![](media/image1.png){width="0.8756944444444444in"
height="0.6298611111111111in"}

**2008 Forum Essay Submission Deadline:** September 20, 2007

**2008 Forum Sponsorship Declaration Deadline:** September 20, 2007

**2007 Highlights: USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum**

**Student Diversity Program**

With the 2007 launch of USDA's Outlook Forum Student Diversity Program,
corporations and agencies sponsored attendance for 11 students who took
part in this year's USDA Forum ─ an annual event that first began in
1923. The program, which aims to promote participation that will educate
students about agribusiness, the latest research, future trends, and
policy in contemporary agriculture, received praise from all corners.

The Student Diversity Program targeted agriculture, agricultural
economics, agricultural communications, agricultural business, or
pre-veterinary junior or senior undergraduate students. It originated in
the Office of the Chief Economist and its World Agricultural Outlook
Board (WAOB), but quickly became a team effort when Cooperative State
Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) became a partner.
Dr. Ahmad Jilani, USDA Liaison Officer at University of Maryland Eastern
Shore (UMES), also assisted with coordination of funding and travel
arrangements.

The students, who arrived in Washington, D.C., February 28, were greeted
by CSREES Program Specialist, Antonio McLaren, and escorted to the WAOB
in USDA's South Building. Dr. Gerald Bange, WAOB Chairperson, presented
a Department overview and gave an historical and contemporary
perspective of the Forum. "The Forum has been a tradition since 1923,"
Bange said, "but we are focused on the future, so we created a new
opportunity for students to attend." Participating in the Forum will
help educate these youth about the historic changes and the wide range
of opportunities in today's world of agriculture. All 11 participants,
junior and senior students from Land Grant Universities and Colleges who
represent the future diversity of American agriculture, were selected
based on an essay competition and recommendations from their professors.

On March 1^st^, (first day of the Forum), the students were seated in
the front row of the large plenary audience. In addition to hearing
Secretary Mike Johanns and Chief Economist Keith Collins speak, they
listened to a distinguished panel of CEOs discussing renewable energy:
Patricia Woertz, President and CEO of Archer Daniels Midland; Gregory
Page, COO of Cargill; Red Cavaney, CEO of American Petroleum Institute,
and John Johnson, CEO of CHS, Inc. After lunch, five concurrently
running sessions presented challenging choices during the afternoon and
throughout the next day. After the Thursday evening dinner speech, the
students had the opportunity to meet Secretary of Agriculture Mike
Johanns. By 3 p.m. on March 2nd, when the Forum ended, they unanimously
agreed, the Forum was a highlight of their educational experiences. "On
a scale of 1-10," remarked one participant, "I'd rate it \[the Forum\] a
10."

Sarah Falk followed up her experiences with a thank you letter to her
sponsor. She wrote: "I wanted to attend the Forum to hear about
alternative energy and its future possibilities. I believe that this
experience has empowered me to achieve more in the hopes of transforming
into a successful business person after graduating from Michigan State
University." Dave Schweikhardt, Professor of Agricultural Economics,
Michigan State University, who recommended Sarah, also sent a follow-up
message. Dr. Schweikhardt said:

"Both students \[Michigan\] were endless in their praise of the
experience and in their exposure to the opportunities in agriculture.
Speaking for myself, we have to do all we can to make

students aware of opportunities in agriculture. In particular, it has
been my experience that students never consider Washington as a career
option, even when I try to tell them about the opportunities related to
agriculture that exist there. Thus, we have to do everything we can to
expand their vision about what is possible in agriculture, especially in
Washington. I hope this program will be expanded in the future."

In fact, that is expressly what Dr. Bange and partners have agreed upon.
The goal for 2008 is to seek sponsorship for 20 students.

The 2008 Agricultural Outlook Forum will be held February 21-22, 2008,
in Arlington, Virginia, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel.
Partnering sponsors are being asked to provide expenses for lodging,
meals, and transportation for the students from their college or
university to Washington, D.C., arriving February 20, 2008, and
returning home February 22, 2008. Sponsors will receive appreciative
mention in the Forum program and on the Forum Web site:
[www.usda.gov/oce/forum](http://www.usda.gov/oce/forum)

For 2007, Forum sponsorship Included CHS Foundation, Deere & Company,
Farm Credit Bank of Texas, AgFirst Farm Credit, and Georgia Farm Credit
Association. USDA sponsorship included the Economic Research Service and
The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration. If your
agency, corporation or association would like to help sponsor a student,
please contact: Brenda Chapin, Forum Coordinator, WAOB, at 202-720-5447
or <bchapin@oce.usda.gov>

The students chosen for 2007 included: Rosalind Booker, Virginia State
University; Meredith M. Esguerra, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore;
Monique Fahie, Alcorn State University; Sara Falk, Michigan State
University; Matthew Greiner, Michigan State University; Alicia Lowe,
Virginia State University; Lakeitha Ruffin, Alcorn State University;
LeAnn Rutledge, North Carolina A & T State University; Kristen Walker,
University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Corinna Willis, Lincoln
University; and Victoria Young, Lincoln University.