Representing Wisconsin’s farmers on a national level isn’t for everyone. But for one woman, it was her dream. Olivia Roth is a Wisconsin youth who is serving on the National Farmers Union Youth Advisory Council (NYAC). She helps to promote policy and better the future of Wisconsin farmers. She explains how her family’s values are what led her to this opportunity.
“My family were some of the founding members of the South Central chapter of the Wisconsin Farmers Union,” says Roth. “We joined because Farmers Union stands for fairness for farmers, quality of food, and much more that my family also believes in.”
Roth has been a member for eight years and has attended many youth activities. She attended the National Farmers Union All-State Leadership Camp and it was there that she learned about the opportunity to serve on the advisory council.
“A lot of the staff who worked at the Wisconsin Farmers Union State Summer Camp were on NYAC and I saw them as role models in my life who have pursued this path. When the opportunity was presented to me, I knew it was my turn.”
Roth was selected alongside five other individuals in June of 2022 to serve a year-long term on the advisory council. Through her involvement so far she has attended the National Farmers Union Legislative D.C. Fly-in. There she was able to talk with national senators, representatives, and legislators about rural and foreign policy issues.
“Part of what the other five members of the council and myself do is advocate for agriculture, especially among young people,” explains Roth. “We want to bring awareness to it and help people understand what’s going on. So we represent the entirety of the Farmers Union youth organization and get to speak at the national convention about what Farmers Union does and what it means to us.”
While at the national convention Roth will have the opportunity to sit in on and observe national policy discussions with delegation from farmers union members from across the entire country.
As the year continues, Roth and the rest of the advisory council members will be working hard to put on the next National Farmers Union All-State Leadership Camp. There they have cooperation activities, leadership activities and Farmers Union education. This will be when Roth ends her term on the council as well.
Roth adds, “I plan to be involved in Farmers Union for as long as I possibly can. These experiences of going to big cities and talking to people from across the entire country about farming and agriculture have really given me a lot of new perspectives that I probably wouldn’t have considered or gotten otherwise. Having that extra level of awareness and knowledge that has been imparted upon me from this is going to be absolutely instrumental and crucial in my path forward.”
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