If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to work in today’s production agriculture industry, mark your calendar for January 9-10. That’s when the inaugural FFA Horizon Conference takes place.
This virtual conference, open to high school juniors and seniors as well as FFA graduates ages 18 to 24, will feature speakers, panels, roundtables, industry experts and opportunities to connect, with the goal of helping develop the next generation of leaders in production agriculture.
According to Kate Wehby, educational specialist with the National FFA Organization, the Horizon Conference will resemble in-person FFA events in several ways, but thanks to modern technology, its reach will be far more expansive.
“The Horizon Conference is the first virtual experience FFA has offered that’s focused entirely on production agriculture,” Wehby says. “Being virtual will allow us to connect with more young people. There’s no need to travel, you don’t have to apply to attend and you can participate from anywhere, which makes the conference highly accessible.”
That accessibility makes the Horizon Conference particularly exciting to FFA advisors like Kasey Naylor, the agricultural science instructor at Sam Rayburn High School in Ivanhoe, Texas. Naylor is encouraging her members to attend whether or not they have a specific interest in production agriculture. She says she’s planning to make attending the conference a homework assignment for her students, and when they return to class, they’ll discuss what they learned.
“This conference will give attendees a better idea of the many career opportunities available in production ag and include information about entrepreneurship, consumers, the future of agriculture and trends within production ag,” Naylor says. “As a result, I think the Horizon Conference will have something for everyone.”
Tony Klemm, global portfolio leader – corn at Corteva Agriscience, says the company, one of the Horizon Conference’s sponsors and a longtime National FFA Organization supporter, looks forward to participating in the event as it has in the New Century Farmer Conference in previous years.
“At Corteva Agriscience, we believe FFA members are the future of the agriculture industry, and we are committed to helping cultivate the next generation of leaders in production agriculture,” Klemm says. “We see the Horizon Conference as a perfect opportunity to connect with the young people we will one day serve in our mission to help those in production ag become more productive, profitable and successful.”
Learn more about the Horizon Conference and sign up to receive updates about the conference (e.g., when the schedule is announced, when registration goes live, and more).
