Sossamon selected for USDA 'Future of Agriculture' Forum
Feb. 11, 2008Contact Information:
Laura Sossamon, 479-667-7733, lsossam@uark.edu
Howell Medders, Division of Agriculture Communications, 479-575-5647, hmedders@uark.edu
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Laura Sossamon, a senior in Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas, was selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as one of 17 students to discuss the future of agriculture at USDA's 2008 Agricultural Outlook Forum.
The conference, "Energizing Rural America in the Marketplace," will be held Feb. 21 and 22 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Va.
The university juniors and seniors majoring in agricultural-related studies at Land Grant universities were selected based on their essays, "Agriculture as a Career" and recommendations from their deans.
Sossamon, the daughter of Bill and Liz Sossamon of Ozark, said in her essay that, "Pursuing agriculture as a career does not limit you to the farm, but instead opens the door to a world of opportunities unrivaled by any other career field." She is an agribusiness major with a pre-law concentration and a minor in Spanish.
As a Bumpers College student, Sossamon has been on a agricultural study tour in Scottland, served as an intern to U.S. Rep. John Boozman, and helped establish a school farm in the village of Pomona, Belize, as part of a service-learning project.
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said, "Agriculture's future grows from the inspiration and innovation of our next generation of agriculturalists. USDA's Outlook Forum places students at the doorstep of what government and industry leaders envision for the economic outlook, policies and direction of agriculture's future."
USDA's Agricultural Outlook Forum Student Diversity Program was launched in 2007 to provide students a unique insight into their agricultural studies. This year, sponsoring corporations and USDA agencies include: CHS Foundation; Tyson Foods, Inc., Deere & Company; Farm Credit Bank of Texas; USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; Economic Research Service; and Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Guest speakers at the 2008 Forum include Stephen Johnson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; C. Larry Pope, president and CEO of Smithfield Foods; Paul Schickler, president, Pioneer Hi-Bred, and Vice President, DuPont; and Robert Stenzel, president and CEO, United Fresh Produce Association. Jean-Marie Peltier, president and CEO of National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, will serve as moderator. USDA speakers include Secretary Schafer, acting chief economist Joseph Glauber, Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Mark Keenum, and Rural Development Under Secretary Thomas Dorr.
A full roster of speakers and registration information are available at: www.usda.gov/oce/forum.
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Essay by Sossamon that was a basis for her selection to participate in the USDA's 2008 Agricultural Outlook Forum:
Agriculture as a Career
By Laura Sossamon
When the majority of city-dwelling Americans think of agriculture, John Deere tractors, overalls, and hay bales come to mind. Their perspective of what a career in agriculture entails is limited to the picturesque farmland scenes portrayed in commercials or movies. Although I grew up on my grandfather's poultry and cattle farm in the rural Arkansas River Valley, my viewpoint was not too far separated from that of the city-dweller; as much as I loved working cattle and bailing hay alongside my grandpa, I knew that was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was interested in government policy, the law, and the legislative process, all subjects that had nothing to do with agriculture…so I thought. That thought process began to change when a recruiter from the Department of Agribusiness and Economics at the University of Arkansas contacted me and began educating me on the variety of majors they offered, including Agricultural Business with a Pre Law concentration, which really sparked my interest. Who would have thought that I could mold a career path by combining my love for the farm with my interest in policy and the law? Now, nearly four years later, I could not be more excited about the possibilities and opportunities that this change in perspective has brought, as well as those that are yet to come.
In the short tenure of my undergraduate experience, my pursuit of a career in agriculture has taken me from the Roslin Institute of Scotland, to the halls of our nation's capitol, and even to a village primary school tucked away in the orange groves of Belize. Through a short study tour of the agriculture of Scotland, I found myself discussing the cloning of Dolly the sheep with the man responsible for the task, hearing a Scottish farmer explain the challenge of environmental regulations as we toured his crop and livestock operation, and learning the reasoning behind the European Union's stance on biotechnology from food scientists at Queen Margaret University.
The following summer brought the opportunity to focus on American agriculture as an Agricultural Policy Intern for my congressman's Washington, D.C. office. Most recently, I saw agricultural operations in the context of a developing country, as I helped to establish a sustainable school farm in the village of Pomona, Belize. Working side-by-side with Belizean community members helped open my eyes to the challenge of agricultural production when facing scarce resources and under-developed infrastructure. During this time, I began considering the task of international agricultural development, and am now confident that I will engage in this effort to a further degree at some point in my career. All of these experiences served to deepen my interest in the interaction between American agriculture and that of other nations and also helped agriculture as a career take a clearer, more defined, shape for me.
Today, my dream is to participate in the International Agricultural Internship Program with the Foreign Ag Service of the USDA after graduation, and eventually begin a career in international agricultural trade and trade policy. I would love to actively participate in the promotion of American agriculture abroad in order to help increase farm income at home, all the while interacting with other cultures. I want to take the knowledge and experience I have been given through education and opportunities, and make an impact in the field that has helped shape who I am today. To those now in the place I was after high school, wondering if the pursuit of agriculture as a career will take them anywhere but the farm, I would like to pose a question.
What other career field has the potential to put food on tables, clothes in closets, gas in cars, contribute to the solution of current environmental challenges, and aid in the development of third world countries? Pursuing agriculture as a career does not limit you to the farm, but instead opens the door to a world of opportunities unrivaled by any other career field.