About PAL

I first heard about the PAL program when I saw a friend of mine graduate with the first PAL class in Salt Lake City at the National YR&R Leadership Conference in 2004.  I was intrigued with what I heard and saw of the program then, but thought I would never get the chance to participate myself.  It took several years in order for me to become eligible to even apply; I was thrilled when I got accepted.  But what is PAL?

PAL is a great opportunity to grow and improve as a leader and an advocate for agriculture.  PAL consists of three modules:

1.       Media Training in New York City, four days of hands on training on how to deal with the media, in all forms. 

2.       Issue understanding and process training in Washington DC, four days of studying the political process and how things work in Washington. 

3.       Engagement in St. Louis, four more days of engaging the public and other stakeholders involved with an issue.

Weaved into all these modules are personal development lessons and exercises that help you improve personally and become a better leader for agriculture.

I attended each module with the same nine participants who I learned to have great respect for.  Their stories and experiences often amazed me, and I learned so much from each of them.  We are all alike in our passion for agriculture, and yet we come from very different backgrounds and areas of the country.  I look forward to their continued association and friendship in the future.

The days are long, and the workload is not always easy, but the knowledge you can gain is amazing.  Before I went to PAL training I was not sure how I could afford to leave home and my dairy for each module, it was a sacrifice made possible only with the help and support of my family and good neighbors.  Looking back I can see what a great investment it was in my future.  I am not sure where my PAL training may lead me, but I already see it opening doors to me that I never thought would be possible.  My hope is that I can use my abilities and the knowledge I gained to keep agriculture strong for the next generations of farmers and ranchers.