The first-ever Horizon Conference, focusing on futures in production agriculture, took place virtually in January of 2021. 190 attendees participated in the conference.

Students Engaged With Industry Professionals, and With Each Other

The Horizon Conference offered a total of 33 sessions: 19 educational sessions, 4 virtual tours and 10 networking sessions.

Participants chose from one of three “tracks”, which pre-populated suggested sessions to their schedule. Participants could attend sessions which interested them most.

• An average of 29 attendees participated in each session.
• There were 187 posts on the message board—with topics ranging from home state pride to conference takeaways.
• 64% attended the virtual expo, with 47% attending during live hours to directly engage with industry experts.

Attendees Feel More Prepared for a Career in Production Agriculture

Eighty-nine percent of respondents of a post-conference survey agreed that they feel more prepared for a career in production agriculture after attending the Horizon Conference.

All respondents in the “Future of Agriculture” track agreed that they are excited about a career in production agriculture.

All respondents in the “Entrepreneurial Skills” track agreed that they learned new skills to manage an agricultural operation in the future.

All respondents in the “Connection to Consumers” track agreed that they learned new strategies to connect to consumers.

Overall Satisfaction With the Virtual Conference Was High

All surveyed conference attendees agreed that the conference platform was easy to use, and 87% said that they would strongly recommend the Horizon Conference to a friend.

“I learned so many things on how to handle my situation being involved in a family business and I have already been able to apply the techniques we were given to our family operation.”

Shianne Omlin, Modesto FFA, 2021 Horizon Conference participant

Most Participants Were High School Juniors and Seniors

The Horizon Conference was marketed to high school juniors and seniors, as well as those who recently graduated high school.

In 2021, 77% of conference participants were high school juniors and seniors. The remaining 23% of participants indicated they were high school graduates.

Most Participants Chose the “Future of Agriculture” Track

Attendees of the conference could choose one of three “tracks,” which suggested their course for the conference. The three tracks were:

• Future of Agriculture (79)
• Entrepreneurial Skills (61)
• Connecting to Consumers (41)

While most participants opted for the first track listed above, all tracks were well-attended.

Participants Represented 41 States and Territories

Registration data shows that attendees came from all over the U.S., with the most participants coming from three states: California, Illinois and Ohio. Attendees represented 41 states in total.