Trent McKnight is an experienced international agriculturalist, investor, and cattle rancher from rural West Texas. He developed a behavioral change model recently validated as one of the most effective interventions for increasing technology adoption among smallholder farmers ever measured on the African continent. With extensive experience in conflict zones and emerging economies, Trent brings deep expertise in navigating the intricate interplay of politics, policy, and business on a global scale.Based in Throckmorton, Texas, Trent holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Agricultural Economics and Comparative Politics from Oklahoma State University and The London School of Economics, respectively. He has held leadership positions, including national president of the Future Farmers of America and chair of the USDA Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Advisory Committee. Trent has served in consultancy roles, such as agricultural advisor to the U.S. Military in Iraq and agricultural economist for the United Nations in West Africa. In 2013, Trent founded AgriCorps, a nonprofit organization focused on improving school-based agricultural education in sub-Saharan Africa. Through AgriCorps, he created the International Agricultural Education Fellowship Program under the Trade Title of the 2018 Farm Bill and launched The Movement for School-Based Agricultural Education. Trent is also an operating partner in VestedWorld, an Africa-focused venture capital firm investing in agribusiness. In 2022, he joined the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees, where he chairs the Investment Subcommittee. Balancing his time between New York and Texas, Trent continues to contribute to agricultural development and community empowerment worldwide.