Farm Credit, a national provider of financing and related services to agriculture and rural America, awarded $420,000 in the first quarter of 2012 to young, beginning, small and minority farmer organizations, agricultural education programs, and other agricultural industry advocates. Farm Credit's National Contributions Program provides $2 million a year in funding to support the lives and livelihoods of farmers and ranchers. The national funding complements local and regional giving provided by Farm Credit entities across the United States and in Puerto Rico.
"Farm Credit supports both large well-established organizations and those who are working towards achieving their goals at the grassroots level," said Christina Bowen, director of national contributions for Farm Credit. "This approach allows us to support the time-tested programs developed by National 4-H Council and the National FFA Foundation as well as innovative new programs being brought to the industry by relative newcomers.
Recipient Natasha Bowens, director and founder of The Color of Food, plans to use Farm Credit's contribution "to elevate the representation of minority farmers across the country, and bring awareness to the racial inequities in the food system while providing opportunities for farmers to access information, resources and support."
The Farm Credit National Contributions Program's application deadline for the second quarter of 2012 is May 31. Qualified applicants are invited to apply today at www.farmcredit.com. Click on the "Apply for Grants and Sponsorships" button.
Farm Credit National Contributions program first-quarter 2012 recipients:
• American Farmland Trust
• AgriNomics Vision 2013 - American Society of Farm Managers & Rural Appraisers
• National Value Added Conference - C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at MSU
• The Color of Food
• Commodity Challenge - Center for Farm Financial Management
Source: Agri Marketing - Online - 4/18/12
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