Iowa Farm Bureau Appoints New District Representatives to Young Farmer Committee

Apr 21, 2023

By Caitlyn Lamm

Michael McEnany and Ashley Thompson of Nevada, Matt and Hilary Lanman of Fremont and Tyler and Abby Woodward of Hamburg have been appointed to Iowa Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer Advisory Committee. The couples will serve a three-year term as district representatives.

The committee is tasked with uniting young farmers, ages 18 to 35, in local and statewide networking and educational events. This includes planning the annual Iowa Farm Bureau Young Farmer Conference which brings in more than 500 farmers and agriculturalists from across the state.

Tyler and Abby Woodward, District 9, southwest Iowa

The Woodwards raise corn and soybeans on their fourth-generation farm.

Tyler is vice president of the Fremont County Farm Bureau and is participating in Iowa Farm Bureau’s Ag Leaders Institute. He also serves as a volunteer firefighter, Grape Community Hospital Foundation board member and helps with local Boy Scouts events.

Abby is involved in P.E.O., a philanthropic organization centered on higher education for women, and volunteers at school events throughout the year. The couple are members of St. John’s Lutheran Church and have a one-year-old daughter.

Matt and Hilary Lanman, District 7, southeast Iowa

The Lanmans raise meat goats and run a lawncare business.

Matt works for Nutrien Ag Solutions and is a volunteer firefighter in Hedrick.

Hilary is the Jefferson County Youth Coordinator for the local extension office and is colloquially known as the “4-H lady.” She is involved with Ag in the Classroom and Fairfield FFA Alumni and volunteers with her church.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.