LEAD 36 at the U.S. embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where they met with United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service officials.
FROM NEBRASKA TO THE WORLD: THE NEBRASKA LEAD PROGRAM
T
he Nebraska LEAD program, founded in 1981, is a 2-year agricultural leadership-development program that exposes its fellows to state, regional, national, and international issues through a series of seminars and study tips. The program covers public policy issues, natural resources management, economics, communications, and leadership. In this interview, Dr. Terry Hejny, the director of the Nebraska LEAD program, speaks with Irrigation Leader Managing Editor Joshua Dill about the program’s history, what its fellows learn, and what sets it apart from other, similar programs. Joshua Dill: Please tell us about your background and how it led you to your current position.
26 | IRRIGATION LEADER
Terry Hejny: I grew up on a farm southwest of Lincoln, Nebraska. Our farm was diversified with crops and livestock. I went to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), where I received a bachelor of science degree in agricultural education. In 1980, I took a teaching job in Geneva, Nebraska, which is in Fillmore County, about 65 miles southwest of Lincoln. Almost all the cropland in the area was irrigated, either by furrow or by center pivot. I grew up as a dry-land farmer, so that was a whole new experience for me. I spent almost 18 years as a vocational agriculture instructor and Future Farmers of America advisor as well as advising an adult agricultural education organization, the Geneva Young Farmers. During that time, I earned a master of education degree, which provided me the
