Agriculture Leadership Program

If you’re curious what the California Agriculture Leadership Program is about – it’s all in the name.

For years this program has helped agriculturists “build remarkable leadership skills, with a goal of contributing to agriculture and our communities a more sustainable future for the common good.”  Instead of exposing those accepted to the program to new techniques of weaning cows or planting crops, this program plucks its participants off the farm, and exposes them to societal issues that will mold them into confident leaders.

The first year of the fellowship includes seminars covering government, economics, communications, culture, music, history, sociology, religion, and education. Beginning sessions introduce controversial and political issues.   During the first year, participants travel to Washington, DC, and another carefully chosen region of the United States for the National Travel Seminar. This travel study gives the interns firsthand exposure to some of the social and economic conditions that exist in the United States. Participants have the opportunity to meet with business, community and government leaders.  This provides a hands-on lesson to complement the year's seminar studies of local, state and national issues.

The second year of the fellowship introduces foreign policy and international trade.  Students will learn about national defense, energy, corporate issues, banking, finance and strategic planning. To broaden the perspectives of the participants, non-western philosophies and history are brought into the picture, and the program takes a closer look at societal concerns.   With the introduction to non-western cultures and issues, participants get to travel internationally and meet with many different leaders.  They also become culturally aware as they get to see many significant global issues first hand.

The great thing about this program is that it’s for the future agricultural leaders of California.  Many other fields of study don’t offer such great opportunities to develop skills in leadership – and it’s important to keep the agriculture business of California in good hands with qualified leaders.

Anyone interested in pursuing a fellowship with the California Agricultural Leadership Program should check out their website at http://www.agleaders.org for eligibility requirements.