Sustaining American competitiveness through agricultural education and building a workforce prepared to use artificial intelligence were touted by FFA and its allies on Capitol Hill Tuesday.
“We've been working to evolve our programs and experiences to really reflect today and tomorrow's agriculture and the skills that students need to know and be able to do,” said Scott Stump, CEO of the National FFA Organization. “One of those involves AI and machine learning.”
The National FFA Organization has more than a million members in 9,235 chapters in 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Members include students in grades 5-12 and those in college who are “developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education,” according to the organization’s mission statement.
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Pennsylvania State FFA President Chloe Bomgardner, who grew up on her family’s dairy farm, said there are new career opportunities in agriculture with the application of robotic milkers and technology that can improve farm efficiency and safety.
“From the scientists to the technicians and everyone in between, I think AI is really evolving in this industry,” Bomgardner said.
Stump and Bomgardner were joined by Mary Snapp, vice president of strategic initiatives at Microsoft; Marti Skold-Jordan, executive director of Tractor Supply Company Foundation; and Dakota Stroud, agriculture educator and FFA adviser at Signal Knob Middle School in Virginia.
"Our industry is in an absolute need for talent, and that talent is everywhere,” Stump told Agri-Pulse. “We've got to go to those places where students have a passion for growing things, whether that be plants or animals, and invite them into the science and business of that space.
The event was sponsored by House Ag Committee members Frank Lucas, R-Okla., and Eric Sorensen, D-Ill.
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