A new program at South Dakota State University is aimed at giving agriculture students more international experiences.

The CHS Agribusiness Globalization Education Program at SDSU will help fund student travel and remind students of the global nature of agri-business, according to a news release. CHS Inc., the CHS Foundation and SDSU will partner in the effort.

Evert Van der Sluis, a professor in the Department of Economics of the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences at SDSU, will lead the program.

Van der Sluis said the CHS Foundation, the major giving entity of CHS, Inc., will provide partial funding.

Through an initial $35,000 gift, the CHS Agribusiness Globalization Education Program will provide SDSU students with courses focusing on agribusiness, global business, cooperatives and foreign language; an internship experience with an agribusiness, such as CHS or a local cooperative; small business consulting opportunities; and international travel.

"The program's main objective is to enhance global awareness among SDSU students," Van der Sluis said. "Our second intent is to encourage the participation among students in international study experiences."

CHS, formerly known as Cenex Harvest States, is a large, federated cooperative with members across North America.

The diversified grain, livestock, food, and feed company is active internationally and producer-owned.

CHS Foundation president William J. Nelson said the global marketplace influences CHS.

"CHS is owned by farmers, ranchers, and cooperatives, and our business is very much involved in and influenced by the global marketplace," Nelson said. "Whether they ultimately work in rural communities, urban centers or abroad, this program will help students become more well-rounded, culturally aware leaders."

Brenda Forman, executive secretary with the South Dakota Association of Cooperatives, said the future of the cooperative system lies in students.

"As those students develop their vision of the system's future, taking part in this program will afford them international travel experience and first-hand interaction with the international agriculture community," she said.

Van der Sluis will lead students participating in an international study program in Europe in March.