AUGUSTA COUNTY, VA (Rocktown Now) — Kristin Beery, an Augusta County farmer and agriculture teacher, was among 13 agricultural leaders to graduate from American Farm Bureau Federation’s Women’s Communications Boot Camp on October 31, 2025, in Washington, D.C.

According to a release, the four-day course featured hands-on sessions related to public speaking, working with media, and crafting targeted messaging. Program graduates will use their training to participate in local media opportunities to strategically support Farm Bureau’s policy work; share information with elected officials; and join social media campaigns that spotlight modern agriculture.

Beery said the program was “very beneficial.” She added she enjoyed learning about AFBF’s myriad opportunities for development, and meeting women in agriculture from across the country.

“I learned that it really doesn’t matter if you’re in Washington, Colorado, Utah or Virginia. We’re all fighting some of the same battles—just in different landscapes,” she said.

Beery said the boot camp offered valuable opportunities for refining her public speaking skills. She looks forward to applying her training to annual Virginia State Capitol visits with her 11th- and 12th-grade students at the Valley Career and Technical Center.

“As a teacher, I feel very comfortable talking in front of my students, but I tend to be a lot more bashful around adults,” Beery said. “This program definitely helped me feel more comfortable and confident in speaking with legislators, other people in agriculture and those outside the industry.”

Row 1 (L to R) – Jessica Haberman, Washington; Kristin Beery, Virginia; Angel Brabham, South Carolina
 
Row 2 (L to R) – Isabella Chism, chair, AFB Women’s Leadership Committee, Indiana; Heather Lifsey, North Carolina; Marylynn Waddle, Louisiana; Rachel Stricklin, North Carolina; Jackie Larson, Utah; Caroline Lewis, South Carolina; Sheri Gaskins, Colorado; Cynthia Doise, Louisiana; Megan Espinda, Indiana; Macey McDonald, New Mexico; Lindsey Morgan, Georgia; Dot Jensen, AFB Women’s Leadership Committee Western representative, Utah | Photo source: VFBF

Beery was recently added to the AFBF Grassroots Outreach Team. GO Team members are asked to help AFBF with advocacy efforts, such as media interviews, lawmaker meetings or key issue fly-ins in Washington when specific needs arise.

Additionally, Beery serves on the Augusta County Agriculture Appreciation Gala committee, helping commemorate the past, present and future of her county’s agriculture industry every other year. She also serves on the Augusta County Agriculture Discovery Day committee and enjoys connecting families to the county’s “many different facets of agriculture” each year. Held in early October, this year’s event drew around 600 attendees.

“The boot camp was a good balance of challenging your brain, pushing you out of your comfort zone, and then seeing the growth in other ladies and yourself,” Beery remarked. “I highly recommend the program to anybody who has the opportunity and is willing to step out of their comfort zone.”

Applications open in December for the 2026 sessions.