2501 grant

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 apprenticeship in Wisconsin, DGA became an independent nonprofit organization in 2013 and registered its training program as a National Apprenticeship with the U.S. Department of Labor in 2015. Today DGA has more than 200 authorized training farms in 16 states.

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 and students to engage in research, education and hands-on learning experiences in these communities.

The Taos County Economic Development Corporation (TCEDC) has been serving the members of Taos County and northern New Mexico for over 35 years. The organization supports the food, land, water and cultures of the people of Northern New Mexico by practicing regenerative agriculture and spreading knowledge of sustainable farming.

Springfield Community Gardens (SCG) in Springfield, Missouri has been successfully operating and growing since 2010 with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2501 Program.

Yimmuaj Yang, community director of the Wisconsin-based nonprofit and community organization Groundswell Conservancy, explains its mission in the simplest terms: “We protect special places forever.”

The National Women in Agriculture Association (NWIAA) headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla. has operated for 16 years, grown to 60 chapters, and has big goals to help underserved communities succeed in agriculture.

Since 2017, FEED 7 Generations has worked to improve the health and wellness of Native people in the Pacific Northwest.

In Hawaii, the word ‘āina describes interconnected relationships between people, the environment and spiritual kin.