Valent U.S.A. Receives National FFA Distinguished Service Award

November 1, 2019

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – The National FFA Organization has awarded Valent U.S.A. with a Distinguished Service Citation award for its outstanding contributions to FFA and agricultural education on a national level.

Valent has been a supporter of the National FFA Organization since 2002 with a focus on agricultural education and youth leadership development. Valent supports FFA and its programs such as the National FFA Proficiency Awards, National Convention workshops and through the creation of a corporate alumni chapter that engages Valent employees to continually partner with the organization. The company is currently working with FFA to create educational resources for teachers on innovative tools and practices that contribute to sustainable agriculture.

"We are proud of our partnership with National FFA and our shared purpose to cultivate bright, innovative leaders in agriculture," said Valent U.S.A. Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Matt Plitt. "This Distinguished Service Award represents our commitment to advancing agriculture education and preparing the future leaders of our industry."

Valent received the award during an onstage ceremony today at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind. The National FFA Convention & Expo is one of the largest student conventions in the world, with a mission to develop, educate and inspire the next-generation of ag leaders. Valent also is supporting a celebration of 50 years of women’s involvement in FFA at the convention this week. Women leaders from Valent and past FFA members were in attendance to accept the service award and to share industry insights with students. Farm Credit Alliance and BASF were also honored as 2019 Distinguished Service Citation recipients.

Dawn Refsell, Seed Protection Product Development Manager participated on the #SpeakAg Dialogue panel on Oct. 31 during the convention. The session, which focused on encouraging growers to make sustainable choices, included students and industry experts who spoke on the topics of soil health, the benefits of sustainability and the definition of sustainable production. Refsell discussed how incentives for soil health are complicated, varying from farm to farm, and that engaging farmers to utilize practices for improving soil health must consider profitability, quantifying improvement and the contribution towards future generations who manage the land.

"It’s energizing to spend the week engaging with FFA students," said Refsell. "As a past FFA member who now works in the industry, I feel incredibly lucky to see the passion of these young leaders and give them perspective from personal experiences during discussions this week."

About National FFA
The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to 669,989 student members who belong to one of 8,630 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The organization is also supported by 344,239 alumni members in 2,051 alumni chapters throughout the U.S.

About Valent U.S.A. LLC
Headquartered in Walnut Creek, Calif., Valent U.S.A. LLC develops and markets products in the United States, Canada and Mexico that advance sustainable agriculture, protect crops, enhance crop yields, improve food quality, beautify the environment and safeguard public health. For more information about Valent, please visit valent.com. To learn more about Valent’s commitment to sustainability, visit valentsustainablesolutions.com.