North Dakota FFA student chosen for elite national ag conference

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WAHPETON, N.D. — Marisa Mumm brought national-level experience back to her FFA chapter after being selected to attend the National FFA Next Gen Conference, an invitation-only event that connected students with agricultural industry leaders from across the country.

Mumm was one of just 72 students selected nationwide.

“Being the only student from North Dakota selected to attend the Next Gen Conference, I was honored to be able to represent the great state of North Dakota,” said Mumm, 17, a junior at Wahepton High School. “I was extremely grateful and blessed.”

Currently the vice president for Wahpeton FFA, Mumm was elected president for the 2026-27 school year.

According to Wahpeton FFA instructor Scott Thiel, the Next Gen conferences are designed to expose students to specialized areas within agricultural education and help them better understand career opportunities in the field.

“The National FFA Next Gen Conferences are truly elite events that are invitation-only,” Thiel said. “Students must apply for them and be recommended by their instructor.”

The conference was in Raleigh, North Carolina, in early March.

Representatives from Case New Holland, John Deere and other companies led round-table discussions and shared with students what skills, coursework and real-world experiences are valuable in the workforce.

Thiel emphasized that the conference was less about traditional leadership training and more about showing students how classroom learning connects directly to careers in agriculture.

“The focal point of these events is to bring topic areas in Ag education — be it power and technical systems, animal systems, plant systems or agribusiness and marketing — to life for the attendees,” he said.

For Mumm, one of the most memorable parts of the conference was touring the BASF Agricultural Solutions campus in North Carolina. She said the visit gave students a close look at both scientific research and emerging technology in the agriculture industry.

“The tour consisted of learning from BASF’s expert entomologists, where we learned all things related to bugs,” Mumm said. “We also were able to interact with a field specialist and learned about new technology that is being used to help the specialists, such as drones and satellite imagery.”

She also toured BASF greenhouses and learned how the company works to stay current while meeting Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

Mumm said interacting with industry professionals throughout the conference made agriculture careers feel more real and more attainable.

“The intense presence of industry professionals throughout the Next Gen Conference allowed for the learning in the classroom to become put into real-life scenarios,” she said.

Among the activities were 10-minute round-table sessions with professionals from across the country, as well as tours and hands-on experiences with companies and university representatives. Mumm said those opportunities showed her the wide range of careers available in agriculture and the importance of working with people who may have different perspectives.

She also said networking with students from around the country was one of the most meaningful parts of the trip.

“When you walk into Next Gen you are a stranger to 71 other students, and in the span of four days you leave the conference as family,” Mumm said.

Thiel said Mumm has already had an impact on the Wahpeton chapter.

“Marisa has most definitely been an ambassador of the Next Gen Conferences in our ag program,” Thiel said. “Since her return, other students have expressed interest and began the application process for future conferences.”

Thiel said that kind of peer-to-peer sharing helps strengthen support for career and technical education pathways in the school system and reinforces the value of connecting students with local and national industry opportunities.

Mumm said she has been able to share her experience through notes, pictures and videos, helping other students understand what the conference offers. With this being her second Next Gen conference, she said advisers and school administration are becoming more supportive of encouraging sophomores and juniors to apply.

The experience has also helped shape her own future plans. Mumm said attending this conference, along with the Plant Systems Conference last year, has broadened her interest in both plant science research and the technology side of power, structural and technical systems.

As she looks ahead to college and a future career, Mumm said the conference gave her valuable insight into where agriculture is headed and what tomorrow’s employers will be looking for.

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