JOHNSTON (IA)-Matthew Craighead of Moss has been selected to participate in the 2012 New Century Farmer Program July 8-14 here in Johnston, Iowa.

The son of Robert and Debra Craighead, the 2009 Clay County High School graduate is one of 50 outstanding young people representing 24 states who will participate in the program.

This exclusive, highly competitive program develops young men and women committed to pursuing a career in production agriculture.

Craighead, who is also a recent Tennessee Tech University graduate and current local soil conservation district employee, will take part in a series of workshops and sessions during the conference.

Topics will include the global marketplace, farm financing, demographic trends and risk management. He will hear from motivating and informative keynote speakers who will educate him on the risks and rewards involved with production agriculture. In addition to classroom learning, students will experience the latest developments in agricultural technology.

The New Century Farmer program is sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business; Case IH; CSX Corporation; and Farm Credit; with media partner Successful Farming as a special project of the National FFA Foundation. The program is designed to provide participants with valuable skills and knowledge applicable to their own farming operations. In addition, they will build a network of colleagues that will benefit them throughout their careers.

The National FFA Organization provides agricultural education to 540,379 student members in grades seven through 12 who belong to one of 7,489 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.