The morning began with welcome speeches and introductions by the academic faculty leaders in attendance; CAU was represented by TANG Ying, Director of the CAU International Office, CHEN Sirui, Deputy Director, Social Services Office at CAU, while the American delegates were represented by Dean Olga Bolden-Tiller of the College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences at Tuskegee University, and Dr. Marcus Bernard Acting Dean of the College of Agriculture at Kentucky State University.

To facilitate the exchange of ideas, professors provided lectures on critical topics relevant to expanding U.S.-China ag collaboration between universities. Dean Bolden-Tiller spoke of youth in agriculture and the role of universities in ag; Prof. Lou Swanson, Special Advisor (USHCA) and Vice President of Engagement Emeritus at Colorado State University discussed means of universities to accelerate agrifood development; Prof. ZENG Yelu of the College of Land Science and Technology at CAU expounded on the interplay between research, industry and education in smart agriculture;  Prof. CHEN Qihu of the College of Economics and Management at CAU discussed means of bringing scientists directly to small farms to encourage rural development. 

A number of undergraduate students at CAU (HU Yue, WANG Lixing, ZHOU Yaofei, LIN Bangzheng, GUO Yuhan College of Economics and Management) presented on the topic of rural revitalization and social-ecological sustainability in agri-food systems. 

To give American students a clearer understanding of the differences between the two education models,  several CAU students discussed life on campus and their personal studies (CHEN Nuo, a PhD student in Development Studies, College of Humanities and Development Studies, and LIU Zihan, an Undergraduate student in Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology). 

In return, American students were invited to present on topics of their own selection. First to speak were the winners of the 2023 Gamma Sigma Delta 81st Professional Agriculture Workers Conference: Student Research Competition; Zuri Hobson-Gladney of Delaware State University, Kayla Grant of Tuskegee University, and Olivia Bowles of Tuskegee University), who went into greater depth on the topic of their  research project “Addressing Supply Chain Shortages and Bottlenecks in agricultural Production: The Case of Minority and Limited Resource Farmers.” 

Several other students, including Dacia Ringo of Tennessee State University, Cameron Hays of Southern University, Sophia Goins of University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Trinitee Dickerson of Delaware State University, and Jeffery Stewart a graduate student of Alabama A&M presented on their own academic research projects. 

After a productive morning of discussions, students and faculty delegates spent the afternoon touring the sprawling CAU campus, and visiting the Museum of Veterinary Medicine as well as the Entomological Museum.