oppe

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, transitioning service members, veterans and military spouses from across the country can now participate.

“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 hometown of Sacramento, California.

“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 helping these institutions, many of which hold land-grant status, to preserve and promote Native American culture by incorporating traditional knowledge and cultural values into their programs.

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.

Joe Ricker, a man of many titles including colonel, veterans outreach coordinator, nonprofit founder, farm owner, consultant and beekeeper, has consistently dedicated himself to helping service members thrive. His collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been a key factor in his work. “Make a plan, stick to the plan, and USDA will have your back and help you,” he said. This support includes Monshi “Ram” Ramdass, the USDA Military Veterans Agricultural Liaison, who has facilitated connections between Joe, disabled veterans and the resources they need.

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 (CAMP). Established in 2023 with eight interns, this year’s intern cohort has nearly doubled in size.

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.

This week, we celebrate National 4-H Week and the incredible impact the organization offers young people around the country. At the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), we pay special tribute to this observance as the 4-H Youth Development program is headquartered in USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This unique partnership with NIFA, the Cooperative Extension System through land-grant universities and the National 4-H Council empowers young people to lead for a lifetime.

Nearly twenty years ago, all that Dr. Circe Niezen, professor at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico (PUPR), knew about the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was the USDA approval sticker on her luggage for agricultural safety when she traveled from Puerto Rico to the continental United States.

Ally Huang, a senior at Pomona College in California, just completed an internship through the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). As a public policy analysis major focusing on economics, she found that the experience enabled her to connect her educational background with a familiar cause: food security. During her internship with USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Albany, California, Huang focused on the policy aspects of recent state legislation regarding composting and food packaging. “I connected with the overall end goal to reduce waste,” she said. “I have always been really interested in sustainability and am mindful of it in daily life.”