Minnesota Agriculture & Rural Leadership Program recently selected Blue Earth resident Jasmine Stringer for the program’s upcoming MARL IX Class.

Stringer was 1 of 30 individuals chosen this year for the prestigious ag-based leadership program.

Stringer works primarily out of the Twin Cities, as she commutes between the different cultures of rural Minnesota and the metro area.

Among the many professional accomplishments in her career, Stringer is not only principal of JB Stringer LLC and founder of the internationally recognized lifestyle brand, Carpe Diem With Jasmine, but also has years of professional experience in the food industry. Stringer has worked with several Fortune 500 companies, including Kraft Foods and General Mills.

After recently marrying her husband, Roger, of Blue Earth, Stringer stated, “It really opened my eyes, as to how important the agriculture industry is, not just on a local level, but on a national level.”

Stringer aspires to utilize her professional background of business, marketing and public speaking – in addition to the opportunity the MARL program offers – to “help bridge the culture gap, and bring awareness to consumers, as to where it all begins, right here, in rural communities, such as those of southern Minnesota.

Stringer also hopes to create opportunity for those who hold a passion to pursue a career in agriculture but may not have the appropriate background.

Stringer stated her overall motivation to assist in all of her goals: “I would like to bring leverage to programs within the agriculture industry, such as the Community Supported Agriculture program, the Farm to Table Initiative, as well as farmers markets, bringing a greater awareness to the rise and necessity of the agriculture industry within the state of Minnesota.”

Stringer, originally from Georgia, and known for her Southern belle charm, is sought-after for her expertise in the field of public and motivational speaking, as a life-expert, strategist and influencer.

Stringer has been featured on CBS and Twin Cities Live; in the Washington Post, StarTribune and New York Times; on OWN TV, Kare 11 News, BET; and in the Huffington Post. Stringer appears every Tuesday morning on WCCO’s MidMorning show.

Stringer earned her certification in social media from Rutgers University, after graduating from American University’s Kogod School of Business.

She was named as one of the “30 Future Leaders Under the Age of 30 in America” by Ebony Magazine, in addition to being named as a Women of Promise in 2012 by the Girl Scouts of America.

With Stringer’s rural roots, growing up in a small town in Georgia, to now living in rural Blue Earth, she holds in high regard her commitment to the betterment of rural communities, groups and organizations throughout the state.

As for the MARL Program, the board of directors bases its selection of candidates on the notion of applicants who aspire to be making the biggest difference in the agriculture industry and rural Minnesota today.

“The quality of applicants to the MARL Program continues to excel,” said Olga Reuvekamp, MARL Program executive director.

Candidates selected for the program endure a tedious application process in order to be considered for selection – it includes in-depth essays and interviews.

“We try to create a good balance of different backgrounds within the field of agriculture and rural business; as the students also learn from one another, and create professional networks amongst themselves, so it is beneficial to obtain a variety of agriculture- and rural-based professionals, who bring all sorts of interesting commodities to the table,” Reuvekamp said. “We have even had some forestry professionals selected as program members.”

The focus of the MARL Program pertains to the advancement of leadership skills for agriculture and rural community professionals in Minnesota. Of the candidates selected for the program, two-thirds are said to be agricultural producers, with the remaining third having involvement in agribusiness or rural leadership positions.

MARL is a two-year educational program, emphasizing the further development of leadership skills. Each year, the program selects 30 individuals out of 60-plus applicants.

The MARL Program, founded 16 years ago at Southwest Minnesota State, features an 18-month curriculum, during which 11 seminars are conducted: nine seminars take place throughout rural Minnesota: one seminar is conducted in Washington, D.C.; and one takes place out of country, at a location that differs for each class.

The most recent graduating MARL class attended its final two-week long seminar in Vietnam, where the class was afforded the opportunity to study the ag industry of that country.

The MARL Program works in conjunction with the University of Minnesota Extension Office. The cost per student is about $6,000 for the entirety of the program, including travel and living expenses. Scholarships are, at times, available for students.

The upcoming MARL IX Class is set to begin in November, with the first seminar taking place in Willmar. Stringer stated her aspirations in regard to the program: “I hope to develop not just a better understanding of the agriculture industry through the program, as I am ready to learn as much as I possibly can, but I am very excited about the leadership opportunity and background afforded by the MARL Program, I think this opportunity will assist in efforts of bringing awareness to agriculture initiatives of today.”