PVAMU’s Raymond Thomas was among 30 students who attended this year’s U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2018 Agricultural Outlook Forum (AOF) February 22-23 in Arlington, Virginia. Thomas and his peers were chosen as winners of the USDA Student Diversity Program.
“These students are the next generation of agriculture, and it is important for the USDA to support their training as future agriculture professionals,” said USDA Chief Economist Robert Johansson.
Thomas was also invited to meet the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, during a reception. “I had a fantastic time representing Prairie View at one of the biggest agricultural conferences in the nation,” said Thomas. “Not only did I get to meet the some of the brightest students in agriculture from across the country, but I also got to eat dinner and make connections with some of the most influential individuals in the industry today. It was truly an experience unlike any I’ve had before.”
Thomas is a senior Agriculture major at PVAMU.