It’s sitting down with a member of congress and discussing global issues. It’s developing a new scientific formula. It’s creating efficiencies for a product to be made faster and safer. It’s your boots on the ground, in the dirt and soil, in the lab, or in the classroom. And it’s all agriculture.

Agriculture simply isn’t who or what we think it is anymore. And for the past four years, Land O’Lakes has been encouraging college sophomores to start thinking about ag through a different lens. The Land O’Lakes Global Food Challenge Emerging Leaders program provides an internship to college sophomores from all majors, where they can understand agriculture -- from the farm, to policy, to food security challenges in developing countries, through experiential learning and mentorship.

But don’t take it from us: Look back at the last four years of the Global Food Challenge in this video:

An internship with purpose

“It can be difficult to know what your purpose is as a student. Although purpose may change throughout life, the experiences of this summer have helped refine my purpose -- to work to make the lives of others better through agriculture and leadership. I witnessed firsthand how agriculturists are facing similar challenges around the world,” says Dane Chapman, a former Emerging Leader.

Over the course of the summer of 2019, six Global Food Challenge Emerging Leaders will travel to key Land O’Lakes locations including headquarters in Minnesota, member cooperative and farm locations, international business Villa Crop Protection in South Africa, and Land O’Lakes International Development projects in East Africa. It’s a once in a lifetime experience.

Applications are open for 2019 (students from the 11 partner Universities listed below are eligible to apply)

• Alabama A&M

• Iowa State University

• Kansas State University

• North Carolina A&T

• Northwestern University

• Pennsylvania State University

• Purdue University

• The George Washington University

• University of Florida

• University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

• University of Wisconsin-Madison

Our Emerging Leaders come from a variety of backgrounds: engineering, agribusiness, marketing, policy and many more. During their internship, Emerging Leaders work on real-life projects with Land O’Lakes teams in areas like ag tech and sustainability. And as they’ve graduated, they've also found fulfilling careers both here at Land O’Lakes and beyond.

Imagine yourself in ag

Still not sure agriculture is the right fit for you? Emerging Leader Katie Atkins had her doubts, too –- but was intrigued. As a Management Information Systems and Finance major at the University of Minnesota, she thought she might be out of place with the Global Food Challenge. But the experience turned out to be a grateful introduction for her to an industry with a mission: to feed the world.

“Through the Global Food Challenge, I gained broad exposure to and even more respect for agriculture. I traveled 22,000 miles with passionate, driven peers from all walks of life, witnessing the hard work, heart and honesty associated with this industry,” says Katie.