A seed company is investing in the future of America?s youth.
AUDIO: John Long, Mycogen Seeds
Mycogen Seeds is presenting its ?Turn the Bag Blue & Gold? program to more FFA chapters across the United States. John Long, commercial agronomist for Mycogen Seeds, says the program offers FFA members sales experience and an opportunity to raise funds for their chapter.
?Number one, raise money for their chapters by helping sell and place Mycogen seed. A lot of people work in agriculture and sales careers, so (we?re) giving them insight into that and how they could use that as a career option,? Long said. ?Secondly, we?re going to take the time to teach (them) about agronomics, problems throughout the growing season and how we can overcome those with some of our technologies and traits.?
Mycogen Seeds says ?chapter-members will (then) apply the training in the field by selling special blue-and-gold bags of Mycogen? brand corn hybrids to local farmers.? Participating chapters will receive funds for each bag of corn sold.
Mycogen Seeds launched the ?Turn the Bag Blue & Gold? program ahead of the 2018 growing season. Long talks about a change being made to the program for the new year.
?The changes are going to make the program more broad, so we?re more accessible,? Long said. ?We?re not going to open ?the whole book,? if you will. We?re going to focus on a couple products for each chapter to where the young people can learn and know those products, and do a great job of placing those with growers.?
A handful of Iowa FFA chapters, particularly those in the north central region, will be participating in this year?s ?Turn the Bag Blue & Gold? program. Farmers interested in supporting the program and their local FFA chapter can contact a participant or Mycogen retailer.
