RICHMOND, Va. — Sarah Scyphers, a Washington County cattlewoman, was among 16 agricultural leaders to graduate from American Farm Bureau Federation’s Women’s Communications Boot Camp on March 25 in Washington.
The intensive four-day course featured hands-on sessions related to public speaking, working with media and messaging. Program graduates will use their training to participate in local media opportunities to strategically support Farm Bureau’s policy work, share information with elected officials, and join social media campaigns that spotlight modern agriculture.
“It was an amazing program,” Scyphers said. “The program’s facilitators pitch out hard questions that really challenge your thinking, and challenge you to think about the different ways to communicate the message of agriculture to different media outlets.
“The opportunity to be with 15 women from across the country who are adamant advocates for agriculture was powerful,” she added. “It was really exciting to see this group of women collaborating and working together on agricultural issues and how to better our communication skills to positively promote the agriculture industry.”
Scyphers operates Springlake Livestock LLC, a commercial beef and cow-calf operation in Abingdon, with her husband, Aaron, and their two children, Isaac and Hannah.
Alongside her agricultural endeavors and AFBF participation, Scyphers has previously worked with Virginia Farm Bureau Federation to promote leadership within the organization’s Young Farmers Committee.
The AFBF Women’s Communications Boot Camp is in its 16th year and boasts 239 graduates. It is open to all women involved in Farm Bureau.
“AFBF is proud to continue offering this training, which provides a framework for participants to increase their engagement with consumers and elected officials while exploring new leadership roles,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall.
The AFB Women’s Leadership Committee, in partnership with AFBF staff, hosts and provides training for Women’s Communications Boot Camp. An application process is used to select the participants.
–Virginia Farm Bureau
