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	Franklin County, Kansas, USA

2009-11-07

2009-11-04

2009-11-05

Agriculture

Lifestyles

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 11:22 AM

Photo by Elliot J. Sutherland/The Ottawa Herald

Jarred Sterling, financial services officer with Frontier Farm Credit west of Baldwin City, is one of 30 members of the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership program. The program is designed to provide leadership development through a variety of education programs.

World becomes agriculture classroom for Ottawan

By KURTIS BRYAN, Herald Staff Writer

“An opportunity that you couldn’t pass up.”

That’s how Jarred Sterling describes his involvement with the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership (KARL) program.

The two-year program provides intensive study, training and travel for future leaders in agriculture and rural communities.

Sterling, an 11-year resident of Ottawa, is among just 30 people from across the state selected to participate in the program. He is a financial services officer with Frontier Farm Credit.

He and other class members will travel to Vietnam in March 2011 to learn about agriculture and trade in a foreign country. The class also will travel to events across Kansas, and will travel to Washington D.C., to talk with lawmakers.

The overseas trip is a key learning instrument for the participants, Sterling said.

“We go to countries that are or have the potential to be key trade partners with the United States,” Sterling said. “It’s good to compare the different agricultures of each country.”

Vietnam is a rapidly growing trading partner for the U.S., Jack Lindquist, who is Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership president and program director, said.

The KARL program is known for the trips it takes across the world. In the past, classes have gone to India, Ghana, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, China, Belgium, England, Germany and the Czech Republic.

The trips are good, but that’s not why Sterling decided to join the program.

“I was referred to the program by a friend, and after talking to some alumni from the program, I knew it was something I couldn’t pass up,” he said.

The program will provide seminars and education on such issues as economic and personal development. The class plans to tour the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, and the trip to Washington will provide lessons about the legislative process.

The program kicks off this fall after orientation in August. The 2009-2011 class represents the program’s 10th class. The program is funded by private donations.

“I hope to gain experience that will help me be more outgoing,” Sterling said. “I want to help and bring back leadership to Ottawa and Franklin County.”

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World becomes agriculture classroom for Ottawan

By KURTIS BRYAN, Herald Staff Writer

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article | Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article |
Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.