08/19/2022, Beverly Hills // PRODIGY: Feature Story //
The National FFA Organization works to strengthen science and agricultural educational opportunities for students across the country. The Texas FFA Association and Texas FFA Foundation are the largest state organizations in the country.
On this episode of the Growing Our Future Podcast, Aaron Alejandro introduces Lora Gonzalez Eckerle, Business Development Manager for Central Market. From the Rio Grande Valley to New York City and beyond, Eckerle has built a varied and dynamic career in Agriculture. Her success as a state FFA officer and branding and merchandising specialist for companies like Purina and Central Market stems from the skills she developed through agricultural science education and FFA leadership development opportunities.
Listen to the full episode with host Aaron Alejandro and Lora Gonzalez Eckerle here.
The Future of Food
“It really does all go back to the earth and the ground,” says Lora Gonzalez Eckerle, Business Development Manager for Central Market. Eckerle focuses on merchandising in categories like Healthy Living, Hispanic and Kosher at the store she calls “a whole new experience of grocery shopping”, ensuring customer access to healthy food.
Eckerle grew up in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, where her father, who has a Masters in plant and soil sciences, taught her the importance of agriculture from a young age.. As a high school student, she was active in her FFA chapter: raising hogs and steers, becoming involved in Citrus production, and “dabbling” in mechanics. Eckerle pursued veterinary science first at Texas A & M, and later in Grenada, before realizing that her passion was for food.
Making Moves
As her career in agriculture blossomed, Eckerle moved from Southern California to New York City to Colorado and beyond–always ready to pack her bags and jump on a plane or a bus for an opportunity. In retrospect, she says, it could be scary. “You kind of have…
