By Cynthia Grau/WJEZ News

PTHS ag teacher and Livingston County Farm Bureau Young Leader Jesse Faber recently won the Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leaders Discussion Meet in Chicago on Saturday.

This is a statewide event, when young leaders are grouped with each other and given topics. They are judged on ability to analyze issues, find solutions, work together and collaborate on ideas. Faber said the entire event meant so much more to him than just a competition.

“I’m pretty excited. I don’t know if it’s all set in. It’s a program that I’ve really been a fan of for a long time. I’ve competed in other years and this time, I finally won. The competition here in Illinois is pretty tough. There’s a lot of really great people that are involved and it gives great opportunity to really share some ideas and to do some problem solving over issues that really matter to agriculture, and to me, not just agriculture, but to our country and to our world,” Faber said.

Faber will continue on to the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in January in Nashville.