| | Left to right are Ag Leader participants Henry Harrison, LSU AgCenter county agent in Washington Parish; Jess Barr of Monroe, Mark Marionneaux of Zachary, and Willie Danos of Iowa. The four are at an open-air market in Beijing. (Photo by Bobby Soileau) |
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| | Hank Schumacher, Husser, second from left, and Marty Wooldridge, Oil City, next to him, watch action at a farmers' market in Wuxi, China. Both men are cattle producers. (Photo by Bobby Soileau) |
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| | Justin Nix of Iota walks ahead on a bridge at the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou, China. (Photo by Bobby Soileau) |
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Noted leadership author Warren Bennis once wrote “leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”
For the LSU AgCenter’s Agricultural Leadership Development Program, the vision is to develop leaders who can tackle challenges. The reality is a program that has produced more than 275 graduates since 1988.
2006 marked the beginning of the 10th class, which usually includes 25 to 30 participants selected through an application process. The two-year program provides educational opportunities for potential leaders involved with agriculture and agribusiness, according to program director Mike Futrell.
“The curriculum includes 10 intense seminars during the two years – seven on the LSU campus and three away,” Futrell said.
The away seminars include visits to Washington, D.C., to meet with the country’s leaders in agriculture policy and to Chicago to see the Board of Trade in action. The third is overseas to foreign countries to learn how other agricultural, economic and social systems work.
“The international study tour is an extraordinary growth experience for the class. They visit with farmers, government officials, agribusiness professionals and the citizens of other countries,” Futrell said. “They finish the trip with a much better understanding of how big the world is and how difficult it is to solve complex trade issues.”
According to Farm Bureau Associate Commodity Director Brian Breaux, the international trip was an “awakening.” Breaux, a 1996 graduate of the program, was with the group that went to Southeast Asia, including trips to Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.
“The agricultural technology there is as good as ours. It tells you that you have to be prepared to compete globally,” Breaux said.
International Destinations
The international destinations have included Europe, South America and Southeast Asia. The most recent was to China in January 2006. The group first visited Beijing where they were briefed on agricultural and trade issues by U.S. Embassy, Department of Agriculture and Department of Commerce officials. The Ag Leaders also met with representatives of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture. Other stops in Beijing included a textile company, a forestry nursery, an agricultural university and a wholesale produce and vegetable market.
A trip farther south to Wuxi and Suzhou gave the group an opportunity to visit the Fresh Water Fisheries Institute, a farmers’ market, and a greenhouse vegetable and flower operation. The final stop was Shanghai. Besides visiting an industrial park for agricultural production, the group toured this impressive city of 17 million people.
“Everything I have read,” said Futrell, “suggests that China is on the brink of becoming an economic powerhouse. From what I see here, that may well be an understatement. This is absolutely unbelievable.”
The international trip is the culmination of the two-year program that teaches the participants about issues that affect agriculture. But the curriculum also gives participants the confidence they need to deal with these issues. Seminars cover such topics as leadership skill building, public speaking, effective communication, emerging technologies, public policy and economic development.
“The program gave me the 90 percent shove I needed to do the things I want to do in agriculture,” said Myra Rivet, a 2002 graduate from Pointe Coupee Parish who with her husband, Ricky, farms 1,800 acres cotton, soybeans, sugarcane, wheat, and raises 180 head of cattle.
Rivet like many other graduates became involved in local, state and national issues.
“I wouldn’t be doing a lot of the things I do now if not for that program,” said Jay Hardwick, a 1990 graduate from Tensas Parish. Hardwick is a row crop producer in Newellton, a past president of the Louisiana Cotton Producers Association and currently chairman of the American Cotton Producers.
Confidence and self-esteem are familiar themes among alumni and participants in the program. “The program gave me the confidence to get in front of people,” said Hank Schumacher of Tangipahoa Parish. Schumacher is a cattle producer who also makes and sells soybean candles with his wife Karen. “It also gave me the confidence to join organizations and get involved.”
Getting involved is the whole point of the Ag Leadership program. “I thought everything evolved around East Feliciana Parish,” said Dennis Aucoin, a 1998 graduate who owns and operates a logging company. “It (the program) got me out of the woods.”
Like many other graduates, Aucoin has accepted local, state, and national leadership positions to represent the logging industry. “The leadership qualities you develop from being in the class are recognized by people, and you get asked to serve in a lot of leadership positions,” said Aucoin.
According to Louisiana Forestry Association Executive Director Buck Vandersteen, a 1992 graduate, the program is a unique opportunity to interact with others to understand the big picture.
“It is one of the best programs available in Louisiana for people in their mid-careers who want to reinvigorate their vision for agriculture, forestry and natural resources,” said Vandersteen, immediate past chairman of the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching, which is a national network of volunteers who support the land-grant system.
Value of Networking
Learning from people with a different point of view was valuable for Lonnie Champagne, a 2002 graduate and the general manager of Louisiana Sugar Cane Products, Inc.
“Because sugar is not a traditional payment crop, being able to listen to someone else’s view about farm programs helps you relate to them,” said Champagne. “It helps you understand where the rice and grain farmers stand on issues.”
Jess Barr, the executive vice president of the Louisiana Cotton Producers Association, says the networking helps with state agricultural issues. “All politics is local, especially on state issues,” said Barr, a 2004 graduate. “The network of leaders gives you a contact person from another part of the state to help with these issues and localize it.”
The Ag Leadership Program is supported through funded endowments from the Chalkey family of Lake Charles and H. Rouse Caffey, LSU AgCenter chancellor emeritus, who was instrumental in starting the program.
“It is one of the most successful programs from my tenure with the LSU AgCenter,” said Caffey. “I’m proud because it helps young people learn how to speak for Louisiana agriculture. The program gives them insight they wouldn’t get otherwise.”
Investing in People
“We believe investing in people is the way to ensure a vibrant future for agriculture and for the state,” said LSU AgCenter Chancellor Bill Richardson. “Our alumni from this program have gone on to become state leaders.”
According to Hardwick, agricultural leadership is more important than ever before. “To move forward, we have to intensify our leadership ability to make up for our diminishing numbers.”
John Goode, a 2002 graduate from Point Coupee Parish, said of the program: “I wish I could go through the program again.”
Competition is keen for slots. Futrell will recruit for the next class in about a year and may be contacted for more information – (225) 578-6395, or mfutrell@agcenter.lsu.edu.
Writer: Bobby Soileau
The LSU AgCenter is one of 11 institutions of higher education in the Louisiana State University System. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, it provides educational services in every parish and conducts research that contributes to the economic development of the state. The LSU AgCenter does not grant degrees nor benefit from tuition increases. The LSU AgCenter plays an integral role in supporting agricultural industries, enhancing the environment, and improving the quality of life through its 4-H youth, family and community programs.