Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke to students, agricultural educators, and guests at the opening session of the 96th National FFA Convention and Expo during Thursday’s opening session.
He also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the organization formalizing a partnership to prepare more students for careers in food, agricultural science, natural resources, and related fields. He shared USDA’s vision to secure the future of American agriculture and opportunities for the next generation of agricultural leaders. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that farms of all sizes have the opportunity to succeed.
“At National FFA, we’re preparing our students to be tomorrow’s leaders in agriculture,” says Scott Stump, CEO of the National FFA Organization. “We appreciate the Secretary’s dedication to agricultural education and FFA, which is why we were honored to present him with an Honorary American FFA Degree.”
Vilsack said today’s youth are the ones who will create tomorrow’s food systems.