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Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement


E. Kika De La Garza Science Fellow Finds Community in Fellowship

April 04, 2024 Carrie Knight, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

Dr. Samuel Discua is a postdoctoral researcher at University of Arizona Yuma in the Department of Entomology, where he studies the ecology and management of insect pests associated with leafy greens and melons in Arizona cropping systems. Yuma and the rest of the state lead national lettuce crop...

Equity Initiatives

Farmworkers are Vital to a Resilient Food System

March 28, 2024 MD Sharman, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

Farmworkers make up less than one percent of all U.S. wage and salary workers, but they are vital to the country’s agriculture. They labor every day in fruit orchards and dairy farms, in blazing heat and freezing cold, to ensure that families have food on their tables.

Equity Initiatives

Drive and Ambition Fuels this USDA 1890 Scholar

March 26, 2024 MD Sharman, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

Kaitlyn Hampton is ambitious and goal oriented. As she embarked on her journey as a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 1890 National Scholar, she simultaneously assumed other responsibilities, such as pursuing her master’s degree. The 1890 Scholars Program complemented her goals, allowing her to...

Equity Initiatives

2501 Program Recipient Helps Heirs Connect with Important Resources

March 21, 2024 Carrie Knight, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

In 2020, The Center for Heirs Property Preservation (CHPP) in Charleston, South Carolina was awarded a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2501 grant to support its mission of helping families keep their property and put it to work for them. The 1990 Farm Bill created the 2501 Program to support...

Equity Initiatives

Growing Opportunities for Women in Agriculture

March 14, 2024 MD Sharman, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

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.

Equity Initiatives

USDA 2501 Grant Recipient Connects Rural Community Leaders in Service

March 05, 2024 Carrie Knight, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

Rural Development Leadership Network (RDLN) President Starry Krueger is working to keep people on their traditional lands, and to keep the land grounded in agriculture.

Equity Initiatives

E. Kika De La Garza Fellow is a Farmer of Students

February 28, 2024 Joyce El Kouarti, Communications Director, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement and Baleshka Brenes, Director of Agriculture Programs at the University of Arizona Yuma

I am the director of agriculture programs at the University of Arizona Yuma (UAZ Yuma), a regional Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) that offers tailored degree programs that meet regional workforce's needs. The student population is approximately 70% Hispanic and first generation.

Equity Initiatives

USDA 1890 National Scholar Alumna Connects USDA Career with Service

February 23, 2024 Carrie Knight, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

Dr. Kristal Southern can remember being certain of two things as a child. “By the age of 4, I knew I wanted to be a vet,” she said. “And by age 13, I knew I wanted to attend a historically black college or university.”

Equity Initiatives

E. Kika De La Garza Fellow Expands Public Service

February 13, 2024 Carrie Knight, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

As an associate professor of beef cattle nutrition and metabolism at Texas Tech University’s Davis College, Dr. Jhones Sarturi combines his teaching and research responsibilities with public service. For over ten years, he has taught a course on cattle feeds and feeding that combines classroom...

Equity Initiatives

USDA Future Leader in Agriculture Student Sees Future in Yuma

February 06, 2024 Carrie Knight, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

Alan Cruz is a senior at University of Arizona in Yuma studying agricultural systems management. He was recently named a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Future Leader in Agriculture and will be attending USDA’s 100th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum in Washington, D.C., held February 15-16...

Equity Initiatives
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