Where will agriculture take you?

Sunday, November 11, 2012

2012 AFA Leaders Conference

The first weekend of November signifies the annual Agriculture Future of America Leaders Conference and this year marked the 16th anniversary of AFA. It was my second year to receive sponsorship to attend the Leaders Conference. Conference is divided into Tracks 1,2,3, and 4 each is coordinated to focus on specific leader skills. Track 4 was new this year and AFA has also announced its latest installment of Leader Institutes. I attended the Animal Health Institute last spring. At AFA I have met numerous lifelong friends and made invaluable industry connections. 

The Leaders Conference is an opportunity for collegiate agriculturists from across the country to come together. We attend workshops focusing on leader development, current issues in the agricultural sector and career professionalism. Highlights of Conference included hearing from Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh  and Howard Buffet, the 2012 Leader in Agriculture Award honorees. After working on Conference details this summer as the AFA intern it was gratifying to see it come together.

The AFA Conference is an opportunity to see friends like Sydney Lawerce. She and met at the Washington Leadership Conference for FFA in high school and have remained close since. 

Daysie Hawkins, Kathryn Coon, Julia Witthaus and I just happened to wear purple on day two of the Conference.

It was a family reunion! I enjoyed visiting with two of my cousins, Kaitlin Flick and Cassie Reid. Cassie will be studying abroad next semester in Africa and Kaitlin, well she's my room mate and best friend 

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