Prospects

Program and FAQ Page
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Applications for Class 47 will open February 2 - April 30, 2026.

Class 47 time commitment: September 2026 - May 2027

Eligibility Requirements

  • You must have lived or worked in Washington for at least one year, and be a minimum of 25 years of age when the program begins.
  • Your employer must approve the required time to attend all seminars (approx. 22 days) and are able to be away from communications (laptop, cell phone, pager) during seminar hours. Those who are self-employed must be able to be away from their businesses for that time as well. 
  • You must plan to remain employed in agriculture, forestry or related natural resource industry for the duration of the time you are in the program.
  • All application requirements must be met within provided application window.

Natural Resource Industry Definition

 

Agriculture, forestry and natural resources are broadly defined to include producers (farmer, forester and fisher), processor/shippers, and marketing/salespeople. It also includes professionals from education, law, finance, insurance, government and non-government agencies whose work is dedicated to serving the natural resources sector. Those from other fields relating to environment, media, research, labor, and public relations who demonstrate strong connections to the natural resource industries are also included. An important qualification is the applicant’s current and future commitment to Washington’s agriculture, forestry, fisheries, natural resources and rural communities.

The Agriculture and Forestry Education Foundation, which oversees the AgForestry Leadership Program, strongly encourages producer candidates:  decision makers in their farming, forestry, fishing or natural resource entity.

Selection Process

 

Each class is built by the Selection Committee representing leaders in natural resources. Final selection is approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors. All applicants have an interview with the Selection Committee in their area/region. The selection process is highly competitive. Applicants will be notified in early July.

Program Commitment

 

The AgForestry Leadership Class is nine months long, with approximately 22 days of required time and attendance. Your commitment to the program includes attendance at all seminars. There are three, 3-day seminars and four, 1.5-day regional seminars held throughout Washington State, plus one week in Washington, D.C., with an optional international seminar experience. For Class 47, the tuition fee is $7,500. There will be an additional cost for the international seminar for those who choose to participate (info coming soon).  There are scholarships and funding support available, please reach out to the Carolyn@agforestry.org for details. 

Each participant is expected to fulfill the following commitments:

  • attend all seminars and Washington, D.C. trip
  • engage authentically, communicate respectfully and be open to new ideas
  • be willing to embark on a leadership journey that will, at times, be personally challenging

If you have questions about the program or application process email: carolyn@agforestry.org or call: 253.720.2092

Application Steps – Application window for Class 47 will be February 2 – April 30, 2026. 

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) – sample – If admitted into the AgForestry Leadership Program you will be asked to agree to an MOU. A sample of previous MOU’s is provided.

  1. General Application

  2. Essay Questions – you will receive a link to the essay question via email form upon completion of the general application.

  3. Self-Evaluation 

  4. Employer Release
    – AgForestry will email your supervisor directly.  They will receive both an Employer Release and Reference Form.

  5. Reference Form
    – Share this link with three references.
  6. Resume (click to upload file)
  7. Attend a Q&A sessions  – dates coming soon (click on a date below to register – registrants need to be logged in within 10 minutes of the meeting start time)
    1. TBD
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    7. If you can’t make any of the above times work, please contact carolyn@agforestry.org we can arrange a 1:1 Q&A session as needed to accommodate schedules.
  8. In-person interviews will be held in early June 2026.
    1. Interviews are conducted by independent panels across the state, comprised of AgForestry Alumni & Industry Stakeholders. 
    2. Note: ESL applicants: While the AgForestry Leadership Program is an English based program, if English is not your first language and you would feel more comfortable receiving written application documents in a different language, contact Carolyn@agforestry.org.
Refer yourself or a prospect here