BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – A former Princess Kay is this year's Minnesota Farm Bureau Discussion Meet winner.
"I'm very, very honored, I've learned a lot from my fellow panel members," said Kristy (Mussman) Miron.
Miron won the MFBF Young Farmer and Rancher Contest on Dec. 1 at the 94th annual meeting of the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation. She will next represent Minnesota at the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in Nashville Jan. 12-16.
In addition, Miron receives a recognition plaque, $500 from MFBF and a trip to the MFBF YF&R Conference to be held in Bloomington, Jan. 25-27.
Her sister-in-law, Katie Miron, won the collegiate discussion meet sponsored by Farm Bureau. Katie Miron is a senior majoring in agricultural education at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
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Kristy Miron competed in two discussion meet rounds on Dec. 1. She discussed how Farm Bureau continues to provide value to its associate members in round one and how to bring young people back to rural areas in round two.
In the first round, three people competed in one room and four in another. The top two from each room advanced to the final four. The final four contestants were Glen Groth, Tim Zweber and Emily Zweber.
Miron was a moderator at the collegiate level for the Discussion Meet and she participated occasionally in college. Their Farm Bureau area representative, Dennis Sabel, encouraged her to compete this year and after a family discussion, she decided to.
Miron has become more involved in Farm Bureau since she married her husband, Paul, who farms full time in Hugo. The couple was recently elected District 5 Young Farmer and Rancher Committee chairs.
Miron said she saw the value of Farm Bureau as a young adult in agriculture. The American Farm Bureau Federation is a go-to resource for lawmakers on the federal level and the state organization also provides resources and focuses on leadership.
She wants to continue to build her leadership skills to serve her team at WinField Solutions, where she's employed.
Preparing for the contest was a learning experience, she said.
"I learned that I just have to trust my experiences and always be OK asking for help," Miron said. There are resources all around, sometimes where you least expect them and other times right next door.
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Her father-in-law, Fran Miron, represents District 5 on the Farm Bureau board of directors and the family is active in speaking for agriculture. They've hosted Rep. Michele Bachmann and their county Farm Bureau engages urban legislators, sharing information about opportunities in agriculture.
The Mirons have a fifth generation family farm in Hugo. It was settled in 1887. They milk 70 Holsteins and raise their own youngstock. They also raise crops on 600 acres.
