Investing in Future Agricultural Leaders: USDA's NextGen Program

Jun 22, 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has announced a groundbreaking program designed to empower the next generation of food and agriculture professionals. With an investment of $262.5 million, the "From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals" program aims to strengthen the workforce and promote diversity across the industry.

This program, funded under the President's Inflation Reduction Act, focuses on expanding access, lowering costs, and building a clean energy economy while bolstering American supply chains. By partnering with educational institutions nationwide, including 1890 Land-grant Universities and Hispanic-serving Institutions, the program provides training, educational support, and early career opportunities to over 20,000 aspiring food and agriculture leaders through 33 project partners, this program aims to create a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities it serves.

The USDA's vision is to create economic opportunities for American families, feed the nation, and foster equity and diversity. The NextGen program aligns with this vision by inspiring, preparing, and empowering young individuals, particularly from underrepresented communities, to become the next generation of agricultural problem solvers and hunger fighters.

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) collaborates with the Association for Intercultural Development Research to effectively monitor and report on the benefits and impact of the NextGen program. Additionally, the USDA introduces two new public dashboards that offer access to aggregated agricultural research investment data and enable grant applicants to track the progress of their applications in real time.

This historic investment aims to remove barriers to inclusion, enhance underrepresented minority enrollment, and strengthen research and teaching in the food and agricultural sciences. By cultivating a diverse workforce, the USDA strives to advance racial equity and support underserved communities, creating a more resilient and inclusive food and agriculture industry.

One example is Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, in collaboration with Leech Lake Community College, receives $9 million to establish sustainable educational systems that prepare tribal college students for careers in agriculture and STEM fields.

Another example is Luna Community College implements the Luna Initiative for Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Human Sciences (FANH) Training and Education (LIFTE) Project. The project addresses recruitment, enrollment, and retention issues, expanding training opportunities for FANH professionals and supporting the restoration of catastrophically damaged natural resources.

Funding will be allocated to each project for a duration of five years. Some notable examples of awarded projects are as follows:

1994 Tribal Land-grant Institutions

Hispanic-serving Institutions

1890 Historically Black Land-grant Institutions

Source : wisconsinagconnection

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.