Morgan Slaven of Augusta County was named the 2024 Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers Excellence in Agriculture Award winner. She was recognized July 27 during the VFBF Young Farmers Summer Expo in Nelson County.

The award recognizes individuals and couples for involvement in supporting agriculture, leadership ability, and involvement and participation in Farm Bureau and other organizations.

Slaven serves as manager of governance and executive affairs for Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative while managing a 40-head commercial hair sheep flock on her Augusta County farm.

She also represents District 5 on the VFBF Young Farmers Committee and serves as the committee’s vice chair and chair of the promotions subcommittee; chair of her county Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers committee; and vice president of her county Farm Bureau board.

Slaven grew up on her family’s multi-generational farm and has served as an agricultural advocate throughout her life. She enjoys applying her background in agriculture and communication to her role with the electric co-op.

She juggles a full-time job with growing her business. Since becoming the sole owner and operator of her farm in 2022, she’s contract-grazed beef cattle, built her sheep flock and explored a hay share opportunity—all while improving the farm’s infrastructure.

Slaven discussed her efforts to positively promote the industry within her various Farm Bureau leadership roles, including helping to organize local farm tours and educational, engagement and social events. She also cohosts Virginia’s Young Farmers Podcast, publishing over 20 episodes that have generated more than 2,800 downloads and attracted listeners from around the world.

Additionally, she serves on Farm Credit of the Virginias’ Young, Beginning & Small Farmer Advisory Committee and the Augusta County Agricultural Appreciation Gala Grassroots Committee, and she recently was appointed by the governor to serve as a board member for the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation.

During her presentation to the Excellence in Agriculture Award judges, Slaven highlighted three key issues that the industry needs to address in the next five years: balancing renewable energy expansion with farmland preservation; succession planning for the future of agricultural advocacy leadership; and fighting a mental health stigma within the agriculture community.

Slaven noted a statistic from the Department of Labor that recognized Millennials and Gen Z will account for over 75% of the workforce by 2025, but make up only 29% of association members. She believes that that lack of engagement may have the greatest impact among challenges the farming community faces to its future. She presented a succession planning approach to ensure leadership is in place for the next generation and referenced her recruiting methodology at the county and state levels of Farm Bureau as examples.

Slaven’s goals in the next five years include becoming a Registered Parliamentarian, taking on new leadership roles within Farm Bureau, building up her hair sheep flock to 150 animals and becoming a financial coach for others in the industry—all while working toward her wellness goal of “purposeful involvement.”

She said the Excellence in Agriculture Award application process offered a valuable “reflective experience.”

“Sometimes you’re living life so fast, and you don’t have time to focus on anything else. But when you write your goals down, they’re more likely to happen,” she remarked.

As Excellence in Agriculture Award winner, Slaven will receive a Kubota utility vehicle courtesy of Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co., a cash prize, and a travel package to the 2025 American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention in San Antonio in January. While at the convention, she will compete for the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Excellence in Agriculture Award.

Dustin Francis of Halifax County was runner-up for this year’s state-level award and will receive $500 and a travel package to the AFBF convention. Other finalists were John Benner of Augusta County; Courtney Kidwell of Madison County; Kayla Lawrence of Frederick County; Morgan Paulette of Pulaski County; and Morgan Washburn of Franklin County.

With almost 135,000 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 Pam Wiley, VFBF vice president of communications, at 804-291-6315.