Pinzhang Li poses in front of the USDA panel platform at the 2014 Agricultural Outlook Forum.
Image Credit: Pinzhang Li
Pinzhang Li, a senior in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, was one of 20 undergraduate students from universities across the country selected to attend the 2014 Agricultural Outlook Forum hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The event was held in Arlington, Va. and took place February 20th and 21st.
Li and other students invited to attend the forum were selected based on essays they submitted on the subject of “Agriculture as a Career.”
A long list of agricultural experts spoke to aspiring agriculturalists about the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Economic Research Service and Rural Development. The professional panel also hosted seminars on a variety of topics but Li says his favorite was called “The China Puzzle.”
“Three speakers from different backgrounds discussed the problems and challenges that China’s agricultural industry is facing such as food safety, age of farmers, and tariffs on international trade,” says Li.
Having a family farm in China, Li is particularly interested in how China’s market has drastically changed since his grandparents first bought their 13 acre plot. Because of urbanization, that farmland has dwindled down to a mere two acres.
Li continues, “They suggested that in order to promote China’s agriculture, advanced technologies are needed. In addition to this, better education and more fixable financial supports are critical for China’s future success in feeding its citizens.”
This is not to say that Li is uninterested in agriculture in the United States, however. In fact, Li says his favorite speaker during the forum was Professor Lori Lynch from the AREC Department at UMD. “She gave us a presentation on agricultural land use policies which covered topics like climate changes, the new farm bill, exports, and a renewable fuel standard,” Li says.
Lectures by Lynch and other presenters have reinforced Li’s decision to pursue a career in the agriculture field. “I have become very interested in international markets and how the U.S. agricultural industry affects other countries in the world,” Li says. “I think that international trade will continue to play a key role in ensuring food security and preventing starvation.”
Those attendees and presenters that shared Li’s beliefs were able to make connections with one another -- connections that may lead to future job offers.
“I met a farmer who exports mango to China, [and] we exchanged cards,” Li said. “He said he may need me to do some research in China’s market.”
By making connections such as this and applying what he learned from the forum’s speakers, Li is confident that he will succeed in his future career.
“The forum [has] contributed to my career by broadening my horizons beyond a national scale,” Li said. “By attending the forum, I believe that my resume will launch itself to the top of every employer’s list.”
