12-9-05
Contact: Larry Smith, (803) 936-4249

Laurens County Youth Wins SC Farm Bureau Competition

Myrtle Beach, SC – Laurens County resident William Nelson, son of James and Dawn Nelson of Clinton, was named one of two state winners in the South Carolina Farm Bureau (SCFB) Youth Ambassador Scholarship Contest held recently during the organization's 62nd Annual Meeting in Myrtle Beach.

Nelson, a Laurens District 55 High School junior, was one of six finalists in a field of 27 young people representing 20 South Carolina County Farm Bureaus.

The contestants were each pre-judged on their application, an essay about agriculture’s impact on the State’s economy, and a one-on-one interview with a panel of judges. The three highest scoring young men and young women were each invited to make a three-minute oral presentation before a panel of judges during the Youth Ambassador contest in Myrtle Beach. The male and female youths with the best overall scores were named SCFB Youth Ambassadors for 2006. The female SCFB Youth Ambassador winner is Allison Waggoner, a Clemson University junior of Anderson County.

The SCFB Youth Ambassador Scholarship Program, sponsored by the SC Farm Bureau Women's Committee, is designed to surface young leaders who can use the advantages of their youth to tell the farm story to audiences who may not otherwise hear it. The program is also designed to display to the public that interest in agriculture, as a career, is alive and well.

As a SCFB Youth Ambassador winner, Nelson received $500 in cash, a college scholarship fund in the amount of $1,500, and an Apple iPod nano MP3 recorder/player. As part of his leadership training during the next year, he will have an opportunity to meet with various state agricultural and government leaders. Nelson will also make selected appearances on behalf of agriculture and Farm Bureau, coordinated by the SCFB Promotion and Education Division.

Young people interested in participating in the 2006 Ambassador Program can contact their local county Farm Bureau or call Faith Lawrimore at 803-936-4287.

South Carolina Farm Bureau is a membership organization that works to promote agriculture and rural lifestyles throughout the state.

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