Generations of Ag Leaders
By Marshall Hardwick
LSU Ag Leadership Class XVII
Today, January 19th, 2023, marks the 35th anniversary since Class I had the original seminar for the LSU Agricultural Leadership Development Program. I was asked to write about the anniversary for obvious reasons. My dad, Jay Hardwick, was in that original seminar and here I am, in Panama, part of Class XVII. 35 years separate us and soon I will join him as an alumnus. Hopefully Dr. Bobby agrees with me.
Today was an interesting day and I think it fits in nicely with this blog. We visited the Panama Canal. A man-made creation that connects Earth’s two largest oceans and numerous countries in only 50 short miles. Prior to Columbus’ arrival and after, humans looked for this canal, but more so in a natural phenomenon. Completed in 1914, the canal changed the way the world moved commerce. It costs a ship anywhere from $250,000 - $1,000,000 to travel through. However, the canal saves ship companies 45% of the cost it would take to sail around South America. A quick ten-hour trip through the canal can save ships up to 2 weeks, depending on where they are heading.
If I may, I’ll make a stretching connection here. This leadership class acts as the Panama Canal for Louisiana agriculture and beyond. Its ability to connect people across the state that may otherwise never happen. Being a part of a group of people with high desires and goals to improve our industry is priceless. “Hitch your wagon to these folks and go” is what I’ve been told in the past. The class has opened opportunities and relationships that can be relied on for years to come. I heard it at the beginning and throughout this class from so many people, but I will echo it in my own words… It’s not the presentations or the places we will go. It’s the people we go with that will have the greatest impact on your future.
Almost unanimously, the agricultural industry wants the next generation to follow in their own footsteps. I, too, hope the next Hardwick generation will take over the family farm after my brother and I look for “part time retirement.” The LSU Ag Leadership class has the same feel to it. My dad and I are not the first multi-generation to come through the class, but I believe they celebrate it. They celebrate it because of all the things it means. Before long and at some point, they will celebrate the first family to send three generations through. Generation after generation after generation. It creates value of an asset that is intangible, invaluable, and unrecognizable in so many other industries. This program is generational, and it reflects the nature of American agriculture. Look at the program’s first director, Dr. Robert Soileau. He helped lead my dad and his classmates, setting the bar high and the foundation strong. Today his son, Dr. Bobby Soileau, continues the tradition 35 years later, to the day. Even the program’s leaders are multi-generational. This is why people love agriculture.