Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** summary:this project seeks to…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** summary:this project seeks to counter the loss of skilled agribusiness labor and develop an AG workforce in the potomac highlands region of EASTERN west virginia through applied education, experiential learning, and direct mentorship from experts and AG business owners in the field. This region has one of the greatest concentrations of agricultural enterprises in the state. Participant opportunities range from one hour in-person and virtual webinars for knowledge improvement, to multiple short-courses that permit certification. In addition, IT offers a farm fellowship, which combines classroom learning, hands-on learning and mentorship on an AG enterprise alongside experienced agriculturalists within the student's interest pathway. During these virtual and practical learning opportunities, more than 1000 aspiring, new and experienced farmer participants will obtain training, which will result in: 1) improvement of 100 existing or new AG enterprises, 2) participant connection to agcareers by means of 40 apprenticeships on farms or agribusinesses, and 3) empowerment of 1,000 participants by skill acquisition to advance the local AG economy.by partnering with west virginia university's extension service (WVUES), local farmers, agricultural enterprise owners, AG industry leaders, and EASTERN west virginia community and technical college (EASTERN) will provide guided participant pathways to AG workforce needs and entrepreneurship opportunities to supply skilled AG labor and foster stability, sustainability and growth of AG enterprises, and ultimately, rural economy success.