I.        TALL is a competitive leadership development program for Texas agriculture industry leaders.

• Class members are required to be actively involved in agriculture production, or a business closely related to agriculture, which includes the food and fiber industries.  However, Faculty of colleges, universities, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and secondary school systems working in agricultural fields are not eligible to participate.
  • average range in age is 25 to 50 with no age requirement.
  • class size will be approximately 26.
  • tuition is $3,000 (one of the least expensive tuition’s in the country, most are $4000 or more).
  • 2 year program of which falls into 3 calendar years.
    • Total expense per participant is $25,000 of which is funded by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, industry gifts, grants and participant tuition (10%).
    • The Texas program started with the first class in 1988.
    • Program concept began at Michigan State University in 1966 and the first state programs were sponsored by the Kellogg Foundation.
    • Currently there are 38 state programs and 5 international programs.

II.        TALL has 8 seminars with 45 days of intense training with over 300 speakers which includes guest speakers, current leaders, tours, on-site visits, receptions, discussions and leadership course work.   In all, they will meet over 2000 people during their two year experience:

• In total, TALL spends 455 hours of intensive training per person ( the equivalent of 38 credit hours) which is equivalent to the same amount of training to receive a Masters of Ag degree from any accredited university.
• at least 10 years of experience is needed to reach the educational level of a TALL graduate.
• there are 6 in-state seminars that cover the current issues facing Texas and Agriculture with a one week seminar covering the Texas Legislature and a trip into California.
• the 4^th seminar is a trip to our nation’s capital in Washington D.C., Maryland and New York City.
• the 8^th seminar concludes with an international trip to study foreign governments, culture, religion, trade, markets and the Ag industry for two weeks.  TALL VI traveled to China, TALL VII – Russia and Poland, TALL VIII – South Africa, TALL IX – Brazil, TALL X – China, TALL XI – Russia and Poland, TALL XII- India and TALL XIII-Brazil.

 

III.        TALL has 338 graduates who serve as ambassadors for agriculture.

 

IV.        Leadership Values:

– 70% have been interviewed by the news media as Ag spokespersons.

– 23% have provided testimony to a federal agency.

– 31% have testified at the state level.

– 31% have testified at the local level.

– 66% have served as leaders on community boards.

– 50% have served in local, state, and national leadership  posts in pro-agricultural organizations. *

* Information provided by IALF