Hegers elected to young farmers committee
By Brenda L. Shelkey, BHG News Service
During the Jan. 29-31 annual meeting of the North Dakota Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) Leadership Conference, three young farm families were elected to the YF&R Committee. For local farmers, Steve and Katie Heger, the responsibility of becoming the District 6 representatives for YF&R seemed the natural next-step role for the couple to take. For the last six years, Steven Heger has been a member of the McLean County Farm Bureau and is currently serving as board president. But he doesn’t stand alone in his belief that farmers need to be advocates for the agricultural industry. K. Heger said, "We believe that farming is not just a career, it is a lifestyle. It is very important to both of us to promote leadership, and inform both youth and the general population about the diverse careers that deal with agriculture and ways that agriculture impacts our lives each day." "Coming from a woman Minneapolis-born-and-bred, that is a strong statement," said S. Heger, "Katie has really embraced her role as a farm wife. Not every woman could step into this role and be the strong support that she has been." With her encouragement, Heger also has participated in the YF&R Discussion Meet for the last four years. The participants are given an ag-related topic and about three hours to prepare prior to the panel discussion. The panel has 15-20 minutes to share ideas, discuss options, and collectively do some problem solving.
