The Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 2023 College Aggies Online (CAO) program kicks off Sept. 11. Influencers Emily Schaapman, known online as @DairyGirlFitness, Natalie Kovarik (@NatalieKovarik), Brandi Buzzard (@BrandiBuzzard), Jessica Peters (@SeeJessFarm), and Ryan Goodman, known online as @BeefRunner, are among the list of 2023 student mentors. More than $20,000 in scholarship awards are available to participating students and clubs. Undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, collegiate clubs and classes are encouraged to sign up by Sept. 10: https://animalagalliance.org/initiatives/college-aggies-online-sign-up/.
CAO connects college students who are interested in promoting agriculture and gives them the skills they need to effectively engage with key audiences online and on campus. Individual participants engage with their peers on social media by posting information about current and emerging issues facing farmers and ranchers and telling personal stories. Club participants are challenged to host events virtually or on their campus to talk about modern agriculture with their peers. Last year, students reached more than 8.5 million people online and 2,300 people in person.