Q&A with Jazmin Albarran: How Seed Your Future is educating students about the world of horticulture

For the past decade, Seed Your Future has helped introduce thousands of students and educators to the eclectic world of horticulture and its diverse career opportunities. It’s a world largely unknown to so many — too many — students at a time when horticulture is urgently looking for the next generation of leaders.

With an energized look at the next five years, the organization has unveiled a strategic plan that includes new awareness campaigns and enhanced workforce data collection. Dig into all the tools and opportunities at seedyourfuture.org.

Kelli Rodda: What are some of Seed Your Future’s biggest accomplishments to date?

Jazmin Albarran: We have so many helpful digital tools that are free and accessible. Students can search the internship database or the scholarship database. There’s also a Google map that shows where all the horticulture programs, associate degrees and four-year programs are located across the country.

One of the biggest tools we created was Green Career Week (March 3-7, 2025). We provide a comprehensive toolkit that helps horticulture businesses build awareness with students in their community. We offer help on how to host a field trip or activities you can do with a classroom, even some social media content ideas.

We list career profiles, salary ranges and education requirements. It’s important for students to have a resource they can show parents or caregivers that describes our industry. We help businesses tell the story of what their company culture looks like, how they’re using innovation or what steps they’re taking for sustainability. It’s all about building awareness and making those connections.

We also launched the Seed to Stem program, which is specifically designed for teachers. You can’t expect teachers to talk about horticulture careers if they don’t understand it themselves. We had 25 teachers from 12 states meet in Indianapolis for four days. We toured a different location each day. One teacher said they were amazed at the processes. We now have 25 lessons on the website that are free for any teacher around the country, or the world, that connects science with a career in horticulture. This year, we’re going to expand those lessons to math, English and art teachers.

KR: How can growers get involved with Seed Your Future?

JA: We need growers to participate in Green Career Week. It doesn’t matter if you’re a ½-acre or 20 acres. If every grower out there connected with one school, just think how many more kids would be introduced to our industry every year. Seed Your Future is run by me and a bunch of wonderful consultants and volunteers. But if we had more people on the ground being a voice for the industry, spreading the word about our resources, we could reach more students.

We have five committees, and I can plug in a grower somewhere. If you’re speaking at a conference, add a slide to your presentation about Seed Your Future. Do you have a trade show booth? Set out a flyer about Green Career Week or share brochures about us.

We also need growers to participate in our research, like the salary and benefits survey — it’s 100% confidential — and the internship survey.

KR: What is one of your main goals in 2025?

JA: Fundraising is always a major goal, but this year, we’re researching grants and turning to individual giving. Previously, we’ve solely depended on corporate giving. [We also hosted] our first fundraising gala on June 13. It takes money to create and maintain all these programs. Expanding Seed Your Future will expand our reach, which gets more students enrolled in horticulture programs and, eventually, through your doors as employees.

Kelli Rodda is editorial director of the GIE Media Horticulture Group. Contact her at krodda@gie.net.