Agri Leader

Ag leadership programs brighten industry's future

Central Florida Agri-Leader
Published: September 19, 2012

The future of any industry depends on the leaders who shape policy, direction and understand how critical decisions made outside the industry deeply affect those working inside it. That lesson isn't lost on Florida's agricultural community.

Florida's ag community has a lot of great, forward-thinking projects going on. Few industries work harder to seek out and train tomorrow's leaders than agriculture, and Florida is a leader in that regard.

From the Wedgeworth Leadership Institute to the Emerging Leader Development Program, tomorrow's leaders are being trained, educated and getting an inside view of how everything works.

Participants in these programs learn about all facets of agriculture, as well as how it fits into the big picture and the role that politics and public policy plays in everything. The learning curve is big for young professionals who might know hands-on parts of agriculture, such as working in the family business, but are otherwise less knowledgeable about the bigger picture. What they learn goes way beyond that and opens their eyes to the reality of being a leader.

Many participants claim the biggest surprise is the level and complexity of politics in regard to protecting the ag industry's interests and everything else that competes with it. Political machinations play a huge role behind every industry, be it agriculture, defense, auto industry or whatever. It's impressive to see these programs teach a great deal about these realities.

Many of the leaders turned out of these programs will play a big role in Florida's agriculture in coming years. We need them to have a full understanding of what's ahead and how to navigate those waters. By the looks of the quality graduates, our state is in good hands.