Professional Development
Young Leaders in Agriculture Conference (YLAC)
Minnesota Pork
YLAC is a 3-day conference, held in Sioux Falls, SD, that focuses on building connections with other young leaders and industry professionals in agriculture, growing leadership skills, and learning useful tools that can be used in the future. The conference was composed of various speakers who presented topics about mental well-being, creating a vision, diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, and much more. There were almost 100 attendees from all over the Midwest, some from even further, that ranged in age from 18 to 22. During the time of the conference, I was working as an intern for Minnesota Pork, a presenting sponsor of the conference. Because of this, I was also involved in the organization of the event, mainly finding and contacting agriculture professionals for a networking event and organizing conference materials for attendees.
Professionally, I made many connections with industry leaders and other young agriculturalists, many of whom I am still in contact with today. These connections have introduced me to possible internship and job opportunities. I have also developed connections that I hope can lead to mentorships that I would enjoy taking advantage of in the future. Personally, I was able to make many friends during this experience who have been great assets to me when it comes to discussing current topics in agriculture and discovering new opportunities.
This experience taught me about the importance of personal and professional connections in the agriculture industry, not only for future opportunities, but also because they can also make amazing collaborations happen. The connections I made with industry leaders have introduced me to many new experiences and opportunities that I hope to take part in one day. The connections I made with other attendees have allowed me to make incredible friendships that have helped me foster opportunities for myself and for the clubs and organizations I am involved in at South Dakota State University.