Halley Blades, a junior majoring in food science and nutrition, was recently chosen to serve as an Agriculture Future of America (AFA) Ambassador on the University of Missouri campus. In her role as an AFA Ambassador, Blades will work on building relationships with others that fosters engagements and innovation in food, agriculture and natural resources. She, and other AFA Ambassadors across the country, will interact with agribusiness leaders, campus faulty and other students.

Blades is one of 32 Ambassadors who were selected through a competitive application and interview process. One of her primary goals will be to increase awareness of AFA programs on the Mizzou campus.

According to its website, AFA is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing undergraduate students into the next generation of leaders for the food, agriculture and natural resources industry. AFA builds bridges for young leaders to foster engagement and innovation in food and agriculture. With program participation increasing 28 percent in the last five years, AFA has provided more than 24,000 leader development experiences to college leaders and young professionals from more than 200 colleges and universities throughout 43 states since its inception in 1996. AFA has awarded more than $11 million in academic and leader development scholarships.