Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS), a national secondary and post-secondary student organization that promotes academic and professional advancement, held its 37th annual Training Conference and Career Expo in Atlanta this April. Students from various high school and collegiate chapters across 40 states gathered to compete in national contests and celebrate the organization’s accomplishments.
Building off of the theme Collaborate, Cultivate, and Motivate, the presenters and staff of this conference wished to see the next generation of diverse agriculturalists taking away the idea that there is a community of people that are in their corner ready to collaborate with them to change the trajectory of agriculture, there is opportunity to cultivate existing skill sets and relationships in this space that have yet to be founded, and there is courage to motivate others along the path toward successful careers in agriculture, natural resources, and related sciences even on their own journey toward growth and maturation.
The MANRRS annual Training Conference and Career Expo is the culminating event of the organization, yet, already students from all walks of life — ethnically and culturally diverse — have come together prior to regional cluster conferences across the country where similar connections and professional development opportunities have taken place. However, the MANRRS conference has been the space where a boost of energy toward MANRRS overarching goal of funneling students of diverse backgrounds toward agricultural and related science careers occurs.
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From the career expo, competitions, scholarships, and conference sessions, there was an overwhelming vibe of empowerment, encouragement, and hopeful futures. When entering the lobby of where the conference was set, you could see fliers glittering the walls offering exclusive jobs to MANRRS members, displays of MANRRS members research posters and picture art, and extensive amount of sponsor gear gifted to the students all in hopes that their exceptional talent, historically overlooked in our industry, could be tapped into by the people and companies at the culmination of these students’ collegiate careers.
It was felt from the sponsors, who often shared the background of these students, that they had hope and love for the students in the conference space. One speaker during the second general conference session, Antoinette Redmond of Dairy Farmers of America, shared a quote that inspired while also creating serious pause amongst myself and the other attendees:
“Don’t chunk yourself into small pieces, let them choke.”
Similar to other speakers’ themes in their talks, Redmond in her quote and elaborations thereafter addressed the room on minorities in agriculture taking up space instead of shrinking to fit in spaces not built on equity for all. Like Redmond, the speakers discussed why it was not only important for us to create spaces for all but to not be fearful as young agriculturalists to be unapologetically skilled, talented, and ourselves.
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In my eyes, I have not yet entered a space in agriculture where I felt I could be 100 percent myself unless I was alone in a field harvesting a crop or planting. In more corporate and institutional spaces in agriculture as a woman of color, there has always been a hint of self preservation of my identity in order to survive some situations.
But stepping into the conference, I felt the freedom to just “be.” By being among other high-achieving, goal-oriented agriculturalists who looked like me and came from a similar background, I wasn’t alone. Prior to this conference, I hadn’t engaged this much with the MANRRS society. Conversations and events here and there with MANRRS folks were always inspirational, but being in the space with them and seeing where they were grown and cultivated by mentors like Ebony Webber, Dr. Eunice Foster, and other staff and sponsors who support the organization — I now understand and feel the drive and passion that MANRRS instills in their members and in the agriculture industry for minorities in agriculture.
Jahqethea Johnson, Graduate Student President of the MANRRS National Officer team and an agricultural economics student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said it best: “Six years ago, I was planted in this place … unbeknownst to me, my seeds were secure, my roots were supported, and my growth was nurtured for today’s season. That cultivated land I mentioned, that place of unique harvest, was MANRRS.”
Johnson continued, proudly declaring how students can continue to find growth as she has.
“Don’t be resistant to growth. Don’t be resistant to change. … Embrace the mentorship and leadership in this room. Embrace your capabilities to have a unique harvest. … Strive to be the future of mentorship and leadership. Embrace the unknown.”
MANRRS provides an opportunity for many walks of life, cultures, and identities to have access to agriculture, to have access to mentorship, and to have access to a family of people who share in your identity. Next year’s MANRRS 38th National Conference is planned to take place in Chicago, where collaboration, cultivation, and motivation may not be the conference theme but will be the foundation that continues to build upon their growing society and its members’ success.
As our population continues to diversify, we need all kinds of people, all kinds of backgrounds in order to sustain the industry and our futures in the United States. People need to feel and know that there are others out there who not only share in the same dreams as them, but that they are welcome and nurtured in a space. MANRRS does that exceptionally well and there is no end in sight.
Bre Holbert is a past National FFA President and studied agriculture science and education at California State-Chico. “Two ears to listen is better than one mouth to speak. Two ears allow us to affirm more people, rather than letting our mouth loose to damage people’s story by speaking on behalf of others.”
