Kristin Beery, an Augusta County farmer and agriculture teacher, was among 13 agricultural leaders to graduate from American Farm Bureau Federation’s Women’s Communications Boot Camp on Oct. 31 in Washington, D.C.

The intensive four-day course featured hands-on sessions related to public speaking, working with media, and crafting targeted 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.

Beery said the program was “very beneficial.” She most enjoyed learning about AFBF’s myriad opportunities for development, and meeting women in agriculture from across the country.

“I learned that it really doesn’t matter if you’re in Washington, Colorado, Utah or Virginia. We’re all fighting some of the same battles—just in different landscapes,” she noted.

The Augusta County agriculture teacher said the boot camp offered valuable opportunities for refining her public speaking skills. She looks forward to applying her training to annual Virginia State Capitol visits with her 11th- and 12th-grade students at the Valley Career and Technical Center.

“As a teacher, I feel very comfortable talking in front of my students, but I tend to be a lot more bashful around adults,” Beery reflected. “This program definitely helped me feel more comfortable and confident in speaking with legislators, other people in agriculture and those outside the industry.”

Beery’s passion for agriculture sparked at an early age while working on two sheep farms through her high school’s work-based learning program. She went on to study animal and poultry sciences at Virginia Tech before obtaining her teaching license. She is now involved in the daily operations of two poultry houses, a beef cattle herd and sheep flock on her family’s 340-acre Augusta County farm.

She advocates for farmers through involvement with Virginia Farm Bureau Federation and other organizations. She looks forward to rejoining her county Farm Bureau women’s leadership committee board in January, participating in more state-level initiatives and seizing new opportunities to interact with legislators.

Beery was recently added to the AFBF Grassroots Outreach Team. GO Team members are asked to help AFBF with advocacy efforts, such as media interviews, lawmaker meetings or key issue fly-ins in Washington when specific needs arise.

Additionally, Beery serves on the Augusta County Agriculture Appreciation Gala committee, helping commemorate the past, present and future of her county’s agriculture industry every other year. She also serves on the Augusta County Agriculture Discovery Day committee and enjoys connecting families to the county’s “many different facets of agriculture” each year. Held in early October, this year’s event drew around 600 attendees.

“The boot camp was a good balance of challenging your brain, pushing you out of your comfort zone, and then seeing the growth in other ladies and yourself,” Beery remarked. “I highly recommend the program to anybody who has the opportunity and is willing to step out of their comfort zone.”

This is the 23rd boot camp hosted by AFBF, and the program boasts 341 graduates, all of whom are involved in Farm Bureau.

“Women are shaping the future of agriculture with their insight, resilience and leadership,” said Isabella Chism, an Indiana row crop farmer and chair of the AFB Women’s Leadership Committee. “Boot camp graduates are well on their way to becoming more polished advocates for agriculture. Their growth will benefit their communities and Farm Bureau on local, state and national levels.”

The AFBF Women’s Leadership Committee, in partnership with AFBF staff, runs the Women’s Communications Boot Camp biannually. Applications open in December for the 2026 sessions.

With almost 137,000 members in 88 county Farm Bureaus, VFBF is Virginia’s largest farmers’ advocacy group. Farm Bureau is a non-governmental, nonpartisan, voluntary organization committed to supporting Virginia’s agriculture industry.

Contact Kathy Dixon, VFBF assistant director of communications, at 804-370-3055.