Kansas Corn Collegiate Academy Class 6 Graduates Celebrated at Symposium

Jan. 29, 2024 ─ At the 2024 Kansas Corn Symposium, Kansas Corn recognized students graduating from the sixth class of the Kansas Corn Collegiate Academy. This program, offered by the Kansas Corn Growers Association and Kansas Corn Commission, provides opportunities for college students of all majors to learn more about the corn industry, explore issues facing agriculture and embrace the ways they can impact the industry through their future career paths.

Members of the sixth Collegiate Academy class were recognized for completing the program. Participants expanded their knowledge about ethanol, livestock, trade, policy, education, agronomy, conservation and consumer engagement.

During the first session of the Collegiate Academy, students visited the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka and met with state representatives. They learned about how lobbying is done at the state level and met with Kansas ag association staff. The second session took the group to Wichita and Canton to learn about exports, how grain moves through the railway system and the ethanol industry. The third session was a drive to northwest Kansas where the students learned about irrigation, ethanol production, and local ag retail businesses. In July, the students traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in NCGA’s Corn Congress, and to learn how policy affects family farms, agribusinesses and international grain markets. While in the area, the students visited farms in the Chesapeake Bay area to learn about crab production, dairy production, and farming under the area’s strict environmental regulations. The students completed the program by submitting a capstone project summarizing their experiences. Upon completion of the program, each student received a scholarship from Kansas Corn.

“My favorite part of our trip to D.C. was the fun and fellowship I got to enjoy with my collegiate academy friends,” said Baylee Wulfkuhle, Class 6 graduate. “We had the opportunity to expand our knowledge of the efforts made in Washington D.C. on behalf of corn growers and see diverse farming operations on the east coast.”

Kansas college students enrolled in 2-year or 4-year post-secondary schools are eligible to apply for Collegiate Academy. The seventh class is currently underway and applications for Class 8 will open in fall 2024. For more information on this and other collegiate programs visit kscorn.com/corn-on-campus/.

Collegiate Academy Class 6 Graduates:

  • Kaitlyn Butler, Junction City, Kansas State University
  • Cody Dahl, Courtland, Kansas State University
  • Weston Guetterman, Bucyrus, Kansas State University
  • Abby Johnson, Salina, Kansas State University
  • Molly McClure, Hugoton, Kansas State University
  • Piper Schlatter, Hutchinson, Kansas State University
  • Monica Short, Geneseo, Kansas State University
  • Liberty Thompson, Elkton, SD, Kansas State University
  • Baylee Wulfkuhle, Lawrence, Kansas State University