Texas Farm Bureau announces 2026 Excellence in Agriculture finalists
(WACO, Texas)—A passion for agriculture and community earned three agricultural professionals recognition in the 2026 Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Excellence in Agriculture (EIA) contest.
The finalists in this year’s competition are Emilee Haubner of Llano, Matthew March of Hempstead and Sarah Roderick of El Paso.
TFB’s EIA award recognizes young men and women ages 18 to 35 who are involved in agriculture but do not earn their primary income from farming or ranching.
“These individuals represent the many ways agriculture continues to grow and change,” TFB President Russell Boening said. “While their primary careers may not be directly tied to farming or ranching, they are still deeply involved and committed to the future of Texas agriculture.”
Emilee Haubner
Emilee Haubner manages a ranch in Llano and oversees the daily operations. She's responsible for managing livestock, maintaining pastures, controlling brush, repairing equipment and monitoring wells and irrigation systems.
She also owns WCD Agricultural Management, a consulting business that helps landowners and ranchers establish goals and develop management plans for their operations. She also manages social media for agricultural businesses.
Haubner raises commercial meat and milk goats, Dorper sheep and cattle. She sells replacement breeding goats, goat meat, tallow products and other livestock byproducts, while partnering with local producers to offer fresh vegetables and goat milk, at farmers markets.
She previously served on TFB’s YF&R Advisory Committee. Haubner was a member of AgLead XVI and participated in American Farm Bureau Federation’s Communications Bootcamp.
She lives in Llano.
Matthew March
Matthew March is a County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Waller County.
He hosts workshops and outreach events for local farmers, ranchers and landowners. In this role, March provides educational and research-based information to the community.
March also assists with the county’s 4-H program and oversees Master Gardener volunteers and gardens.
March farms in Rosenburg. He continues to help manage his family’s ranch in Fort Bend County and leases land to a local farmer. He also has a custom baling business.
He stays involved in his community by serving as a board member of Waller County Farm Bureau. March is also a member of the National Association of County Agriculture Agents and Texas County Agriculture Agents Association, where he is the alternate director. He is active in other wildlife and range management organizations, as well.
He lives in Hempstead.
Sarah Roderick
Sarah Roderick is the events and outreach coordinator for AgSpire, a company that partners with farmers and ranchers across the country to implement sustainable and regenerative practices.
In her role, Roderick manages digital marketing, conducts interviews and leads outreach efforts to promote AgSpire’s mission of equipping farmers and ranchers with tools to strengthen their operations.
She remains actively involved on her family’s ranch in Marfa, where her family runs 750 Angus cows on 60,000 acres of land that has been in their family since the 1850s.
Roderick is involved in county and state YF&R activities and serves on the TFB YF&R Advisory Committee. She was the winner of the 2025 TFB YF&R Discussion Meet and competed at the 2026 American Farm Bureau Federation Discussion Meet. She continues to be active in El Paso County Farm Bureau where she serves as the county YF&R chair.
She lives in El Paso.
Contest details
The winner will be announced at the TFB Annual Meeting Dec. 4-6 in Waco.
The winner will receive a $15,000 member-dealer voucher to be used at Ford, Case IH, Grasshopper, CAT or John Deere, courtesy of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company; an engraved crystal award; and expense-paid trips to both the TFB Annual Meeting and American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Convention.
The two runners-up will receive a $500 cash award, courtesy of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company; and an expense-paid trip to the TFB Annual Meeting.
The top eight finalists in the contest each received a $1,000 cash award from Farm Bureau Bank.
The winner will advance to compete in the national contest hosted by AFBF in January.
Information on TFB’s Young Farmer & Rancher program and EIA contest can be found online at texasfarmbureau.org/YFR.
TFB Annual Meeting details
For more information about TFB’s 93rd Annual Meeting, visit https://texasfarmbureau.org/annualmeeting.
For high-resolution images of this year’s contestants, please click the name of the contestant below.
For broadcast-quality video of the candidates, please email Ed Wolff at [email protected].