Claire Seibel was one of two young adults who were recognized for their commitment to agriculture during the 2018 Virginia Farm Bureau Federation (VFBF) Young Farmers Summer Expo in Richmond August 3.
Claire E. Seibel of Botetourt County was named this year’s VFBF Outstanding Young Agriculturalist. That recognition program is co-sponsored by the VFBF Young Farmers and Women’s committees and Farm Credit, and recognizes high school juniors and seniors for academic, community and agribusiness achievement. Additionally, finalists are judged on presentations to a panel of judges. Seibel is the daughter of G. Andrew and Dr. Megan Seibel and is a 2018 graduate of Lord Botetourt High School. She has grown up on her family’s Mountain View Farm and Vineyard in Blue Ridge and worked seasonally in beef, forage and fruit production.
Additionally, she has attended the Virginia Governor’s School for Agriculture and served as president of her school’s FFA chapter and the Virginia FFA Association’s South Ridge Area. In June she was named Virginia’s 2018-2019 FFA state vice-president. Seibel is a member of the National Honor Society and National Art Honor Society, was a 2017 delegate to Virginia Girls State, served as captain of Lord Botetourt’s varsity cross country and indoor/outdoor track teams, volunteered as a student mentor in her county school system, and teaches first grade Sunday school and serves on the parish council at her church.
In the fall of 2019 she will enroll in Virginia Tech, and her career plans focus on advancing agriculture with biological systems and agricultural engineering. Seibel will receive a $1,500 scholarship sponsored by Farm Credit, Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co. and the VFBF Young Farmers Committee. Amy G. Fannon of Pennington Gap is this year’s VFBF Young Farmers Excellence in Agriculture Award winner. The award recognizes individuals for involvement in agriculture, leadership ability and involvement and participation in Farm Bureau and other organizations. Fannon is a Virginia Cooperative Extension unit coordinator and agriculture and natural resources agent in Lee County.
The Young Farmers Summer Expo began at the 2018 Virginia Ag Expo, held August 2 at Cloverfield Farms in Essex County. The Young Farmers event continued through August 4 and included tours of farms and agribusinesses in Essex, King William and Caroline Counties. It also included presentations from industry specialists, as well as networking opportunities.
