Alyssa Clements of Clay County Wins Excellence in Agriculture

Alyssa Clements of Washington County is this year's Excellence in Agriculture for Tennessee Young Farmers & Ranchers. The results were announced during the banquet of the YF&R Fall Education Tour in Putnam and Smith Counties.

"It's an honor to win this award," said Clements. "I'm getting close to aging out of Young Farmers and Ranchers and it is great to capstone my experience in the organization with this achievement."

Growing up with grandparents who ran a tobacco and cattle farm and parents working in rural healthcare, agriculture was engrained in Clements at a young age. During her school years, she was very active in 4-H and FFA and then went on to obtain her bachelor's degree in animal science from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She also has a master's degree in ruminant nutrition from the University of Illinois and a M.B.A. from Tennessee Technological University. She began her sales career in animal science in 2015 and has been working in the industry ever since.

Clements serves as a sales specialist for Purina Mills, LLC and Protrition, a joint venture with Tennessee Farmers Cooperative. Her area covers a large region in middle Tennessee and south-central Kentucky where she assists producers in developing nutrition plans around forages and farm-grown feedstuffs. At home, Clements and her husband, Adam Boucher, are proud to be raising their son, Amos, on the farm they purchased in 2021.

"My motto is that I'm fueled by farmers," said Clements. "They've given so much to me to allow me to get to this point in my career and it's my goal every day to give back to them."

Clements has been involved in YF&R since her college days, serving in various capacities and attending several local and state conferences. Most recently, Clements participated in the American Farm Bureau Federation advocacy fly-in in Washington, D.C. where she advocated on behalf of Tennessee farmers. She has served on the Clay County YF&R committee for several years and is now proud to be serving on the Clay County board of directors as of two years ago.

The Excellence in Agriculture Award recognizes young farmers who derive the majority of their income for an off-farm occupation, but who actively contribute and grow through their involvement in agriculture, their leadership ability and participation in Farm Bureau and other organizations. Clements competed against eleven other county contestants from across the state to be named the state winner.

"I appreciate the judge's belief that I will do well representing Tennessee and I will carry that with me as we head to Anaheim and will work hard and be prepared for the contest," said Clements.

As state winner, the Clements receives $1,000 from Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee, $500 from Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, $1,000 in Tennessee Farm Bureau services, a John Deere Gator sponsored by Farm Credit Mid-America and a trip to the American Farm Bureau Convention in Anaheim, Cal. in January 2026 where she will compete for national honors with other state winners.

Sarah Orr of Cocke County was selected as this year's second-place winner. Third was Haley Brazel of Sumner County, fourth was Lora Malone from Sullivan County and fifth was Olivia Phillips from Smith County.