Some key people in Idaho asked me to submit my application to the PAL Program. I was unaware of what that entailed and the opportunities it would bring. After researching the program, I completed the application, never expecting it to go any further. After the interview, I was selected as one of 10 nationwide to participate in the two-year program. 

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PAL is an intense two-year program for farmers and ranchers between the ages of 30 and 45, requiring a significant time commitment from participants. The goal of the PAL program is to personally develop participants to have the expertise and confidence to successfully represent and promote agriculture in the media, in government, speaking circuits, and in their communities.

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“Basically, our goal is to create advocacy rock stars for agriculture,” says Johnna Miller, senior director of media and advocacy training and PAL coordinator for the American Farm Bureau Federation. "When you’re less than 2 percent of the population, you need all the advocates you can get, especially when the vast majority of Americans have never set foot on a farm,” she adds. “We want to give the PALs the tools to be able to tell their agriculture stories in a way that resonates with everyone, no matter where they live.”

 

One of the main lessons I have learned so far through the PAL program is to live life with urgency. Many of us wait for somebody else to do something. To truly be an advocate, we need to act, realizing there’s an urgency in everything we do. We need to have a pep in our step, and we need to be moving forward.

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One of the biggest things I hope to get from the training is the ability to take action and encourage others to do so. I think this is a team you’re on for life, and hopefully, I can share my experiences and truly be a voice for agriculture.

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