Growing the Next Generation of Agriculture: How We Can Help Them Today to Prepare for Tomorrow
By: Susanne Wasson
The next generation involved in agriculture is coming up fast, as many farmers and ranchers in the U.S. are reaching retirement age. Growing up on a purebred cattle ranch in eastern Oklahoma, I watched my father and grandfather care for their land, implementing sustainable practices for a healthy and thriving ranch they could pass on to future generations. All farms and ranches, including family farms, play an important role in our society by producing food for our communities - in fact, 98 percent of farms in the U.S. are family owned and account for 90 percent of U.S. farm production.
One of the most important aspects of farming is the care and thought farmers put into their land, so that they may pass it onto the next generation. Experiencing my family’s hard work to steward healthy and productive land for the future fueled my appetite for crop production and the science, technology, and innovations behind it. This experience and passion led to my 32-year career at Dow AgroSciences, now Corteva Agriscience, and I hope my story can help inspire those who spent years watching their families farm and ranch, just like I did.
The importance of investing in our youth cannot be overstated. One of the best ways we can help the younger generation interested in agriculture thrive is ensuring there are opportunities for all. When I began my career in accounting and later moved to sales and marketing at Dow AgroSciences, many times I was one of the only women in my department. Throughout my career, there were many times I was the only woman at the table or in the room. And while that experience was a challenge, it inspired me to help others who may be growing their careers, even if they didn’t look like everyone else in the room. Diversity is a broad term, and it is so important that everyone, no matter their race, ethnicity, gender, background, etc., has the same opportunities to achieve their goals and dreams.
My career and personal experiences with strong leaders, such as my father or those I worked alongside at Dow and Corteva, inspired me to mentor others, specifically the younger generation. It’s important to me that in addition to academics we provide strong leadership skills to our students. I’ve had the pleasure of working with the National FFA Organization, where I served as Chairman of the Sponsors Board, and Agriculture Future of America (AFA), where I had the opportunity to become one of the organization’s first Executive Ambassadors.
FFA provides high school students with a variety of opportunities through hands-on experience in leadership, personal growth, and career development in agricultural education. AFA gives college students exposure to agricultural careers through their annual conference, as well as different classes and academies students can join based on their interests, that gives insight into what real-world opportunities exist for them. Through my work with these organizations, I met students from all over the country who share my passion for agriculture and are strong leaders with interesting ideas and different approaches to farming – which is exactly what we need! I have experienced the boundless talent of these students, and it gives me both hope and excitement about the future of agriculture, and I’m honored to have had any part in nurturing it.
Watching this next generation of agricultural leaders prioritize sustainability is one of the more exciting parts of working with growers. To me, sustainability is the key to passing our land onto the next generation. All farming practices, whether organic or non-organic, should be done through a sustainable lens with the help of new and evolving technologies, such as pesticides. Farming is challenging work, with our changing climate playing a huge role in the success of a growing season. Leading the Global Crop Protection Business team at Corteva, developing new pesticide products, and seeing the journey from creation in the lab to the farmers’ field, which can take over 11 years, was incredibly rewarding. Farmers need to make a living to provide for their families, and the responsible use of pesticides can help them enable sustainable farming practices, such as no-till farming and cover crops, and protect their livelihoods and their land for the next generation.
There are so many new technologies and innovations on the horizon and a new crop of farmers and ranchers open to using them to grow food for our communities while protecting our environment. Does the future of agriculture look bright? I sure think so.