The future of farming was the center of discussion at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference and their is no future of farming if younger generations aren’t interested in it. Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for Alltech, Dr. Karl Dawson, has taken on the challenge of making education exciting throughout animal agriculture, which he believes will be the driving force in training tomorrow’s ag leaders.

“I see this gap developing between technologies out there and what is actually happening on the farm today. We have to close that gap. To do that we have to create passion and ideas on innovation for young people. We have to capture their imaginations. One of the tools we are using a lot are hands-on experiences.”

Whether these experiences are on the farm or located within an agribusiness, Dr. Dawson believes this will play a vital role throughout our industry in the future. One program Alltech has developed is focused on career development. It hones in on those who have already finished degree programs and understand the technical side, but haven’t been exposed to the farm or other hands-on agribusiness experiences.

The image of the farmer has changed. Dr. Dawson has coined the term ‘farm technologist’ to replace the image of the traditional farmer who is utilizing technologies as they are developed. Listen to him explain and learn more about his ONE ideas in my complete interview here: Interview with Dr. Karl Dawson, Alltech

View and download photos from the event here: 2016 ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference Photo Album