Through World Ag Expo's Concerts for a Cause, the International Agri-Center has provided a grant for two future agriculture teachers to attend the World Food Prize conference. The students will learn firsthand about the global community's best efforts to alleviate hunger and promote the human right to a stable, nutritious supply of food. As the first recipients of the National FFA Organization's World Food Prize Grants, they will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, Oct. 12-15, to attend the World Food Prize. Selected for the experience are Allison Nicole Hoover, 20, of Pennsylvania State University and Kirby John Schmidt, 20, of the University of Minnesota.

The opportunity to attend the World Food Prize is made possible by a grant from the International Agri-Center to the National FFA Foundation. Funding for the grant was raised through World Ag Expo's Concerts for a Cause held in early 2011. Money raised from concert series was used to support agricultural education and scholarships.

While at the World Food Prize, the students will attend the Norman E. Borlaug International Symposium, the World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony, the Global Youth Institute and special meetings with agricultural leaders. After the event, they will deliver three presentations about the World Food Prize to agricultural education students at their college or university, to their state's agricultural education teachers, and to a local FFA chapter. They will also prepare a summary of the experience and its impact to be shared with agricultural education stakeholders.

"I intend to take my experiences back to the classroom, in order to integrate sustainability and food production issues into my coursework and FFA program," said Schmidt, of Marshall, Minnesota, and former president of the Minnesota FFA Association. "I hope to inspire a new generation of youth that will actively engage in creating solutions for a sustainable and nutritious food supply. My 7-12 curriculum will include opportunities to learn more about international agricultural issues, Dr. Norman Borlaug and how students can be engaged in global opportunities."

Hoover, a former Pennsylvania FFA state officer from Port Matilda, Pennsylvania, agreed. "The next generation of leaders will need to be informed about agriculture. We will best prepare them by educating and intriguing them to be engaged with global agricultural issues and solutions. This challenge is one that I plan to pursue as a career." PD

—From International Agri-Center news release