AgForestry Leadership Program Seeking Wheat Grower Participants

What do Alex McGregor, Butch Wiswall, Aaron Esser, David Harlow, Karl Felgenhauer, Rusty and Sandy Jamison, Sen. Mark Schoesler, Brett Blankenship, Brian Baumann, Brit Ausman, Walt Neff, Grant and Matt Miller, Stacey Rasmassen, Larry Cochran, Morgan Adams, and Ben Cochrane (just to name a few) all have in common? They are all Washington AgForestry Leadership Program alumni. For the upcoming Class 47, there have been some exciting program changes. Due to feedback from alumni, supporters and prospective class members, the program has been condensed to one year and approximately 22 seminar days. Applications for Class 47 is open through April 30, 2026. The class will be September 2026 of May 2027. Eligibility Requirements

• You must have lived or worked in Washington for at least one year, and be a minimum of 25 years of age when the program begins.
• Your employer must approve the required time to attend all seminars (approx. 22 days) and are able to be away from communications (laptop, cell phone, pager) during seminar hours. Those who are self-employed must be able to be away from their businesses for that time as well.
• You must plan to remain employed in agriculture, forestry or related natural resource industry for the duration of the time you are in the program.
• All application requirements must be met within provided application window.

The AgForestry Leadership Class is nine months long, with approximately 22 days of required time and attendance. Your commitment to the program includes attendance at all seminars. There are three, 3-day seminars and four, 1.5-day regional seminars held throughout Washington State, plus one week in Washington, D.C., with an optional international seminar experience. For Class 47, the tuition fee is $7,500. There will be an additional cost for the international seminar for those who choose to participate (info coming soon). There are scholarships and funding support available, please reach out to the Carolyn@agforestry.org for details. Each participant is expected to fulfill the following commitments:

• attend all seminars and Washington, D.C. trip
• engage authentically, communicate respectfully and be open to new ideas
• be willing to embark on a leadership journey that will, at times, be personally challenging

If you have questions about the program or application process email carolyn@agforestry.org or call 253-720-2092. Wheat growers are elegible to apply for scholarships through the WA Wheat Foundation as well as through AgForestry. Learn more at agforestry.org/prospects/.