New Century Farmer
Information & Application
Current Participants
Program Contacts
Preparing Young Farmers for Success in the 21st Century
In today's global economy, farming is an exciting, fast-paced, and high-tech career. New Century Farmer assists students in developing the value of their career in production agriculture by providing them with an opportunity to advance their expertise within their profession, especially in the areas of::
- Entrepreneurial leadership
- Practical Knowledge
- Visioning
- Global Perspective
- Continuous Personal Growth
New Century Farmer is an exclusive, highly competitive program dedicated to supporting and developing young people committed to a career in production agriculture.
"The content covered by the speakers on risk management and crop insurance was a huge eye-opener for me. I am not involved in that aspect of our operation, and now I’m excited to go home and learn what kind of crop insurance we have and see what I can do to improve our profits.”
How do I apply?
Print/Download Current application
Submit to:
National FFA Organization
New Century Farmer Program
c/o Lindsay Williams
PO Box 68960
Indianapolis, IN 46268-0960
Application Deadline: March 20, 2009
Past Participants
If you're a past New Century Farmer participant, we would like your opinion! Please take a moment to fill out our survey.
What will participants do?
During an intensive five-day conference in Des Moines, Iowa, participants will network with industry experts, presenters and each other. They will attend a series of workshops and sessions discussing topics ranging from the global marketplace to farm financing, consumer trends and managing risk.
The participants will:
- Discover how producers can profit from value-added products and the use of technology.
- Explore new farm business opportunities and develop new business alliances with other producers.
- Study behavioral changes that enable young producers to overcome common challenges they will face.
- Grow personally and professionally.
- Establish a network with a select group of business professionals excited about production agriculture.
- Gain an understanding of how banks view your operation.
- Create a vision statement for your operation.
It's not all work though. The New Century Farmers also:
- Participate in a leadership/team building ropes course.
- Take part in field and operation tours.
- Burn some energy at an indoor sports complex.
- Tour the Pioneer campus.
- Enjoy a banquet at the Meredith building.
" I learned so much from the producers who came and spoke at the conference. Hearing first hand from producers who are working directly in the industry was priceless. I gained so many new ideas to take back to my operation.”
Program Acknowledgements
The New Century Farmer Conference is sponsored by Pioneer - A Dupont Company, Rabo AgriFinance, and Case IH, with media partner Successful Farming, as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.
“The New Century Farmer conference was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The knowledge and insight I learned over the week will truly help me be a better and more successful producer. From farm succession to global agriculture to financial statements, the topics that were covered throughout the conference were ones that truly related to all of our operations. This is a conference every person who plans to go into production agriculture should attend!”