In american agriculture, cotton and other fiber production plays a significant role

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Southern University and A&M College (Baton Rouge Campus) $149,999 on December 15, 2025, under the 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants program (CFDA 10.216).

The award funds a teaching project that establishes a university-housed student-operated retail store laboratory serving as an internship and field experience site for Fashion Merchandising Design and Textiles (FMDT) students in the Department of Human Science. The laboratory functions as an online fashion business resource and marketing headquarters for students interested in entrepreneurship, with four primary goals: cultivate future online fashion business leaders through training for retail merchandising and related leadership roles; establish individual students' online retail stores aligned with industry trends; provide ongoing maintenance and support for individual online business management; and boost economic development with small-scale entrepreneurs and fiber producers in Louisiana. The project supports fiber producers—particularly those working with cotton and other locally produced fibers—by developing a skilled workforce capable of establishing and operating small-scale online textile businesses and procuring new markets and trade opportunities.

Performance takes place in Scotlandville, Louisiana, with a period of performance from December 15, 2025, through December 14, 2028. The award aligns with Executive Order 14283, the White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, supporting institutional capacity building in workforce preparation within agriculture and related industries.

This project is beneficial to fiber producers in terms of having a skilled workforce who will be capable of establishing and operating their own small-scale online textile businesses. Thus, IT will provide an opportunity to procure markets and trade opportunities for locally produced cotton and other fiber. The purpose of this teaching project is to utilize a university-housed student-operated retail store laboratory as an internship and field experience site to help fashion merchandising design and textiles (fmdt) students within the department of human science (hnsc) to establish online business. The main goals of this project are to (1) cultivate future online fashion business leaders by training and educating students for leadership roles in retail fashion merchandising and related fields (2) establish individual students' online retail stores to align with industry trends (3) provide maintenance and support for individual online business management and (4) boost economic development with small-scale entrepreneurs and other producers in louisiana. The student-operated retail store laboratory will serve as an online fashion business resource and marketing headquarters for fmdt students interested in entrepreneurship and innovation. This program aligned with the EO 14283, titled white house initiative to promote excellence and innovation at historically black colleges and universities to bolster hbcus by enhancing their capacity for high-quality education and improving workforce preparation in key industries.