The Ag Career Exploration (ACE) experience had a new look this year! With the help of a few more organizations, the ACE event took on the goal of preparing for the future by investing in today.
As high school and college students poured into the International Agri-Center in Tulare, Calif., businesses and organizations anxiously awaited their opportunity to talk to these young people. The goal of the day: To educate our future workforce about all the diverse career and educational opportunities that agriculture has to offer.
In the past, students were able to meander freely around booths setup by businesses and colleges. This year we took a different approach and scheduled rotations where students were able to pick three different sessions that meant the most to them. With 15 different session areas where businesses hosted groups of students, the diversity was incredible!
As the day progressed, the students got the opportunity to talk with some of the best and brightest business representatives around. They heard about everything from energy production conservation, logistics in agriculture, technology careers, animal science opportunities, and so much more.
As you could imagine, all this learning sure builds up an appetite! Around noon the students and presenters were all treated to a hand-prepared meal at no cost to them. Yes, a free lunch, too! With the great sponsors and awesome volunteers, we were able to once again provide not only a free event for the students but also an exceptional lunch.
After lunch, we had the great privilege to hear from our keynote speaker of the day, Land O’Lakes CEO Beth Ford. With no hesitation, Ford made the commitment to invest in our future workforce. She understands how important it is that we all work together toward a stronger future together.
After the keynote, we had a panel of college and trade school representatives engage in a conversation about what each school has to offer and how they could help students achieve their career goals. Understanding that college is not for everyone, trade school classes were part of the conversation as well.
All-in-all, the 2019 Ag Career Exploration day was a success. Students were engaged and businesses felt a sense of accomplishment with the opportunity that they had with the students. If you would like to learn more about the Ag Career Exploration day, you can find a recap of the event, including all our sponsors, at https://www.facebook.com/AgCareerExploration.
Tyler Ribeiro is a fourth-generation dairy farmer born and raised in California. He is currently partners with his father at Rib-Arrow Dairy in Tulare where they proudly ship their milk to Land O’Lakes. Tyler is actively involved in the dairy industry, holding leadership roles in various organizations locally and across the United States.
