By Maegan Beatty
In November, over 800 undergraduate students from across the nation gathered in Kansas City, Missouri, to attend the 2023 Agriculture Future of America (AFA) Leaders Conference. AFA is a nonprofit organization that works to provide professional development opportunities for students studying agriculture, life sciences and natural resources. Every November, AFA hosts a Leaders Conference to give students the opportunity to connect with employers, industry professionals and other undergraduate students who are passionate about the field of agriculture.
CONFERENCE CONTENT
The Leaders Conference is broken up into four different tracks, and each track corresponds with the season of life the student is currently in.
Track 1 delegates are college freshman, and their programming is designed to lay out a foundation for professional development in the industry as well as their personal lives. The session content includes resume building, an introduction to LinkedIn and how to conduct an elevator speech.
Track 2 delegates are college sophomores or juniors, and their session content includes diving into agricultural policies such as the farm bill, how to manage your money wisely and the importance of body language.
Track 3 delegates are college juniors or seniors, and their program content revolves around group collaboration, global leadership and financial management.
Track 4 delegates undergo a unique capstone experience that is built from participation of the previous tracks. This track specifically focuses on how to prepare undergraduate seniors for the workforce.
Every track allows students to showcase their talents in an opportunity fair. The opportunity fair contains a variety of businesses and organizations that are looking for skilled interns and employees.
STUDENT IMPACT
Drew Blanton is a sophomore at the University of Florida studying Food and Resource Economics. This year, he experienced his first Leaders Conference as a Track 2 delegate.
“Being a Track 2 Delegate and first-time attendee of the AFA Leaders Conference was one of the greatest college experiences I’ve had the privilege of attending,” Drew said. “The time spent connecting with UF and other university students allowed me to deepen my love and passion for the agriculture industry.”
OTHER AFA PROGRAMS
Along with Leaders Conference, AFA offers specific leadership institutes that focus around one area within agriculture. These institutes range from food to sustainability to technology. For more information on AFA programs and resources, you can visit their website.
Source: Agriculture Future of America. Maegan Beatty is an AgNet Media Intern.