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USDA celebrates National FFA Week

Lindsey Abentroth, Youth Coordinator, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

National FFA Week is a great time to highlight the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) active partnership with the organization.

Farming Rural
Future Farmers of America event

Reflections on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the 1890 Scholars Program

Michael Williams, Education Initiatives National Program Manager, Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s aura in my childhood home was so pervasive that you would have thought he was a member of our family.

Equity Initiatives
Michael Williams, Education Initiatives National Program Manager, Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

E. Kika De La Garza Fellow Engil Pereira Creates Pathways to USDA Employment

Mariela Castaneda, Public Affairs Specialist, Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

In 2022, Dr. Engil Pereira, professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), participated in the E. Kika De La Garza (EKDLG) Fellowship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) at the National Soil Survey Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Equity Initiatives
Dr. Engil Pereira (left) and two former students, now USDA employees: Larissa Cantu (center) and Samantha Colunga (right)

Mentorship and Scholarship Changed 1890 Scholar’s Course

MD Sharman, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

Anthony (AJ) Jackson, Jr.’s journey from studying agribusiness to working in agricultural communications is proof of how mentorship and scholarship opportunities can change the course of a career.

Equity Initiatives
Anthony (AJ) Jackson, Jr.

Funding from 2501 Program Strengthens Tribal Communities

November 21, 2024 MD Sharman, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

“We measure success one student at a time,” said John Phillips, chief of staff at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), an organization dedicated to improving educational opportunities at 37 Tribal colleges and universities throughout the United States. AIHEC plays a vital role in...

Equity Initiatives

Veteran’s Creativity Turns a Shipping Container into a Farm

November 21, 2024 MD Sharman, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

“I had a plan, or maybe it was more of a dream,” said Brad Fourby, Navy veteran and owner of Leafy Green Farms. “The moment I saw a shipping container farm is how the idea for my farm started.” Leafy Green Farms is in southeast Kansas, where the population is 20,000 — a big difference from Brad’s...

Equity Initiatives

Veterans Continue to Keep Country Safe through USDA Apprenticeship

November 21, 2024 MD Sharman, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

To ensure that veterans have opportunities to enter high-demand career fields, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) leverages apprenticeship programs. USDA recently strengthened its Commodity Food Grader’s Apprenticeship Program by expanding its scope from regional to national. As a result...

Equity Initiatives

A 2501 Grant Helps Make Dairy Grazing Apprenticeships Accessible to Spanish Speakers

November 07, 2024 Daniela De Santiago-Zuniga, Intern, Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

A recent USDA 2501 grant is supporting Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA), which has provided more than 750,000 hours of on-farm training and related coursework in managed grazing dairy production to hundreds of aspiring dairy farmers nationwide. Initially established in 2010 as a state-level...

Equity Initiatives

A 2501 Grant Connects Spanish-Speaking South Texas Farmers with Agriculture Opportunities at USDA

October 24, 2024 Daniela De Santiago-Zuniga, Intern, Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Advancement (SARA) supports rural communities through strategies that address environmental, economic and social aspects of agricultural sustainability. Additionally, SARA encourages its university faculty...

Equity

USDA Intern Gains Hands-on Experience and Learns the Value of Networking

October 24, 2024 Daniela De Santiago-Zuniga, Intern, Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

Marco Antonio Alcantar Alvarez, a rising sophomore at California State University majoring in graphic design, was one of 14 students selected for an internship over the summer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) High School Equivalency Program (HEP)/College Assistance Migrant Program...

Equity Initiatives
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