Nanjemoy teen named Miss Charles County Farm Bureau
Lilly Collins, 17, is not only preparing herself for the career she wants to have but she’s also fulfilling a wish her late mother had for her.
The Port Tobacco teen was named 2017 Miss Charles County Farm Bureau during the organization’s yearly banquet last month.
Being involved in the organization was something her late mother, Angel, wanted for her.
“My mom pushed me to do it,” Collins said of her mother. “She died when I was 14 but she always wanted me to be in farm bureau. I’ve always been into agriculture so it’s something I’ve always been interested in and wanted to do.”
Participants in the competition must be between the ages of 16 and 19 and either be members in the farm bureau or have parents in good standing with the bureau. Involvement or a strong interest in agriculture is also necessary.
“I’ve grown up around horses. We’ve had a horse farm since I was born and I’ve had a horse since I was three years old,” Collins said. “I just love the nature they give off. They’re really friendly animals and they teach you a lot about responsibility and, honestly, true friendship.”
The horse-enthusiast aspires to be a veterinarian one day.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since I was little,” Collins said. “I’ve always had a love of animals and I’ve grown up around them my whole life and we’ve always had lots of different animals around like dogs, cats, horses, cows, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, sheep, goats.”
Collins is a member of the Mounted Wanderers 4-H and Pony Club, the American Quarter Horse Association as well as the Southern Maryland Youth Quarter Horse Association. She is also in the National Honor Society, the National Art honor society and plays varsity tennis at Henry E. Lackey High School.
As the runner-up in last year’s competition, Collins was the only contestant this year and will receive $300.
“She’s like an all-American girl because she’s involved with the community, she has a job, is very active with 4-H and she just participated in the auction we held,” Sheila Hancock, co-chair of the Miss Charles County Farm Bureau competition, said of Collins.
Earlier this month the Charles County Farm Bureau held an auction benefitting Great Plains farmers and ranchers that were affected by wildfires. More than 2 million acres were consumed in wildfires in March, which also took the lives of seven people and tens of thousands of livestock, according to media reports.
Farmers from St. Mary’s and Calvert counties helped out with the auction and each county’s Miss Farm Bureau was there to represent their county’s agriculture community.
“I thought it was a really nice gesture and a really important cause because I saw how devastated all the farmers were and I know how devastating it would have been if that had happened here,” Collins said of the wildfires.
Hancock said Collins will visit some elementar y schools throughout the year and do some projects with young students revolved around farming.
“A lot of kids don’t know much about farming or where their food comes from. That will be part of her role as an ambassador for agriculture in the community,” Hancock said of Collins. “I think she’ll be really good at that.”
In August, Collins will compete against 22 other contestants from across the state for the title of Miss Mar yland Agriculture.
“I was very excited to win [Miss Charles County Farm Bureau] and I can’t wait to see what it brings me in the future,” Collins said.