Rcdg - grants to assist minority producers

The Department of Agriculture's Rural Business Cooperative Services has awarded a $175,000 Project Grant under the Socially-Disadvantaged Groups Grant program (CFDA 10.871) to Tri-County Agricultural Cooperative, a small, minority-owned agricultural cooperative and community development corporation located in Mississippi. The grant will fund technical assistance to Tri-County Agricultural Cooperative, enabling it to provide education, training, technical assistance, research-based information, hands-on training, and mentoring to socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers in the state. Key focus areas include accessing USDA programs, adopting sustainable agricultural practices, farm and forest management, soil health, facilitating self-employment opportunities, and supporting conservation efforts on agricultural lands. Tri-County Agricultural Cooperative will collaborate with partners such as Mississippi State University Extension and Alcorn State University to implement these farmer and rancher training initiatives throughout Mississippi.