AgCareers Roundtable 2025 Recap: Innovation, Leadership, and the Future of Ag Talent

• Taylor Sublette
• August 14, 2025
• Newsletter Article

AgCareers’ 2025 Agriculture & Food Roundtable gathered industry leaders, educators, and HR professionals in St. Louis to tackle workforce challenges, explore AI’s impact, and inspire resilient leadership. Over three days, attendees engaged in keynotes, breakout sessions, and networking, sparking collaboration and innovative solutions for the future of agricultural talent.

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AgCareers Brings Together Industry Leaders at the Annual Agriculture & Food Roundtable in St. Louis

As the agriculture and food sectors face mounting workforce challenges — from leadership skills needed to the integration of AI — AgCareers brought together top minds to strategize, innovate, and inspire at its Annual Agriculture & Food Roundtable, held August 5–7 in St. Louis, Missouri. AgCareers welcomed agriculture and food industry professionals and educators from across the nation for an event offering a dynamic mix of HR insights, workforce strategies, and industry innovations, creating a forum for shaping the future of agricultural talent.

 

To kick off the conference, attendees could choose from three immersive experiences: the Executive & Senior Leadership Forum, the Compensation Summit, or a tour of KWS Seed. Each track set the tone for a conference filled with thought-provoking sessions and meaningful networking opportunities.

 

Over two full days of keynote speakers, breakout sessions, networking, and fun, the Roundtable brought many ideas and perspectives to the table. One keynote speaker, Caleb Gardner, explored the topic “What Makes a Resilient Leader?” He redefined resilience as more than just enduring challenges, noting, “Resilience isn’t the grit that endures the storm; it’s the capacity that grows out of it.” He encouraged participants to consider what they might be resisting and how to move beyond those barriers.

 

In another session, Billi Hunt, Executive Director of America’s Cultivation Corridor, focused on “Innovation in the Industry,” emphasizing the urgent need to connect HR professionals with students entering the workforce. She also highlighted leadership burnout as a growing concern: “We have a big gap in Iowa — a big bench of strong leaders getting burnt out and ones wanting to step up.”

 

Throughout the three-day conference, sessions addressed emerging themes such as how artificial intelligence will transform workplace skills, the importance of strategic workforce planning, and the traits of effective leaders in a rapidly evolving industry. Attendees engaged in lively discussions, shared best practices, and explored collaborative solutions to industry-wide challenges.

 

The Roundtable drew a diverse audience of agriculture and food employers, career services professionals, advisors, educators, and HR leaders. Beyond the sessions, the event served as a powerful networking platform, encouraging collaboration and sparking new ideas to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s agricultural workforce.

 

As the industry continues to evolve, AgCareers remains committed to fostering collaboration and equipping leaders with tools to build a resilient, future-ready workforce. The Roundtable reaffirmed that while the challenges are real, so is the collective drive to meet them head-on with innovation, empathy, and purpose.

 

Don’t miss next year’s event in Illinois—join the AgCareers Roundtable LinkedIn Group