Time Investment
During the two-year Program, the participants commit to a total of 70 days. Attendance at all seminars is mandatory. The Program format includes:

A series of 14 seminars held by participating California universities at various locations. The seminars convene between the months of October and early June. They are generally scheduled to meet either from Wednesday noon through Friday noon or from Thursday noon through Saturday noon. A 10-day National Travel Seminar in March is the capstone experience for Year One. A 15-day International Travel Seminar conducted in February or March is the capstone to Year Two. Additional group assignments and individual study are essential to maximizing total learning from the Program.

Program Seminars with Partner Universities
Seminars are the cornerstone of the Ag Leadership Program and provide a comprehensive yet diverse high-impact curriculum. The Ag Leadership experience is not solely about California agriculture! The curriculum and the travel experiences focus simultaneously on personal improvement skills and on current social, political, science, organizational, and economic issues - all of which necessarily converge to impact California agriculture and society.

The Foundation partners with four leading California universities to host and conduct the seminars. Each campus has a specific curriculum objective upon which it focuses:

University of California, Davis - economics, international trade and health. California State University, Fresno - government, foreign policy and criminology. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona - sociology, culture, history and religion. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo - communication skills and personal assessment.

The Program also joint ventures an annual seminar on ethics and public policy with Santa Clara University and the Leon and Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy at California State University, Monterey Bay.

Funding and Costs
The Program is sponsored by the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation, a not-for-profit tax-exempt 501(C)3 organization. The Foundation is purely a privately funded entity and relies completely upon businesses, foundations, organizations and individuals for operations support. Except for a modest participant fee, the Program's budget is entirely underwritten by and accountable to agricultural stakeholders, including Program alumni. The Program invests over $45,000 in each participant each year.

A $750 materials fee is charged to each participant to offset a portion of the material costs over the two-year duration of the Program. Incidental expenses and transportation to in-state seminars and to airports of departure for travel seminars are also the responsibility of each participant.