education

In the field and at organic organizations across the U.S., students grew new career skills in summer 2022.

July 2022 was the third hottest July the country has ever seen, and for staff and faculty from Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Hispanic-Serving School Districts, the sweltering temperatures they were experiencing in Washington, D.C. were no exception. This was not summer vacation. The 20 E. Kika De La Garza fellows were at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) headquarters to meet with senior leaders from all of USDA’s mission areas.

As a farmer, I understand the level of risk involved in our line of work. A strong farm safety net is key to ensuring the success of American producers. USDA’s Risk Management Agency is committed to improving access to crop insurance and training for producers that have historically lacked access to resources.

Before coming to the USDA National Organic Program (NOP), Laura Gallagher worked on farms and with community gardening organizations in the Midwest and Northeast providing training and education. Now Laura helps NOP manage the Organic Integrity Learning Center (OILC) and the Human Capital Capacity Building Initiative to help build the future of the organic workforce.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you say agriculture? If it’s a farm, then you’re right, but there’s so much more to agriculture these days. This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) co-hosted a virtual Youth Summit with Prairie View A&M University to let Texas K-12 students, educators, and youth-serving organizations discover the endless learning and career opportunities in agriculture.