Rebekah Slabach of Halifax County has been selected as this year’s Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Outstanding Young Agriculturalist.

The recent graduate of Halifax County High School was recognized at the VFBF Young Farmers Summer Expo in Franklin.

District-level finalists for the honor were Elizabeth Knick of Franklin County, Jillian Lowery of Culpeper County, Elizabeth Nixon of Orange County, Paige Redifer of Augusta County and Hannah Thayer of Washington County.

Slabach will receive $1,500 in scholarship funds from award sponsors, including Virginia’s Farm Credit associations, the VFBF Women’s and Young Farmers programs and the VFB Services Corp. She also will receive a travel package to the 2011 VFBF Annual Convention in Norfolk and the 2012 VFBF Young Farmers Winter Expo in Leesburg.

The Outstanding Young Agriculturalist Award, which is co-sponsored by the VFBF Young Farmers Committee and Women’s Committee, recognizes high school juniors and seniors for academic, community and agribusiness achievement. The competition encourages students to evaluate their progress and career goals and to pursue involvement in leadership opportunities in agribusiness.

Slabach serves as ambassador for the Governor’s Academy for Renewable Resources and Agricultural Sciences. She also lives and works on her family’s cattle farm, "Linger Longer." She attends Virginia Tech, where she is studying agriculture and history.

With nearly 150,000 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 protecting Virginia’s farms and ensuring a safe, fresh and locally grown food supply.