During the last four days, I had the privilege of being among the cream-of-the-crop future ag leaders at the 2008 Agriculture Future of America conference held annually in Kansas City, Mo.

After seeing all the young men and women at the conference, I am extremely confident about the future of agriculture as well as its presence in this state and the United States. There is no doubt in my mind that we have the future leadership to help our industry grow and prosper in all facets including renewable energy, livestock production and bio-technology, to name a few.In today’s growing and changing world, agriculture is the most important key to the future of this nation’s success and growth. It will take the leadership and insight of all the young men and women involved in the agricultural field across the nation to make this possible.We need young people to return home to continue their family farms that will increase our rural population. We need young people to enter the fields of animal science to research continued technology that will make animal agriculture more efficient. We need young people looking to research and develop more bio-technology, so we can grow larger grain crops with less demand that will ultimately decrease the carbon footprint of human beings.

Agriculture is an industry that requires more education and more talent than it did fifty years ago. The old thought was that a son was to return after high school — or for some after eighth grade — to take over the family farm.

In today’s world this works for a few people, but if you want to return home to the family farm, you need a college education. If you are entering the science or business field, you need a four-year degree that is offered by a school like Iowa State.There is more to college than just classes and grades. There are involvement opportunities and leadership positions that need to be filled. Even though you may have the degree, it doesn’t mean you have the skills it requires to be successful in the work world. You need to be involved with clubs and organizations to get the word out about agriculture. A student in agriculture must be an ambassador for the industry and can’t be afraid to stand up and tell the story of an industry that has given so many people opportunities to follow their dreams.

The field of food production changes every day, and if we do not have the people to speak out and tell the general public about agriculture, we will not be recognized by our society.I am a believer that our society should not take for granted the food that that is consumed every day because without agriculture and new technologies, Americans would not be able to have the safest, most convenient and affordable food in the world.

As Trent Loos, an advocate for agriculture, said at the 2008 AFA conference, “food production in the United States is vital for our national security.” We need to continue to stand up and tell the story about agriculture like Mr. Loos. I believe AFA was one of the greatest Ag Leadership conferences I have ever been a part of, and I want to thank everyone who made the conference possible — especially Mr. Crosby Kemper, who founded the AFA organization 12 years ago.