Lori Luebbe, Executive Director for the Nebraska Soybean Association, attended the 2017 U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange with agriculture students participating in the Nebraska Corn & Soy Ambassador Program. The program is a co-sponsored partnership that reaches out to agriculture majors from the University of Nebraska to show them different aspects of the soy and corn checkoff organizations and teach them about career opportunities. It also strives to give students a bigger view of ag, Luebbe says- something more than what they get within a specific major.

Two of the members of this year’s ambassador program can vouch for the effectiveness of the program. “We’ve learned about the economic part of the ag world; today we’ll learn about the farming part of the ag world with Prairie Land Dairy. Here we’re learning about globally how important agriculture is around the world and how it’s a big impact on today’s economy,” says Kenzie, an Ag Education major. “The reason I did this is to grow my knowledge as an educator. I hope to teach kids what I’m learning here today.”

Emily, an Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Communication major, appreciates the relationships she’s building. “I applied personally because I knew this would be a great connection to meet people in the industry- which is great for my major- and just to find further connections in the ag industry. It’s a great learning opportunity. We’ve learned a lot about social media and how to advocate individually, which is awesome.”

Luebbe hopes this program is providing a wide variety of educational information, but she’s also focused on growing leaders. These students will be well-placed to serve as future board members she says.

Listen to Jamie’s full interview to hear more about the program: Interview with Lori Luebbe, Nebraska Corn & Soy Ambassador Program

You can find photos from the event here: U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange Photo Album