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Agriculture Department helps Illinois teens prepare for future
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Youth
conference highlights business opportunities in agriculture
cooperatives
[JUNE 9, 2005]
CARBONDALE -- More than 80 high school juniors
and seniors from around Illinois and Missouri are taking part in the
Southern Illinois Cooperative Youth Conference on Thursday
and Friday at Southern Illinois University College of Agricultural
Sciences in Carbondale. Karen Fraase, education coordinator with the
Illinois Department of Agriculture Education, is a scheduled speaker
at the conference, which is designed to train students seeking a
career in agriculture to understand the principles of working with a
cooperative business.
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"More and more agricultural businesses are being created through
cooperatives, whether we're talking about ethanol, farmers' markets or wine
operations," Fraase said. "It is important students planning a career in
agribusiness are aware of their options. Establishing a cooperative could allow
them to merge resources along with reduce costs and overhead. We want to make
sure they have the appropriate information they need to make an educated
decision when planning for their careers and their futures." The two-day
conference, hosted by the Illinois Cooperative Council and the College of
Agricultural Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, will include
speakers from agriculture organizations, businesses and cooperatives, including
Farm Credit, Illinois Farm Bureau, GROWMARK, CoBank and the Mid America
Cooperative Council.
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Fraase will talk with participants about the cooperative principle
of how to educate, train and inform employees. In addition she will
provide information and resources on the egg industry. The Illinois
Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the American Egg
Board, promotes the nutritional and economical value of eggs to
consumers.
Students will gain exposure to several aspects of the
cooperatives business arena as they review a case study, learn about
the key guiding cooperative principles and then apply the lessons to
their own version of a cooperative to be judged among the entire
group. The conference offers an understanding of the basic
structures, setup and advantages of a cooperative business, which is
key as the young people begin to identify the types of careers and
roles they will adopt in the future.
[Illinois
Department of Agriculture news release]
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