Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
December 6, 2016
The Canadian Seed Trade Association is excited to announce that Emmett Sawyer, a Grade 11 student from Acme, AB, and Kayla Veldman, a 4th year University of Guelph student, from Embro, ON, are the winners of the 2016 Future Influencers competition. Emmett and Kayla will be participating in the 2016 GrowCanada conference in Ottawa from December 6-8.
In its seventh year, CSTA’s Future Influencers competition offers young people the opportunity to attend the annual GrowCanada conference and to provide the youth perspective during the event. It provides students an exceptional opportunity to meet the leaders of some of the world’s most important agriculture and food companies and organizations, participate in industry discussions, and learn more about agriculture. Competition is fierce for two available places. Any student across Canada in Grades 11 and 12, or in agricultural college or university, can apply.
Emmett Sawyer is 16 years old and lives on a grain and cattle farm west of Acme, Alberta. Emmett is in grade 11 at Acme School where he plays on a number of school sport teams and is the vice-president of the school student association. Emmett is a member of the Swalwell 4-H Beef Club and has had a market beef project for the past eight years. He’s the president of his club and president of the Kneehill 4-H District. Public speaking is Emmett's favourite activity in 4-H where he has placed in the top two in the Calgary Region for the past five years. Emmett is very passionate about agriculture and takes pride in being an agvocate and was honored to be involved in Ag More Than Ever's newest "Be Somebody" campaign this fall. Emmett's future career goal is to work within the agriculture industry and be part of the value chain that feeds the world.
Kayla Veldman is in her fourth year at the University of Guelph, studying a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with a major in crop sciences. When she completes her degree, she intends on obtaining her Certified Crop Advisor certification and work in the agronomy field. Eventually she would like to return home to work on the egg and grain farm she grew up on, in Embro, Ontario. Her interests include hockey, politics, traveling and aviation. Kayla has been a private pilot since 2013 and enjoys spending free time in the air, especially during the summer when she can crop scout from the sky. She is very passionate about the agriculture industry and is excited to begin her career in the sector.
“The GrowCanada conference is the ideal venue to introduce young people to the possibilities of a career in agriculture. That is why the Canadian Seed Trade Association is proud to sponsor the Future Influencers program at GrowCanada,” said Crosby Devitt, Executive Director. “It was difficult to select just two Future Influencers from the excellent entries that we received from across Canada and we congratulate Emmett and Kayla on this achievement. Conference participants can look forward to hearing from Kayla and Emmett on how Canadian agriculture can continue its record of getting food from farm to table safely and sustainably. If you are attending GrowCanada 2016, please give a warm hello to these exceptional young people.”
The Canadian Seed Trade Association is the national voice of 132 seed company members engaged in all aspects of seed research, production, and marketing and trade, both domestically and internationally. We are a proud partner in the GrowCanada conference. Learn more about CSTA at cdnseed.org. Follow us on Twitter: @SeedInnovation
The GrowCanada conference is Canada’s premier agricultural event, providing a platform to connect with industry leaders from across the country, explore cutting edge insight and build a stronger and more vibrant Canadian agricultural sector that ultimately contributes to a better world. Visit growcanadaconference.ca or follow #GrowCanada16 on Twitter.
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