WASHINGTON ─ The U.S. Department of Agriculture has selected 30 university students who will attend USDA’s 2023 Agricultural Outlook Forum as winners of the USDA Future Leaders in Agriculture program.
The undergraduate and graduate students from land-grant, non-land-grant colleges of agriculture and Hispanic-serving institutions will receive a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., and attend the 99th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum, USDA’s largest annual meeting. This year’s forum convenes Feb. 23-24 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.
Kailyn Wrighten of South Carolina State University’s 1890 Extension program is among the 30 winners.
“These young people are the next generation of agriculture, and it is important for USDA to support their training,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “Through the Future Leaders Program, USDA is expanding career opportunities in USDA-related fields and building an agriculture workforce that reflects the diversity of the American people.”
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Anyone going to buy a dozen eggs these days will have to be ready to pay up because the lingering bird flu outbreak, combined with soaring feed, fuel and labor costs, has led to prices more than doubling over the past year. The price of a dozen eggs hit $3.59 per dozen in November, up from $1.72 a year earlier, according to the latest government data, putting stress on consumer budgets and the bottom line of businesses that rely heavily on eggs. Grocery prices that were up 12% continue to drive inflation higher even though the overall pace of price increases slowed a bit through the fall. But egg prices are up significantly more than other foods — even more than chicken or turkey — because egg farmers were hit harder by the bird flu. More than 43 million of the 58 million birds slaughtered over the past year to control the virus have been egg-laying chickens. Purdue University agricultural economist Jayson Lusk said he believes the bird flu outbreak is the biggest driver in the price increases. Unlike past years, the virus lingered throughout the summer and made a resurgence last fall when it resumed infecting egg and poultry farms. The CEO of the American Egg Board trade group, Emily Metz, said she believes all the cost increases farmers have faced in the past year were a bigger factor in the price increases than bird flu.
Now in its 16th year, the USDA Future Leaders in Agriculture Program introduces undergraduate and graduate students to the work of USDA and partner organizations. The program also provides real-world learning opportunities in contemporary agribusiness, scientific research, and agricultural policy to 21 undergraduates and nine graduate students who are majoring in agriculture-related subjects, including business, economics, communications, nutrition, food science and veterinary studies.
Applicants submit essays on agricultural careers and challenges. During their visit to Washington, D.C., students will participate in a USDA briefing and discuss career development with agriculture leaders in academia, government and industry. They will tour the nation’s capital and attend the forum, where Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will present their awards.
“I am very pleased to see such a group of promising young students showing a strong interest in the agriculture sector and USDA’s work, and I am looking forward to meeting them in person at our annual Agricultural Outlook Forum next month,” USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer said.
Among the winners, Megan Cherry is an agricultural communications major at the University of Georgia. In her essay on “Agriculture as a Career,” she wrote “Being a first-generation college student, I can faithfully say I would not be where I am today if it were not for agriculture and all the career agriculturalists who choose to invest in me. Agriculture as a career is a complex statement but ultimately, I could not imagine a more rewarding career path.”
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