A Suite of Opportunities at AFA

Four Agricultural Economics students attended the Agriculture Future of America (AFA) Precision Agriculture Institute in San Antonio, TX, from February 25 -27. As part of the institute, students also participate in the Commodity Classic. The institute allowed students to attend exclusive opportunities at the Commodity Classic, engage with industry representatives in roundtable discussions and learn from the experts during industry panels.

Berenize DelReal Perez (Junior, Agribusiness; Goodland, IN) shared, “At the conference, I was able to tour the Wilbur-Ellis, Nachurs, CLAAS, National Corn Growers Association and the Valent Ag booths. What I will remember from this conference is the genuine connections I made with people from all over the United States. It was really impactful to hear from industry leaders throughout the conference. My favorite part of the institute was hearing new ideas on how to make farmers more efficient with less land and higher costs because of all of the new technology available. It is conferences like this that open up my eyes to all the companies and opportunities in the agriculture industry across all sectors.”

Nathan Thompson (Senior, Agribusiness; Francesville, IN) toured the John Deere, AgData, Bestway Ag and ADM booths. He summarized, “By attending this Institute, I was able to connect with both students and industry people by asking questions and learning more, which will assist my future in the farming operation. Being able to see all of the new equipment and technology coming into the ag industry is a very cool experience. The ethanol John Deere tractor was also neat to see.”