Contributed by Kayela Stanton
In order to continue to fuel the discovery of new solutions and solve big challenges in human health, agriculture, and food, it will be critical to cultivate the next generation of leaders in science. Merrill Wren, James Czub, Shane Thrasher, and Ally Hoag accompanied by chaperones Jim Czub and Jaclyn Hoag, had the opportunity to attend the 2019 National Agri-Science Youth Summit in Chevy Chase, MD January 10 through 13.
The four day summit held at the National 4-H Conference Center, welcomed over 200 high schoolers and adults from 27 states to immerse them in an agenda focused on a variety of agri-science topics relevant to today’s agriculture. The attendees could pick from 27 different workshops on topics such as: Kids Teaching Kids, Precision Farming, Dairy Science, Bioenergy, the Science of
GMO, and so much more.
Each session at the summit was led by an industry leader; some of the speakers included: Ted McKinney, the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agriculture Affairs- US Department of Agriculture and Serena Woodward-the 2019 Agriculture Youth in Action Award Winner.
The 2019 National Youth Summit on Agri-Science was sponsored by Bayer and Science Matters. Both are organizations committed to creating the innovators in science and agriculture by providing hands-on experience and tools to youth worldwide.
Those who represented Rensselaer County had a great time expanding their knowledge on different topics and careers in agriculture, exploring Washington D.C, and creating ideas on how to increase the support of local farms in the Capital District.