Photo Courtesy South Dakota State University

MAY 2024 TOOLKIT

ADVANCING AG WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Tomorrow’s college graduates and professionals will be confronted with complex agricultural and natural resources challenges. There is currently a strong demand and low supply for prepared college graduates with interest and expertise in food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and the environment (details below).

Fortunately, land-grant universities are preparing students to launch and advance productive, impactful, and successful careers in a range of professions. These future farmers, ranchers, climate analysts, agronomists, engineers, educators, water resource managers, foresters, urban agriculturists, Extension professionals, and others will serve our communities, nation, and world. LGUs’ workforce development initiatives also support employers’ needs and drive economic competitiveness.

Purdue University / USDA NIFA Employment Outlook Report
In the United States between 2020 and 2025, employment opportunities are expected to remain strong for new college graduates with interest and expertise in food, agriculture, renewable natural resources, and the environment (FARNRE). Approximately 59,400 openings annually reflect a 2.6% growth in employment opportunities from the previous five years. Employer demand for college graduates with degrees and experience in FARNRE disciplines will exceed the number of available graduates.
_{Source: Report Summary, 2020–2025—USDA 2020–2025 Employment Opportunities}

EDUCATION

Land-grant universities prepare students for gainful employment upon graduation by offering a wide range of educational programs. Colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources provide undergraduate and graduate degrees in disciplines such as agronomy, animal science, forestry, and agricultural engineering. They also have certificate programs and continuing education courses that may be tailored to meet the needs of employers. Students have opportunities to gain practical experience that enable them to apply classroom knowledge to real-world settings, develop professional skills, and make valuable connections with employers.

These learning opportunities provide students with the required knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience for productive careers in agriculture and natural resource management.

APLU’s Board on Agriculture Assembly’s Academic Programs Section commissioned research on specific employability skills—the nontechnical skills used every day in the workforce to ensure the smooth operation of projects and offices. The research surveyed more than 11,000 employers, faculty, alumni, and students. It provides data-driven insights on employers’ needs that university administrators and faculty may consider when updating academic programs. More information: Employability Skills in Agriculture & Natural Resources

NextGen
Land-grants universities work closely with USDA to address the workforce development needs. USDA’s From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals (“NextGen”) program helps higher education institutions recruit, train, and support students in order to build the next generation of the food, agriculture, natural resources, health and human sciences, and USDA workforce.

RESEARCH

With fast-evolving advances in precision agriculture, controlled environment agriculture, artificial intelligence, and other cutting-edge technologies, a prepared workforce with a background in STEM-related disciplines is critical. Today, companies cannot find enough graduates with STEM training to fill their opened positions. The U.S. needs this workforce to address emerging challenges and opportunities, develop and enhance technologies that improve productivity, competitiveness, and resilience.

To build the workforce of qualified agricultural scientists, land-grant universities’ researchers are collaborating to revitalize interest in agriculture as a career path; ensure that agriscience students have the required skills and knowledge to succeed in their careers; and support teachers so that they have the training and resources to effectively teach agriscience that incorporates STEM.
_{Source: Emphasizing STEM in High School Ag Education}

EXTENSION

One strength of Cooperative Extension is its local presence and connections in every U.S. county. Through direct interactions with farmers, ranchers, and community members, Extension provides research-based and practical information, trainings, and technical assistance that supports workforce development. Extension educators address their communities’ specific workforce development needs by offering tailored workshops, seminars, field days, and resources that build skills for farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers.

Cooperative Extension’s programs help retool the workforce to meet the needs of existing and new industries as well as jumpstart new businesses. Trusted professionals in local offices foster entrepreneurship, small business development, and other economic development opportunities in rural, suburban, and urban communities throughout the U.S.

LAND-GRANT IMPACTS

Cornell AgriTech: Agricultural Research Internship Opportunities for Undergraduates: An Interdisciplinary Summer Research Scholars Program
LSU Ag Center: Ag Careers are Everywhere Lesson Study
Michigan State University and LSU AgCenter: Training the next generation of culinary professionals
Mississippi State University: Women and Minorities in Agriculture and Natural Resource Science
New Mexico State University: Dairy Workforce Development and Training Programs
Purdue University: Because of Indiana 4-H programs, youth have identified careers after high school that might be a good fit for them and Beginning Producers and Agriculture Teachers Learned Beef Basics Via Eight Week Virtual Series
UConn: Enhancing Science Literacy in Genetic Engineering through Teacher Professional Development
University of Alaska Fairbanks: Alaska 4-H Leverages Learning for All
University of California: UC ANR Collaboration with Almond Industry Increases Environmental Sustainability of Agriculture through Professional Development Training for Crop Protection Workforce in Northern and Central California
University of Georgia: Developing Culinary Professionals
University of Nevada: Early Childhood Workforce Development
Multistate Research Fund / Multiple Universities Emphasizing STEM in High School Agricultural Education

SOCIAL MEDIA

SAMPLE POSTS

RESEARCH
With precision agriculture, AI, and other tech driving agricultural innovation, STEM graduates are in higher demand than ever. #LandGrantUniversities like @SCHOOL are working to strengthen interest in agriculture careers and build the workforce of qualified graduates: [Link to your relevant program or https://www.mrfimpacts.org/single-post/emphasizing-stem-in-high-school-ag-education]

EDUCATION
Today's graduates face unique agricultural and natural resources challenges, compounded by the impacts of climate change. At @SCHOOL, we're preparing students for their future careers with hands-on learning experiences like undergraduate research, internships, and more: [Link to your relevant program or https://www.aplu.org/our-work/1-driving-equitable-student-success/preparing-students-for-the-workforce-and-post-collegiate-success/employability-skills-in-agriculture/]

EXTENSION
With offices in all [number] [state] counties, @SCHOOL-EXTENSION offers research-based workshops, field days, and resources for [farmers, ranchers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners]: [Link to your relevant program]

Looking for pre-made stories to feature? Check out:

Land-grant Impacts
Scroll down to "View by Institution" and click your university's name. Only institutions who submitted impacts to the National Impacts Database in 2023 are listed. This page features research and Extension impacts.
Multistate Research Funds Impacts
Scroll down to "Filter by Institution" on the sidebar and click your university's name. This page features research impacts.

Feel free to reach out to us with specific posts that you would like @AgIsAmerica to share. Please email your request to Kim Scotto at agcomms@aplu.org or use #AgIsAmerica.

HASHTAGS AND HANDLES

HASHTAGS
#LandGrantUniversities
#AgIsAmerica

HANDLES

Ag is America	@AgIsAmerica
APLU Ag	@APLU_Ag
Sec. Vilsack (Secretary of Agriculture)	@SecVilsack
USDA	@USDA
USDA National Institute of Food & Ag	@USDA_NIFA
APLU	@APLU_News
Cooperative Extension	@Ext100Years

CALENDAR

MAY HOLIDAYS

MONTHS

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, #AAPIHeritageMonth
National Asparagus Month, #NationalAsparagusMonth
National Barbecue Month, #BBQMonth
National Egg Month, #NationalEggMonth
National Mental Health Awareness Month, #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth | Toolkit
National Salad Month, #NationalSaladMonth
National Strawberry Month, #NationalStrawberryMonth
National Wildfire Awareness Month, #WildfireAwarenessMonth, @NIFC_Fire

DAYS

May 4: Bird Day, #BirdDay
May 4: National Orange Juice Day, #NationalOrangeJuiceDay
May 6: National Beverage Day, #BeverageDay
May 7: National Teacher Appreciation Day, #NationalTeachersDay
May 8: Anniversary of Smith-Lever Act of 1914
May 10: National Shrimp Day, #NationalShrimpDay
May 12: Mother's Day, #MothersDay
May 16: National Barbecue Day, #NationalBBQDay
May 17: National Walnut Day, #NationalWalnutDay
May 20: World Bee Day, #WorldBeeDay
May 22: International Day for Biological Diversity, #BiodiversityDay, @UNBiodiversity
May 25: National Wine Day, #NationalWineDay
May 27: National Grape Day, #NationalGrapeDay
May 27: Memorial Day, #MemorialDay
May 28: National Hamburger Day, #NationalHamburgerDay

_{Source: May - National Day Calendar}

USDA EVENTS & DEADLINES

May 2 – Webinar: Demystifying the Panel Review Process for Grant Funding
Have you ever wondered how funding decisions are made? Do you have questions about serving on a Peer Review Panel and helping to make funding decision? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” register to attend the next Grant Applicant/Awardee Technical Assistance (GAATA) session and submit your questions ahead of time to have it answered.

May 2 – Application Deadline: Alfalfa Seed and Alfalfa Forage System Program
Alfalfa Seed and Alfalfa Forage System Program (ASAFS) will support the development of improved alfalfa forage and seed production systems. Proposals submitted to ASAFS should address one or more of the following priorities: (1) Improving alfalfa forage and seed yield through better nutrient, water and/or pest management; (2) Improving persistence of alfalfa stands by lessening biotic or abiotic stresses; (3) Improving alfalfa forage and seed harvesting and storage systems to optimize economic returns; (4) Improving estimates of alfalfa forage quality as an animal feed to increase forage usage in animal feeds; and/or (5) Breeding to address biotic and abiotic stresses that impact forage yield and persistence and the production of seed for propagation.

May 3 – Application Deadline: Equipment Grant Program
The Equipment Grant Program (EGP) serves to increase access to shared-use special purpose equipment/instruments for fundamental and applied research for use in the food and agricultural sciences programs at institutions of higher education, including State Cooperative Extension Systems. The program seeks to strengthen the quality and expand the scope of fundamental and applied research at eligible institutions, by providing them with opportunities to acquire one major piece of equipment/instruments that support their research, training, and extension goals and may be too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NIFA grant programs.

May 13 – Application Deadline: Research Facilities Act Program
The purpose of the Research Facilities Act Program (RFAP) is to assist qualifying institutions with the costs related to constructing, purchasing, updating, renovating, or modifying agricultural research buildings to conduct research in the areas of agriculture and food sciences. The proposed agricultural research facility must expand the institution's capacity for long-term impactful research and must be the result of thorough strategic planning. Awards may be used to fund the construction of buildings or sites for agricultural research facilities or other facilities that store agricultural research experimental samples or specimens, as well as the purchase of real estate or durable equipment.

May 14 – NIFA Climate Change Priority Team Celebration: Accomplishments and the Path Forward
The NIFA Climate Change Priority team has been working to implement Administration priorities and the NIFA Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan. Please join us on May 14, 2024 at 3 p.m. to learn more about the accomplishments of the NIFA Climate Change priority team and discuss what direction we will take moving forward.

May 14 – Application Deadline: The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program - Nutrition Incentive Program
The GusNIP Nutrition Incentive Program presents the opportunity to bring together stakeholders from various parts of the food and healthcare systems to foster understanding of how they might improve the health and nutrition status of participating households. NIFA requests applications for the GusNIP Nutrition Incentive Program to support and evaluate projects intended to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables by providing incentives at the point of purchase among income eligible consumers participating in the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

May 29 – Webinar: Tribal Research Partnerships: Indigenous Agroforestry, Food Security and Sovereignty
This webinar will highlight opportunities and challenges of transdisciplinary approaches within tribal agroforestry and food security research. The panel will include a diversity of tribal, academic, non-governmental organization, and U.S. Department of Agriculture transdisciplinary research approaches, how and in what ways this research is serving tribal communities and overcoming challenges. Panelists will share information about what processes fosters success among research partnership teams, and highlights the role of partners in large-scale projects.

_{Source: Upcoming Events | National Institute of Food and Agriculture (usda.gov)}