JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A panel of judges selected Lauryn Robnett, of Laddonia, and Judson Mayfield, of Marble Hill, as 2023 Missouri Farm Bureau (MOFB) Ambassadors during the organization’s 108th annual meeting on December 4 at the Lake of the Ozarks.
The MOFB Ambassador Program selects a male and female student 17-to-22 years of age to represent agriculture and Farm Bureau for one year. Each Ambassador receives a $2,500 educational scholarship. Throughout 2023, the Ambassadors will make select appearances representing Farm Bureau during a legislative trip to Washington, D.C., in March, the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia and other events promoting agriculture.
Robnett represented Audrain County Farm Bureau and is the daughter of Jon and Dana Robnett of Laddonia. The family has belonged to Farm Bureau for many years. Robnett is currently a junior at the University of Missouri-Columbia studying agribusiness management. She is Mizzou Collegiate Farm Bureau chapter secretary, a College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Ambassador, a member of the CAFNR student council, and a member of Kappa Delta Sorority.
She attended Community R-VI High School where she was active in FFA, National Honors Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and basketball. She also volunteered at St. John’s Food Pantry. Robinett interned with Bayer Crop Science; after graduation, she plans to pursue a career in sales.
Mayfield represented Bollinger County Farm Bureau and is the son of Eric and Kristy Mayfield of Marble Hill. Mayfield’s family has owned a beef herd for many years. Using that background, he manages another cow/calf operation while also attending Southeast Missouri State University as a junior. He is majoring in agribusiness and animal science and plans a career in agribusiness. Mayfield aspires to eventually run for political office. He is learning his leadership skills as a member of the Collegiate Farm Bureau Chapter and the Cattlemen’s Club, and was Missouri Beta Club president in 2019-2020. As a Woodland R-4 High School student, Mayfield was an FFA area officer in 2018-2019. He is Bollinger County Farm Bureau vice president, serving on the board, and a member of the local Extension Council.
This year 14 students competed in the contest, which began in the morning with judges interviewing each of them. That evening, six finalists broke into two panel discussion groups, taking questions from the judges and discussing them. The Ambassador program is sponsored by the Missouri Farm Bureau Promotion and Education Committee. Scholarship funds come from the Missouri Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture.