Kansas Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Coordinator Jeff Sutton, Marysville, leaves this week on an intensive three-week agricultural fellowship in Germany.
Sutton has been selected as a 2010 McCloy Fellow by the American Council on Germany (ACG). The McCloy Fellowship is a three-week intensive immersion that focuses on the exchange of policy, research and planning that affects domestic, continental and international agricultural issues in Germany.
“I’m honored to be selected and eager to participate,” said Sutton. “Agriculture is a global enterprise and there’s much we can learn from active participation in each others’ cultures.”
At the invitation of the American Council on Germany, each year the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Deutscher Bauernverband (German Farmers’ Association) identify four candidates for the McCloy program. Upon their return, each fellow submits a written report to the ACG.
“The more Farm Bureau members and staff understand the advantages and challenges in other countries the better they will understand the global context in which U.S. agriculture operates,” said Steve Baccus, Kansas Farm Bureau president, who nominated Sutton. “We’re proud of Jeff and look forward to his participation in this fellowship.”
Sutton will be in Germany from Sept. 11 through Oct. 3 and will write a blog during the fellowship. He is the fifth Kansan selected for the program since it began in 1976. Sutton grew up in McPherson County and is a graduate of Kansas State University. 
Kansas Farm Bureau represents grassroots agriculture. Established in 1919, this non-profit advocacy organization supports farm families who earn their living in a changing industry.