Arden Hills, Minn. (Aug. 24, 2017) – Land O’Lakes, Inc. is accepting applications for the Land O’Lakes Global Food Challenge Emerging Leaders for Food Security™ fellowship. In its fourth year, the program expanded to 11 eligible universities across the United States to draw a broad mix of skills and perspectives to agriculture. Students entering their sophomore year for the 2017-18 academic year are eligible to apply. The deadline is Oct. 30, 2017.
Land O’Lakes, Inc., a farmer-owned cooperative, created the Global Food Challenge program in 2014 to engage future leaders in the challenges and opportunities facing agriculture in the coming decades. The program has exposed 31 students to the company’s farm-to-fork operations in areas spanning from supply chain, sustainable food production, marketing and communications and agricultural policy as well as Land O’Lakes International Development projects impacting global food security, to showcase the vast, diverse career opportunities agriculture provides. Between the first two classes of Emerging Leaders, 50 percent of students returned to Land O’Lakes for a second internship.
“From ag technology to sustainability, agronomy, marketing or government affairs, a career in modern agriculture is as dynamic as the industry itself,” said Lydia Botham, vice president, Community Relations, Land O’Lakes, Inc. “We encourage students from all majors to consider the growing industry that is food and ag, and discover how they can be instrumental in helping to feed a growing global population and eliminating food insecurity here in the U.S. and around the world.”
Eligibility, application and selection process
Students are selected through a competitive application process that includes submitting a one-minute video, brief questionnaire and resume. Sophomores with an expected graduation date of May or December 2020 will be considered if they have demonstrated leadership in their campus and community among other qualifications.
Students pursuing all majors and who attend the following schools are encouraged to apply:
- Alabama A&M
- Iowa State University
- Kansas State University
- Northwestern University
- North Carolina A&T
- Pennsylvania State University
- Purdue University
- The George Washington University
- University of Florida
- University of Minnesota
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
The experience
The student experience runs from January through August 2018. Throughout the academic year, Emerging Leaders are paired with university professors and complete assignments designed to spur thinking about food security issues and educate their peers about career opportunities in agriculture through hosting on-campus events.
During the summer, Emerging Leaders participate in a full-time internship at Land O’Lakes, Inc. headquarters in Minnesota where they develop actionable proposals for Land O’Lakes to address an agricultural or food insecurity challenge. To further expand their knowledge of the agriculture industry, Emerging Leaders travel to rural agriculture cooperatives and farms across the United States, meet with policymakers in Washington, D.C. and visit Land O’Lakes International Development projects in Africa. Emerging Leaders also participate in industry events during their tenure and serve as ambassadors for Land O’Lakes and the agriculture and the food industries during and after the program. Students for the 2017-18 class of Land O’Lakes Global Food Challenge Emerging Leaders for Food Security will be selected and notified of their participation in December 2017.
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