PAL - Partners in Advocacy Leadership
The PAL program focuses on taking farmers and ranchers, age 30 to 45, who have already begun their personal development journey and moving them to the next level. The two-year program offers a high-level, executive-type curriculum that provides participants with unique opportunities to represent agriculture in the media, on speaking circuits or in testimonial arenas. Program graduates are prepared to step forward and promote issues important to those in the farm-to-consumer food chain
Class 12
2024-2026
Through advanced leadership development the American Farm Bureau's PAL program prepares the nation's top emerging agricultural leaders and advocates to serve with greater confidence, clarity and influence.
Each class is made up of four modules each focusing on separate aspects to become better advocates.
Meet Class 12 (left to right).
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Chris Riley - Utah
Matt Moreland - Missouri
Jackie Mundt - Kansas
Amanda Durow- Minnesota
Jon Iverson - Oregon
Linda Pryor - North Carolina
Jessica Graves - Mississippi
Karl Shlagel - Maryland
Jennifer Beretta -California
Magen Allen - Arkansas
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New York City
Module 1
In New York City we focused on media training and learning to know ourselves and our audience better. We focused on how to communicate clearly to convey our message in a way that is easily understood by a variety of people.
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This module pushed us out of our comfort zone by forcing us to interact with people that may have differing perspectives on agriculture and learning how to engage in a positive way with them.
Washington D.C.
Module 2
Module two started in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where we focused on the battle of Gettysburg and the leadership decisions and the consciences of those decisions made by both sides.
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In Washington, we focused on the political process and how we as advocates can help tell our story to craft policy not only in the legislative arena, but at the agency and department levels as well.
Chicago
Module 3
Module three focused on stakeholder engagement. As such a small percentage of the population those in agriculture often need to find allies to help support a cause.
In Chicago we learned these allies may sometimes come from groups we often don't agree with. We learned tactics to help find common ground and learn to work together to strengthen our cause.
South Africa
International Module
For our international module we visited South Africa. Part of the role of the international module is to help us gain a global perspective on issues we face and look for approaches other countries use to address the problem.
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Learning that even though we farm in different countries, farmers have way more in common than differences around the globe.
