LEAD New York is a two-year leadership development program for adult professionals in the food and agricultural industry. We provide monthly training for a class of 25-30 participants. Our training focus is three-fold: leadership skill development; public policy process awareness and civic engagement; and relevant issues awareness. We strive to not only develop better leaders for the industry, but also inspire potential leaders to serve in those roles for their communities and their industry.

In the early 1980s, several key leading organizations of New York’s agricultural industry, including the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, the NYS Agricultural Society, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University, began to recognize the need for new and capable leadership for the industry as a whole. Many related organizations were losing some of their key leaders (chairmen, board members, owners, etc.) through retirement and normal attrition, and it was evident that newer, younger leaders were either not filling these positions, or were not equipped to effectively meet the demands of these leadership roles. Several other states had already started such agricultural leadership development programs, most with funding provided by the Kellogg Foundation. A team of representatives from New York went to Washington State for a leadership program development conference sponsored by the Kellogg Foundation, and shortly thereafter, the Empire State Food and Agricultural Leadership Institute (LEAD New York) was formed. The first class was accepted in 1985, and graduated in 1987.

From the beginning, it was decided that participation would not be limited to those with careers directly related to production agriculture, but rather would encompass the greater agricultural and food systems industry in New York. This audience includes producers, processors, distributors, retailers, consumers, lenders, researchers, extension and university personnel, government officials, and more. Racial, gender, age, geographic, educational, and professional diversity have always been encouraged in the class-selection process. Training focuses on three major areas: leadership skill development (i.e., public speaking, conflict resolution, etc.), public policy process awareness and civic engagement (local, state and federal government), and industry issues awareness (i.e., environmental issues, labor, trade, etc.). Training is accomplished through a series of monthly workshops from October through April over a two-year period, for a total of about 50 days of training. Training sessions are held in a variety of locations around New York, and out-of-state sessions include Ottawa, Canada, Washington, DC, and a study tour that travels to a different part of the country or the world. Since its inception, LEAD New York has graduated 313 participants.

Of the 313 alumni to date, more than 90 percent are involved in hundreds of local, state, and national agricultural and community organizations. More than half serve on various boards of directors, and more than 50 are in elected or appointed public positions, including the NYS Assembly, local government, and school boards. LEAD graduates also hold leadership positions in various government agencies (i.e., NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, NYS Department of Labor, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation). Graduates also serve in key Farm Bureau positions at the national, state, and county levels. LEAD graduates serve Cornell University via the University Board of Trustees, the CALS Dean’s Advisory Council, the Alumni Association, and countless departmental and program advisory committees. Many graduates are recognized industry leaders in innovative businesses, often forming partnerships with other LEAD graduates in new agricultural or food related businesses. LEAD has revived many other agricultural organizations in the state. For example, around the time that LEAD was conceived, the NYS Agricultural Society Annual Meeting was in danger of fading away. Through their support of the concept of the LEAD New York Program, the benefit has now come full-circle. Thanks to the planning involvement and participation of LEAD alumni, the NYS Agricultural Society Annual Meeting is now a thriving annual event, with its highest attendance ever recorded occurring in January 2008.

Kristen Ciferri