UNL hosts hemispheric forum for young ag leaders

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Representatives of 34 nations in North and South America are meeting Aug. 2-6 at UNL to discuss a global vision of agriculture and to enhance entrepreneurial skills.

The forum is sponsored by UNL's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources in partnership with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture's Center for Leadership in Agriculture (IICA), headquartered in Costa Rica.

The forum is designed to help participants better promote innovative growth in agriculture and rural development in the hemisphere, and to inspire others in their home countries to do the same.

Elbert Dickey, dean and director of UNL Extension, said: "It is an honor for Nebraska to host this esteemed forum. It shows the high regard for our institution in the field of global agriculture.

"I look forward to the partnerships that will be established with these institutions and the work that can happen in the years ahead."

Sessions will focus on leadership skills and technical expertise in current issues related to agriculture. The group will spend a day in Omaha at Gallup to develop leadership skills, and at ConAgra Foods to discuss value-added agriculture.

A panel discussion, "Opportunities for Youth in the Agricultural Sector of the Americas" is scheduled for 8-10 a.m. Aug. 6 at the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center. Panelists will include IICA Deputy Director Karen Lezny; former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Clayton Yeutter; University of Nebraska Vice Chancellor and Vice President, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Ronnie Green; former Peruvian Minister of Agriculture Manuel Manrique; former Chilean Minister of Agriculture Marigen Hornkohl; and former Minister of Agriculture of Antigua and Barbuda Joanne Massiah.

The session will be live streamed via the Web to IICA in Costa Rica for viewers in the 34 member countries, and on the forum site at Hemispheric Forum for Young Leaders in Agriculture.

For more information about the forum, contact Dickey at (402) 472-2966 or go to http://www.unl.edu/ucomm/special/2010/agforum/

More details at: http://go.unl.edu/2tk