Later this week the National FFA convention will be expected to hit a record attendance in Indianapolis. More than 70,000 students from all over the country are set to assemble to discuss agricultural leadership and gain more insight into leadership training and the future of agriculture. It’s also a chance for these kids to put all their hard work on display as they compete for awards, bragging rights, and even national degrees to round out their high school FFA career.
Of course, none of these programs are possible without great sponsors and partners. Nutrien Ag Solutions has just committed for multi-yearly to the National FFA for nearly $850,000. Spencer Harris is a Senior Vice President of Global Retail Operations and shares insights about Nutrien’s support for all the efforts in developing the next generation of tag industry leaders.
We’re starting to see more gaps in the number of workers available for the future of the agricultural industry. There is also an increasing gap in the technical skills needed to fill areas of innovation, digital technology, and sustainability. By partnering with the FFA, companies like Nutrien are doing everything they can to help close these gaps and make sure that the future of agriculture includes plenty of agricultural technology training.
Many of the leaders in the Ag industry once wore blue and gold jackets. Kristen Rutgers is a Project Manager for Training and Development and was a former National FFA officer herself.
Rutgers has a unique perspective from being an Ag student and a national FFA officer to becoming a leader with an Ag company.