WASHINGTON, February 13, 2020 ─ The United States Department of Agriculture announced the selection of 30 university students who will attend USDA’s 2020 Agricultural Outlook Forum as participants of the USDA Future Leaders in Agriculture Program. These undergraduate and graduate students will participate in a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., capped off by their attendance at the Forum, USDA’s largest annual meeting, held February 20-21, 2020 in Arlington, Va.

Since 2007, USDA has hosted undergraduate and graduate students at the Forum to enable real-world learning opportunities in contemporary agribusiness, scientific research, and agricultural policy. The program selects 20 university undergraduates and 10 graduate students based on essays on agricultural careers and challenges. These students major in agriculture-related studies, including business, economics, communications, nutrition, food science, and veterinary studies. Finalists are selected from land-grant universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and non-land-grant colleges of agriculture.

During their visit to Washington, D.C., students will take part in a USDA briefing and discussion of career opportunities with agriculture leaders in academia, government, and industry. They will tour the nation’s capital, attend the Forum, and will meet with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.

The Future Leaders in Agriculture Program is supported by academic institutions, corporations, and government institutions dedicated to promoting the education of the next generation of agriculture. This year’s sponsoring organizations include the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Farm Credit.

This program is one of many partnership efforts among USDA, 1862 Land-Grant institutions, 1890 Historically Black Land-Grant Colleges and Universities, 1994 Tribal Land-Grant Colleges and Universities, and Hispanic-Serving Institutions. These partnerships support capacity building initiatives that bolster education and career opportunities for students and faculty, and recruit new talent for USDA and agriculture.

USDA Future Leaders in Agriculture Program

Undergraduate Participants

Name University Jaevien Akinmola South Carolina State University Jailynn Britt University of Maryland Eastern Shore Bobby Brooks North Carolina A&T State University Holly Enowski University of Missouri Mariana Gonzalez Castro San Diego State University, Imperial Valley McKenzie Greene Clemson University Kyle Jacobs Virginia State University Christopher Jennings Prairie View A&M University Gretchen Kuck Texas A&M University Sadie Keller California State University, Stanislaus Michael McGill Oklahoma State University Ivi Mitchell Virginia State University Isaiah Nance University of Maryland Eastern Shore Edwin Sanchez University of Maryland College Park Andrew Skidmore California State University, Fresno Natalie Sturm Montana State University Maya Sullivan Tuskegee University Cassandra Tice California State University, Monterey Bay Monae Wilmore University of Maryland College Park Trevor Wingett California State University, Stanislaus

Graduate Participants

Name University Christina Bradshaw North Carolina A&T State University Emily Carlson Oregon State University Alejandra Celio California Polytechnic State University Mikayla Dolch Oklahoma State University Stephon Fitzpatrick University of Maryland Eastern Shore Megan Hughes Purdue University Cathy Keeler Tuskegee University Taylor Price Oklahoma State University Ashley Toney University of Nebraska-Lincoln Charles Watt Montana State University

About the Agricultural Outlook Forum

The Agricultural Outlook Forum is USDA’s oldest annual meeting and the sector’s premier event, attracting around 1,600 attendees each year from the U.S. and abroad. The forum highlights key issues and timely topics affecting the agriculture sector, offering a unique platform for exchanging information and ideas among producers, processors, policymakers, government officials, and non-governmental organizations, both foreign and domestic.

Visit the Agricultural Outlook Forum website to register. Follow the conversation at #AgOutlook on USDA’s Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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