On Nov. 13-14, the district’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) President Kalei Croiser attended the first-ever Youth Agriculture Leadership Conference at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, N.Y. Ms. Croiser participated with her statewide FFA colleagues, industry leaders, and additional panelists/speakers to discuss the future pathway of agriculture in New York State. Further information related to this event can be found here.
According to the event’s website, this year’s event was the first-ever collaborative youth agriculture leadership conference that encouraged collaboration among youth agriculture organizations and provided young leaders the opportunity to connect with state leaders to better understand how policy shapes the interconnected food, agriculture, and natural resource industries.
“I was allowed to attend a Youth Agriculture Leadership Conference last week. I was able to talk with kids from different schools and form bonds but also got the chance to put myself in a position where I could share and debate different topics related to agriculture,” shared Ms. Croiser. “I participated in different workshops while I was there, as well as talking to people in the Ag industry, where they talked and shared their experiences. The hands-on workshops allowed you to speak up and put yourself in a position to share your thoughts and ideas while working as a team. I made new friends and am so beyond grateful I had the chance to experience this! I think events like this are what helps show kids why agriculture is important and the things it does for us.”