Next Generation
Farm Foundation Cultivators
Nurturing and developing the next generation of industry leaders.
Nomination FormFAQ PageNominations are now open for the January 2026 Cultivator Program
Please note: Only a dean, director, or department chair can nominate a student for the Cultivator program. Undergraduate or graduate students from land grant and other accredited collegiate ag programs are eligible. Farm Foundation encourages the sponsoring institution to choose students whose research connects to or has implications for U.S. food and agriculture policy in ways that support the meeting’s theme: “Putting in the Groundwork: Envisioning the Future of U.S. Food and Ag Policy.” Please direct any questions to Chrissie Edgeworth, Program Manager – chrissie@farmfoundation.org.
Our timeline for January 2026 Cultivator recruitment is as follows.
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Nomination Application Closes: Tuesday, November 25, 2025
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Selected students will be notified on a rolling basis. All students will be notified by the end of November.
Program Overview
Farm Foundation’s Cultivator Program provides an exclusive opportunity for outstanding undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture to attend the January 2026 Farm Foundation Round Table in El Paso, Texas, January 14–16, 2026. The Round Table is an invitational gathering of about 150 C-suite food and agriculture leaders who meet to discuss emerging issues in agribusiness, the food system, and rural communities.
January’s meeting will focus on: Putting in the Groundwork: Envisioning the Future of U.S. Food and Ag Policy. U.S. agriculture is at a pivotal moment, balancing long-term goals with near-term budget realities. Discussions will explore nutrition, sustainability, market opportunities, and regulatory shifts.
Who Should Apply
• Undergraduate or graduate students from land grant and other accredited collegiate ag programs
• Nominated by a dean or department head (self-nominations not accepted)
• Research should connect to or have implications for U.S. food and agriculture policy in ways that support the meeting’s theme — interpretation can be broad, as long as applicants can relate their work to the policy conversation
What Cultivators Will Do
• Attend Round Table meeting, including an orientation and Agriculture Tour Day
• Engage fully in all Round Table sessions and network with industry leaders, including an assigned Round Table Fellow who acts as a mentor for the meeting
• Present research: Deliver a 5–8 minute lunchtime talk and discuss research implications with participants throughout the meeting
• Build lasting professional connections across policy, research, and industry
Support & Awards
• Standard award: Covers hotel and registration costs. The nominating college or university is responsible for flights, other travel, and incidentals.
• 1890 Land Grant opportunity: Thanks to the SAPLINGS grant, up to two students from 1890 Land Grant Universities will receive full funding for travel, flights, hotel, and registration.
What is Farm Foundation Round Table?
The Round Table is an invitational gathering of about 150 C-suite food and agriculture leaders who meet to discuss emerging issues in agribusiness, the food system, and rural communities.
Program Alumni
2025 Alumni
+–Natalia Espinoza University of Georgia
Jordan Knapp-Wilson University of Georgia
Duplicate Sambani University of Florida
Wendell Scales Jr. University of Arkansas
Jared Trask Purdue University
Yasin Yildirim North Dakota State University
Ike Inniss Southern University and A&M College
Cooper Cable, North Carolina State University
Ashton Dalton, Louisiana State University
Amanda Lay-Walters, University of Arkansas
Grace May, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Yasmeen Saleem, University of Florida
Raymond Yan Penn State University
2024 Alumni
+–Rachel Combs-Giroir, The Ohio State University
Awatif El Abdellaouy, Texas A&M University
Alayna Gerhardt, Oklahoma State University
Kayla Grey, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, (SIUC)
Stephanie Gripp, Oklahoma State University
Kiara Ivy, Florida A&M University
Brynn Johnson, University of Florida
Nafisa Lubna, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Robert Meireis, Colorado State University
Ashton Redd, University of Arizona
Kayla Scott, The Ohio State University
Ivan Solomon, Tuskegee University
Ryanna Tietje, The Ohio State University
2023 Alumni
+–Sophia Darrow, Oklahoma State University
Tais de Menezes, Colorado State University
Gustavo Castro Garcia, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Elizabeth Lynch, West Virginia University
Milosh McAdoo, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Joseph Oboamah, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Prayash Pathak Chalise, University of Minnesota
Maria Filipa Seara e Pereira, Purdue University
Guang Tian, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Carolina Vargas, Michigan State University
Kelli Wicks, Oklahoma State University
Carlos Zurita, Purdue University
2022 Alumni
+–Rio Bonham, University of Florida
Nipuna Chamara, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Chloe Eggert, Auburn University
Payton Flower, University of Arkansas School of Law-Fayetteville
Elizabeth Haymaker, Oklahoma State University
Adam Knoblock, Iowa State University
Justin Leslie, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Hope Miller, University of Florida
Kirsten Nickles, The Ohio State University
Robert Ortez, University of Florida
Kantilata Thapa, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Alyssa Vander Woude, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
2021 Alumni
+–Shweta Adhikari, University of Georgia
Carson Edge, Auburn University
Ailie Elmore, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Octavio Guimaraes, Colorado State University
Jacob Lehman, University of Florida
Lacey Lingelbach, Indiana University-Bloomington
Morgan Mathison Slee, Michigan State University
Javier Medina Sanchez, The Ohio State University
Laura van der Pol, Colorado State University
Vivian Vuong, University of California, Davis
Janeva Williams, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
2020 Alumni
+–Adam Bittner, Iowa State University
Heidi Borg, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Abigail Cox, Cornell University
Michael Fioretto, University of Florida
Sara Gammon, Kansas State University
Becky Hawkins, Auburn University
Sarah Klopatek, University of California, Davis
Matthias Kunerth, South Dakota State University
Conner McDaniel, Oklahoma State University
Joni Shaffery, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Chloe Smith Lopez, University of Florida
Kevin Zhang, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2019 Alumni
+–Trevon Andrews, South Carolina State University
Kory Bowman, Oklahoma State University
Kalyn Diederich, University of California, Davis
Danielle Gelardi, University of California, Davis
Jerad Jaborek, The Ohio State University
Dethon Kistler, Pennsylvania State University
Will Moreland, Kansas State University
Kylie Philipps, University of Florida
Jenny Presgraves, Clemson University
Tony Rice, The Johns Hopkins University
Beverly Torres, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
Clara Wicoff, Kansas State University
Heather Yoder, University of Florida
2018 Alumni
+–Braden Campbell, The Ohio State University
Wesley Davis, Purdue University
Claudia Hissong, Kansas State University
Heather Meador, Oklahoma State University
Kerry Mullins, Cornell University
Jacob Parsons, Oregon State University
Jansen Penny, Kansas State University
Jonathan Price, Cornell University
Daniel Rath, University of California, Davis
Katie Schrodt, Oklahoma State University
Yanghao Wang, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Logan Zeisler, University of Arizona
2017 Alumni
+–Kalenga Banda, Cornell University
Sarah Coffman, Cornell University
Crystal Conner, University of Florida
Mark Gee, Purdue University
Krystal Helm, West Virginia University
Rice Klauke, West Virginia University
Kelsey Litchfield, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Rebecca Lucas, Tufts University
Ethan Snyder, University of Kentucky
Joseph Stefenoni, Oklahoma State University
Coleman Stivers, University of Kentucky
Betty Thomas, Mississippi State University
2016 Alumni
+–Karmella Borchers, University of Kentucky
Logan Britton, Oklahoma State University
Chloe Cantor, Mississippi State University
Myra Dean, West Virginia University
Will Dezern, University of Florida
Nora Faris, Georgetown University Law Center
Johnny Ference, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Trey Forsyth, Iowa State University
Garrett Kays, Washington University School of Law
Rachel Martin, Michigan State University
Mariano Resendiz, California State University East Bay
Jessie Stewart III, University of Kentucky
2015 Alumni
+–Kade Beck, Texas A&M University
Julie Anna Clark, Texas A&M University
Michael Colle, University of Idaho
Sara Kammlade, Colorado State University
Emma Likens, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Yangxuan Liu, Purdue University
Stephen Morgan, Michigan State University
Virginia Nichols, Washington State University
Anna Stehle, Oklahoma State University
Andrew Uden, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
David Weisberger, Iowa State University
Alix Yates-Orr, Oklahoma State University
2014 Alumni
+–Benjamin Carr, Iowa State University
Duminda Gunawardena, Texas A&M University
Joshua Leirer, Purdue University
Garrett Lister, Kansas State University
Maci Mueller, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jodie Reisner, University of Missouri-Columbia
EM Sajeev, Purdue University
Luis Secaira, Texas A&M University
Rebecca Shelton, University of Kentucky
Taylor Morgan Truckey, Michigan State University
Stuart Watts, Kansas State University
2013 Alumni
+–Mary Down, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Samiul Haque, Purdue University
Lisa Jones, Cornell University
Leslie Lacey, Tennessee State University
Gabrielle Roesch, Iowa State University
Rebekah Shrader, Washington State University