helped her see a way through. Snyder competes on an elite level as a barrel racer. Her time of 15.3 seconds at RFD-TV’s The American Rodeo was just 0.6 seconds off the winning time. “There will be experiences in all of our lives when we need help,” Snyder said. “Just because I had to have help doesn’t lessen my achievements.” Snyder emphasized a handful of key points. She shared her thoughts on overcoming obstacles. “We don’t get to choose our obstacles, but we do get to choose how we will handle them,” she -continued on next page