An ISU student was one of the few selected to attend the 2015 Agricultural Outlook Forum Student Diversity Program.

Malcolm Smith was chosen to attend the forum titled “Smart Agriculture in the 21st Century,” which took place Feb. 19 and 20 in Washington D.C. Only 20 students from across the nation were selected to participate.

Smith, a Chicago native, is a junior at Iowa State with majors in global resource systems, public service and administration in agriculture, along with a minor in sociology.

The forum began in 2007 as a way to bring students into the discussion about agricultural policy, scientific research and future trends. Each year the Agriculture Outlook Forum invites industry leaders, educators and community members to go to Washington and be part of the two-day experience where they look at trends, policy, statistics and economics.

They open it up to all of their multicultural students and give them an opportunity to write an essay and have a subcommittee that chooses from those essays. Smith’s essay stood out. 

“I see Malcolm in my mind as one of our next George Washington Carver’s. He is passionate about doing work in agriculture,” said Dr. Theressa Cooper, assistant dean for diversity.

Malcolm Smith, a Chicago native, is a junior at Iowa State with majors in global resource systems, public service and administration in agriculture with a minor in sociology.

“At first I was kind of shocked. I couldn’t believe it. I was waiting for the email to come and I remember I was checking it all the time to see if it came,” Smith said. “And then one day I saw the congratulatory letter.”

The first two days got cancelled because of a blizzard in D.C., Smith said. He still managed to arrive on time but others’ flights got delayed. During the second day, they heard presentations on farm credit from agriculture companies or lobbyist groups. They talked about the point of agriculture and agriculture careers, Smith said. 

“We also had a dinner that night as well where we had more discussions about how to get people more interested in agriculture, so it was a good discussion people had,” Smith said.

When Smith initially came to Iowa State, he was majoring in economics and sociology. He then read about global resource systems and working with sustainability, helping developing countries, which persuaded him to talk to professors.

He applied for the Uganda service learning program his freshman year and got accepted.

In the summer of 2012, Smith went to Uganda and helped plant fresh fruit and grain gardens. The specific project he worked on was bee keeping. It gave him the opportunity to learn about bees.

“So that was a fantastic experience, and coming back from there increased my goal in wanting to work in international development and helping developing countries build their economy and working abroad and learning about the countries agriculture sector and global disease,” Smith said.

Smith said he definitely recommends the Agricultural Outlook Forum for other agricultural students. He said it’s an incredible networking opportunity. He got the opportunity to meet one of the senior executives of Walmart and sit with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, asking questions about agriculture. The European Union secretary of agriculture also spoke at the forum. 

“Everything was paid for so I think that if that isn’t a push, then definitely networking and getting to meet people and hand out your résumé and business card [is] a great opportunity,” Smith said. 

Smith said if it wasn’t for Cooper he would not have known about the opportunity. A tip he has for his fellow agriculture students is to be as specific as possible when writing the essay for the forum.

“I would say always try it out and give it a shot. If you don’t succeed you have more opportunities for other things to apply for. Definitely talk to your professors because I would have never known if it was not for Dr. Cooper to apply for this event,” Smith said.

This past year, the Agriculture and Life Sciences College celebrated its 150th birthday and celebrated the life and legacy of George Washington Carver. One of the focuses was on how the college uses the ideas George Washington Carver focused on to teach new students who will inspire others concerned about the environment and the social impact on agriculture.

Cooper said Smith’s beliefs in the concept of global agriculture and how everyone is interconnected have impressed her. 

“You can see that passion and that drive to improve the lives of others through his work with agriculture just like George Washington Carver. That was one of the things that made me reach out to Malcolm specifically for the opportunity,” Cooper said.

This opportunity was open to all of the agriculture students and they did a college-wide search for students to participate in the activity, Cooper said. 

“I would just encourage them to try. It’s a unique experience that only about 20 students each year get an opportunity to participate in. So it makes them an elite group of students who get to engage with the movers and shakers in agricultural policy and that’s one of those experiences that it’s worthwhile. It’s an opportunity that you’re not always going to get,” Cooper said.