Students at Michigan State University have taken first place in a competition to demonstrate analytical and problem solving skills. This article from the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA), a nonprofit of industry, students, academics, government leaders and other key stakeholders across the value chain of food production and consumption, says the school’s Tatevik Avetisyan, Kendra Levine, Andrea Leschewski, and Leonard Polzin were among 20 teams taking place in the 10th annual international Student Case Competition.
“The student case competition is the most difficult challenge I’ve faced while in graduate school!” says, Andrea Leschewski, from Michigan State. “Attempting to solve a real-world business problem and convince others that our solution is pragmatic in four hours is not easy.”
Students were asked to develop a plan as to how Monsanto and The Climate Corporation could leverage new acquisitions to help farmers maximize their net return per acre while better utilizing scarce land and water resources in order to feed a growing world population.
“It took countless hours of practice for our team to develop the intuition, organizational structure, teamwork, and presentation skills to successfully participate in the competition,” said Leschewski. “Through preparing for the case competition, I feel my teammates and I gained invaluable insight into our individual strengths in strategic problem solving that will prove valuable as we enter our professional careers.”
“Investing in the next generation of agriculturists is the primary focus of CHS Corporate Citizenship and the CHS Foundation,” said William Nelson, president, CHS Foundation and primary sponsor for the Student Case Competition. “Partnering with the colleges and universities participating in the IFAMA World Forum is an exceptional example of how CHS works on behalf of its farmer and rancher owners. Talent is a key to unlocking the potential of agribusiness globally.”
The conference took place last month in Saint Paul, Minnesota.