Have you ever heard of the Norborne Soybean Festival? You might have, thanks to their recent recognition as the Cenex Hometown Throwdown Grand Prize Winner, but even if you haven’t, you’re going to love this episode. It’s about building amazing community events and what it looks like to swing for the fences.    About Kyle:   Kyle Durham is a sixth-generation farmer from Norborne, Missouri, an agricultural community of 700 residents. Kyle and his father farm 2,500 acres of soybeans and corn in the Missouri River bottoms.   In addition to farming, Kyle is involved with numerous local, state, and national organizations as a board member and volunteer. These include the United Soybean Board, Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, his state and county Farm Bureaus, Trinity Lutheran Church, and the Norborne Soybean Festival. He also owns and operates The Slaboratory, a custom woodworking business in his hometown, specializing in unique handcrafted furnishings.   Kyle and his wife Courtney have two sons, Simeon, 16, and Elijah, 12.   In this episode, we cover: 

• What the Norbone Soybean Festival is 
• The Hometown Throwdown contest
• Their plans for the prize money
• How a good community event can be a catalyst for community involvement
• The power of the “microask” 

  Links and Resources Mentioned: The famous Hometown Throwdown video entry: https://www.facebook.com/NorborneSoybeanFestival/videos/1055942345557323 The Norborne Soybean Festival Facebook, home of the Festival Friday updates: https://www.facebook.com/NorborneSoybeanFestival A few articles about the contest and the festival:  https://www.kttn.com/norborne-soybean-festival-wins-hometown-throwdown-grand-prize/ https://www.kmzu.com/news/norborne-soybean-festival-crowned-best-in-the-nation-part-2/article_02d0a756-21d6-11ef-bf71-cb75605b6185.html https://www.agriculture.com/missouri-hometown-hero-kyle-durham-8385148