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Tanner Wise of Buckingham County was one of 17 finalists for the 2021 Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Outstanding Young Agriculturalist (OYA) Award competition held on July 31 during the VFBF Young Farmers Summer Expo in Warrenton.

The recognition program is organized by the VFBF Young Farmers Committee and honors high school juniors and seniors for academic, community and agribusiness achievement.

Wise is the son of David and Sherri Wise. He is a senior at Buckingham County High School and is dual enrolled at Southside Virginia Community College where he will graduate with an associate degree in general studies with an agribusiness specialization. He plans to attend Virginia Tech in 2022 to work toward degrees in Animal and Poultry Science.

He currently works on his family’s Poplar View Farm, LLC, and is active in his church youth group and the Buckingham Chamber of Commerce. He also held many offices in his local 4-H and FFA, including most recently being Treasurer of the Buckingham/Cumberland 4-H Livestock Club and President of the Buckingham Sr. FFA Chapter, and he is a grand champion showman for lambs and goats at the Five County Fair in Farmville and the Piedmont Area Jr. Livestock Show in Blackstone.

The winner of the OYA was Jack Hammock of Pittsylvania County who graduated in 2021 and runner-up was Regan Jackson of Clarke County.

The OYA winner each year receives a $1,500 scholarship sponsored by Farm Credit, Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co. and Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. First runner-up received $500, and all finalists receive $250 courtesy of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co. The contest deadline is March 31 each year, and applications are available at www.vafb.com under the Young Farmers section.

Other state finalists were Carrie Barker, Pittsylvania County; Jenna Beville, Sussex County; Rachel Craun, Rockingham County; Ava Genho, Rappahannock County; Olivia Gibson, Rappahannock County; Savannah Goodwin, Louisa County; Sammy Leach, Fauquier County; Charlie Moser, Bedford County; Austin Presley, Pittsylvania County; Jill Reiter, Dinwiddie County; Lauren Rhodes, Augusta County; Ann Rae Sisson, Montgomery County; Ellie Vance, Augusta County; and Ellie Vincent, Clarke County.

With 129,000 members in 88 county Farm Bureaus, VFBF is Virginia’s largest farmers’ advocacy group. Farm Bureau is a non-governmental, nonpartisan, voluntary organization committed to supporting Virginia’s agriculture industry and preserving the Virginia way of life.

Contact Ron Saacke, VFBF vice president of communications, at (804) 514-4202.