The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) will host Trust and Leadership: Building Confidence in Food and Agriculture, the fourth session of The Future of American Agriculture, on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. CT. The webinar is free and open to the public.
The session will feature Jack Bobo, University of California, Los Angeles Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies; and Julie Borlaug, Borlaug Consulting. Chris Boomsma, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, CAST, will host the discussion.
Scientific advances only create value when they are trusted, understood, and ultimately adopted. As agriculture becomes increasingly dependent upon scientific advancement and technological innovation, public confidence, effective communication, and leadership have become essential capabilities for long-term success. Building trust is not simply a communications challenge. It is a strategic requirement for continued progress.
As innovation increasingly influences how food is produced, marketed, and consumed, understanding how consumers engage with food and agricultural systems has become increasingly important. This discussion will explore how agriculture can strengthen trust, communicate more effectively with diverse audiences, and foster stronger relationships among producers, food companies, consumers, and the broader public.
The discussion will be guided by the question: How can agriculture strengthen the trust and leadership capabilities needed to support continued innovation and progress?
About the Series
The Future of American Agriculture is a public leadership dialogue series that brings together leaders from across agriculture to explore the opportunities, challenges, and capabilities likely to shape the future of the agricultural enterprise.
American agriculture faces extraordinary opportunities but also increasing complexity and diverse challenges. Technological change, global competition, workforce pressures, evolving consumer expectations, regulatory challenges, supply-chain vulnerabilities, and food and national security concerns are reshaping the agricultural landscape at a pace few institutions were designed to address.
Through a series of public dialogues, participants will explore the investments, innovations, partnerships, and institutional capabilities that will shape the future of American agriculture. The conversations are intended to inform the ongoing work of CAST’s Strategic Advisory Council as it considers how CAST can grow its impact as a trusted source of science-based expertise, strategic foresight, and cross-sector dialogue.
“American agriculture faces challenges that are increasingly interconnected, from research and innovation to competitiveness, resilience, and public confidence. For more than 50 years, CAST has helped convene experts from across agriculture to examine complex issues through credible, science-based dialogue. This series builds on that tradition by bringing together leaders with diverse perspectives to explore the opportunities, challenges, and capabilities that will shape the future of agricultural science, technology, and innovation. CAST believes agriculture is strongest when science, expertise, and collaboration help inform long-term thinking and action,” said Chris Boomsma, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, CAST.
Previous Sessions
Recordings of the first three sessions are available on CAST’s YouTube channel:
- Sept. 30: Investment and Competitiveness: Aligning Capital with Agricultural Priorities, featuring Paola de Almeida, Natural Systems Capital, Inc. Watch the recording
- Oct. 7: Research and Innovation: Accelerating the Path from Discovery to Impact, featuring Elizabeth Stulberg, ClearPath; Karen Ellis Carr, ArentFox Schiff; and Ronnie Green, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Watch the recording
- Oct. 14: Resilience and Security: Building the Capacity to Thrive in a Changing World, featuring Duane Simpson, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives; Jeremy Jack, Silent Shade Planting Company; and Michaela McGinn, United Soybean Board. Watch the recording
Concluding Session
- November (TBA): American Agriculture 2040: From Vision to Action, a Strategic Advisory Council Roundtable featuring Dan Robison, Iowa State University; David Crass, Michael Best; and Janie Hipp, Native Agriculture Financial Services. Co-hosts: Ray Starling, NC Chamber, and Chris Boomsma.
Full series details are available at cast-science.org/the-future-of-american-agriculture.
