The National Watermelon Association believes the future success of the industry lies in developing the talent and interest of its younger members.

In fact, NWA is so passionate about this belief that it is gearing its five-year plan around building value for members of Generation Y.

At the NWA’s annual convention in February, NWA Executive Director Bob Morrissey announced the formation of a Generation Y working group, along with a new, contemporary logo, a revamped Internet domain and new social media platforms.

“We have been working with some of the premier experts on Generation Y to try to get a better understanding about what they like and how best to use their talents,” said Morrissey. “As a demographic, Generation Y is more than 80 million strong, so it is important to include them in our planning for the future.”

Morrissey said that the current environment of agriculture makes it especially challenging to attract and retain Generation Y, whose members range in age from 19 to 32. Among the issues he cited were the need for immigration reform, and the burden of FSMA and food-safety audits.

“We have to ask ourselves, ‘How much can they take before they leave the industry,’” said Morrissey.

One of the ways the NWA is working to maintain involvement of Generation Y is by implementing a future farmer program, whereby two or three young farmers will be invited, via scholarships, to the NWA convention in order to give them exposure to the industry.

“Research has shown that Generation Y members have a great spirit of volunteerism, which we hope will translate into service of the industry,” he said. “But members of Generation Y want to see a value proposition, such as how it will help the organization or the planet, or what it means socially or environmentally. We believe that if we expose them to the industry through the convention, we will be able to show them many of the great parts of the industry.”

Morrissey said another strategy is to simply ask them pointedly what is on their minds and what they would like to see happen in the industry.

“We’re constantly on the lookout for new members, and they are extremely excited when we ask them their opinions,” he said. “It goes a long way to engaging them and making them feel like part of the industry.

“We constantly refer to ourselves as a ‘watermelon family’ rather than a ‘watermelon association,’ and I think that resonates with these younger members,” Morrissey added.

Morrissey said he is convinced that the association today will be “vastly different” than the association five years from today, and the NWA board wants to keep pace with the changes.

“Everything we are doing for the next five years will be focused on building value for Generation Y,” he said. “I think that will pay dividends for our industry in the long run.”