Five students in U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences have been selected to attend Agricultural Future of America virtual conference this year.

Kelby Biswell, Payton McGinnis, Alana Coleman, Victoria Lehmann and Muhammad Ali Muhammad were chosen for the AFA Animal Institute in April, and Biswell was also awarded a spot in the Food Institute in May.

Biswell and Coleman are majoring in agricultural education, communications and technology; McGinnis and Muhammad in poultry science; and Lehmann in animal science.

The Animal Institute promotes the understanding of the Animal Health Corridor, a Kansas City-based initiative including business, educational, scientific and government communities promoting a climate of opportunity for companies competing in and supporting the animal health and nutrition industry. The Animal Institute also provides animal-related networking and career opportunities.

The Food Institute dives into what it takes to get food on your table, and what happens after raw ingredients leave the farm. It examines production and processing to research and development to marketing and packaging, and more.

Students are selected based on industry and leadership involvement, career goals and articulation of the benefit of the program to their career development.

AFA focuses on building transformational leaders, those who have a positive influence on and lift up others, in food and agriculture. AFA fosters professionalism, intellectualism and intrapreneurialism through experiential opportunities.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 3% of colleges and universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.