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Media Advisory No. PENDING
Contact:
Office of Communications (202) 720-4623
Media Advisory: Agriculture Secretary Vilsack to Announce Grants to Support Beginning Farmers and Ranchers across 24 States
WASHINGTON, August 30, 2012 – TODAY, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will host a media conference call to announce grants to organizations across 24 states that will help beginning farmers and ranchers with the training and resources needed to run productive, sustainable farms. Under the Secretary’s leadership since 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has driven a number of efforts meant to spur interest in agriculture and provide the necessary support to young, beginning and socially-disadvantaged producers.
The grants will be announced through USDA’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) established through the 2008 Farm Bill. USDA makes BFRDP grants to organizations that implement education, training, technical assistance and outreach programs to help beginning farmers and ranchers, specifically those who have been farming or ranching for 10 years or fewer. At least 25 percent of the program’s funding supports the needs of limited resource and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, as well as farm workers who want to get a start in farming and ranching.
In the first year of USDA’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, three-year grants supported training for 5,000 beginning farmers and ranchers. In 2011, grants supported training for more than 30,000.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
11:00 a.m. EDT
WHAT: Agriculture Secretary Vilsack to host media conference call to announce Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development grants to organizations across 24 states.
DIAL-IN: Audio Bridge Number: (800) 857-5048
Passcode: USDA (Given Verbally)
Troubleshooting: 202-720-8560
All callers using the above pass code will be placed in listen only mode. To join the Q&A portion of the meeting, these callers are instructed to press *1 on their touch tone phone.
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