Progress 06/01/24 to 05/31/25
Outputs
Target Audience:This reporting period covers the Summer 2024, Fall 2024, and Spring 2025 semesters. The target audience for this reporting period included Freshman and new transfer students enrolled in the AG 1110 - Careers in Agriculture course during the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters. The total enrollment for the combined semesters was n=264. Students enrolled in this course have declared majors of General Agriculture, Animal Science, Horticulture, Agricultural Business Management, Agricultural Education, Agriculture Mechanics, and Plant and Soil Sciences. During the course of the semester, guest speakers were brought in each week representing Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, USDA-FSIS, USDA-NRCS, USDA-ARS, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, and former interns. All of the enrolled students (n=264) and all Department of Agricultural Sciences students (n=791) were presented the opportunity to apply for an internship with USDA or Texas A&M AgriLife Extension during the Summer, Fall or Spring semesters. During the Summer 2024 a total of 21 students completed internships with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service (n=11), the National Center for Appropriate Technology (n=1), the Texas State University Bobcat Farm (n=4), USDA-ARS (n=3), USDA-AMS (n=1), and USDA-NRCS (n=1). Applications for internships were also opened up for the Fall 24 and Spring 2025 semesters. In the Fall 2024 semester, RAISE placed 4 students with Texas A&M AgriLife and 3 students with Bobcat Farm. Seven students interned with Texas A&M AgriLife and 7 with Bobcat Farm in Spring 2025. The total number of students completing paid internships during this reporting period was n=42. Changes/Problems:One challenge we had this reporting period was the brief suspension in funding. We had advertised the Summer and Fall 2025 internship opportunities, opened the applications, had 45 students apply and we had to pause the interview process due to the suspension. Applicants were informed of the pause and naturally, they sought out part-time jobs during the summer. Once we were instructed to move forward, many of the students that had applied for internships already had prior commitments. Even though we were behind schedule, we interviewed the students that were still interested and were able to secure 12 internships for Summer 2025. An additional challenge was that we had built previous relationships with USDA internship sites, and they were no longer able to work with us due to the hiring freeze within the agency. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Of the 42internships, 21 of the interns were assigned former USDA mentors. Bobcat Farm interns were not assigned mentors due to the nature of the field work and Spring 2025 interns were not due to the pause in federal funding and USDA agency uncertainty. Interns were required to meet with their mentors 3 times during the 14-week semester to be trained on the topics 1) defining leadership and 2) the value of interpersonal skills / handling conflict. Interns were required to write a one-page reflection discussing their experiences. Federal resume writing, USA Jobs training, and career planning curriculum wereused to train 264 incoming freshmen and transfer students in AG 1110 - "Careers in Agriculture". Internship application resumes have drastically improved in content and structure. Interviewing competencies have also improved. Of the 42 interns placed, 22 were placed with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension experiencing the day-today operations within the subagencies of 4-H Youth Development, Horticulture, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Urban Agriculture, and Family andCommunity Health. All students worked with the local school districts on agricultural literacy and urban agriculture. One student created school gardens within the local district to teach students where their food comes from. Several other interns coordinated the "Egg Hatching" program within the local elementary schools. Interns that were placed in the large urban counties - Harris, Dallas, Bexar, and Travis worked on programs to delivery curriculum to kids and the elderly on how to grow your own food and healthy eating habits. Fourteen students interned at the Bobcat Farm working onefforts directed toward restoring agroecosystems, developing sustainable soil health practices, improving local food systems, and advancing regenerative agricultural models.Students participated in field-based research and infrastructure projects that were directly tied to cutting-edge studies in soil restoration, composting, regenerative horticulture, and agricultural entrepreneurship. One studnettook the lead in learning and then constructing no-till crop beds and developed a fertigation system tailored to a regenerative cropping approach. His work also contributed to optimizing crop nutrition in a way that prioritized soil and plant health over synthetic inputs. Onefocused on biochar production, gaining a deep understanding of carbon sequestration and soil amendment chemistry. He also assisted in the development of the new pollinator garden. Another student led and designed the new pollinator garden at Bobcat Farm, which serves as an educational and experiential learning site for TXST horticulture classes and visitors to the farm. Her leadership extended into the cut flower production enterprise, where she managed plant selection, cultivation, and marketing to local outlets. Her work illustrated how ecological design and entrepreneurial skill can intersect on a small farm. Five interns were place at USDA agencies, particularly ARS, AMS, adn NRCS. One student worked at theUSDA-ARS Center for Grain and Animal Health Research, Manhattan, KS in theArthropod-Borne Diseases Research Unit. Her worked consisted ofsystems-level approach to understand the ecology and biology of arthropod pests and pathogens. This allows researchersto develop innovative and relevant solutions for arthrpod-borne disease problems. Another intern was placed at the USDA-NRCS Guadalupe County office working on things such as fence certifications, prescribed grazing practices, and dam inspections. The student reported that "My goals that I set were to make connections and try to learn more about the NRCS and whether I would enjoy working there. Those goals were easily met and well surpassed." One intern was placed at USDA-ARSFt. Keogh Livestock Range & Research Laboratory - Miles City. MT. Her duties consisted ofstudying the effect of four different treatments on milk performance, cow performance, and calf performance. The student stated that "this experience was invaluable. I learned how to properly work cattle, a skill that will be useful when applyingto vetschool". How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?All 42 interns were required to complete an internship project (Legacy Project). Many of these interns completed community outreach in the form of internship projects in the communities in which they were housed. One of the interns placed at USDA-ARS Manhattan, KS conducted a research project on antimicrobial resistance using house flies and how this affects production agriculture, farmers, ranchers, and producers. Another intern housed in Bexar County developed curriculum for the Master Gardner Association for an outreach program for adults and children. An intern placed at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Karnes County) hosted an event for educators and community leaders who want to run youth gardens. The event's goal was to provided necessary materials and knowledge to these educators in order for them to successfully have their own youth gardens. All 42 interns conducted similar projects andwere able to discuss the NextGen program and the opportunities that they have had thus sparking an FANH career interest reaching thousands of young children and community members. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We are currently in the planning phase for the second Summer IDEA (Intern Display of Experiential Accomplishments) conference to be held in late September. Attendance will be required for the two sections of AG 1110 (~200 students), and the conference will be open to ALL Texas State and partner community college students (~40,000 students) Currently we have 10 scheduled Texas A&M AgriLife Extension internships and 2 Bobcat Farm internships for Summer 2025 (Dallas, Fort Bend, Hays, Bexar, and Travis counties). The internships will start June 16 and end August 15. The students will be required to enroll in AG 4310/AG 5370 - Agriculture Internship (scholarships will be provided for tuition and fees) and a stipend will be provided during the time duration of the internship. We will also be interviewing and placing Fall 2025 interns in late July. Additionally, we are going to explore other areas of internship opportunities. The Department of Agricultural Sciences has an ongoing project with the Santa Gertrudis International Breeders Association that is interested in sponsoring research projects for our undergraduate and graduate students. The King Ranch is also very interested in doing the same. We plan to provide research internship opportunities for our students to gain meaningful, hands-on workforce development with ranchers and producers all over the United States. The research projects will entail going to these farms and ranchesand collecting genetic samples from the producers' cattle herds with the goal of telling the story of how we can better meat production, daily, gain, etc. Students will be exposed to relationships with cattle producers, field work, and laboratory work all of which can be used in a future career or graduate work.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Two RAISE graduate students made formal recruitment presentations on two different days to Austin Community College-Elgin campus students. The courses targeted included Introduction to Animal Science, Smale Scale Farming, and Horticulture. Upon completion of the recruitment visits, the RAISE program had 19 students that were interested in transferring to Texas State University and were also interested in completing a paid internship. As a result, Texas State Admissions and the Assistant Director for Transfer Articulation Strategic Initiatives at Texas State University Global have prepared an ACC-TXST transfer pathway known as "Bats to Cats" program to provide a seamless transition. Ten different mentors were assigned to the 21 interns during Fall and Summer 2024.They all hold professional titles including 2 veterinarians, 1 Assistant Professor, 2 small agriculture business owners, a research scientist, and several USDA employees. One intern stated that "networking was all around me with RAISE. I discussed it at length with my mentor but I also got to experience it a bit at my internship. I was connected with multiple vet students through the USDA and got to ask questions about programs and curriculum." Two sections of AG 1110 were offered in Fall 2024 and one section in Spring 2025 for a total enrollment of 264 new freshmen and transfer students. Guest speakers for the year two reporting period included: Career Services, a DVM - Medical Resident at University of Tennessee, a Texas Game Warden, an agriculture conservation planner, the Urban Program Director - Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Community Engagement Coordinator. Students enrolled in the Fall 2024 semester were also required to attend the annual Intern Display of Experiential Conference (IDEA) in September. This was an avenue for former interns (n=21) to present their experience via research poster format. This was a daylong conference that consisted of a poster browse session and two panel discussions with USDA and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. A total of fourteen students were funded to participate in agricultural research and hands-on learning through Bobcat Farm, an experiential education and applied research site operated by Texas State University. Year-round crop cultivation included more than twenty varieties of fruits and vegetables, managed with a pause in August to rest the soil and address peak heat stress. These crops were marketed through the Central Texas Farmers Cooperative and sold to Texas State University Chartwells Dining Services, as well as donations to Texas State's student food pantry, giving students firsthand experience with processing, marketing, and sales logistics - as well as serving the larger community. The farm's orchard was significantly expanded, with blackberries planted in Spring and Summer 2024, followed by the planting of figs, raspberries, and persimmons in Spring 2025. Their efforts included evaluating seven raspberry varieties and testing three types of shade cloth treatments alongside a non-shaded control. One student reported that "one of the most impactful components of the Bobcat Farm program is its robust engagement with local producers and agricultural stakeholders. These partnerships provide students with critical exposure to commercial farming environments and allowed them to apply their research skills in practical settings." In 2024, Bobcat Farm and its interns partnered with three commercial pecan operations to test the effects of biochar and Humisoil on soil health, tree growth, and pecan quality. Students applied amendments, collected soil samples, and measured tree diameters as part of longitudinal studies. In the Summer 2024, Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters, a total of 42interns were placed and completed internships with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service (n=22), USDA (n=5), Bobcat Farm (n=14) and National Center for Appropriate Technology (n=1). Interns were required to enroll in the AG 4310 - Agriculture Internship course or the AG 4371- Field Experiences at Bobcat Farm course (each was provided a scholarship to cover tuition and fees for the course) and complete a 14-week internship at the agency (each was provided a stipend to complete the internship). Interns were required to complete weekly reports, assigned mentor meetings, an internship project (products appear in "Other Products" section of this report), and a final report. Students completing internships at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service were housed in 8 different Texas counties (Harris, Dallas, Guadalupe, Comal, Wilson, Bexar, Travis, and Hockley). Their duties included strong involvement in program planning with farmers and ranchers, preparation, delivery, and reporting, e.g., examining and retattooing livestock for validation; offering meal programs for the elderly, including preparing age-appropriate meals; building a small greenhouse, planting trees and vegetables, and leading physical exercises with youth. Interns made such statements as "RAISE was transformative. The invaluable experiences and knowledge gained during the internship have solidified my career aspirations within the agriculture industry". Another student stated, "My career aspirations have changed from a general job within USDA to a long-term career in USDA potentially writing grants". Students completing internships with USDA were placed in three different states (Kansas, Montana and Colorado) and Texas. Each student was involved in the day-to-day operations of a federal agency including research to aid farmers and ranchers with decision making regarding their crops or herds, antibacterial resistance using house flies, eradication of feral hogs, and the effects of supplementation on cow performance. Of the students that completed internships this reporting period, 3 have secured careers with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and 2 have been accepted into graduate school. During this reporting period, the RAISE project has supported 42students by providing a scholarship to help the interns pay for the 3-hour internship course. Enrollment in this course allowed students to progress toward their 120-hour degree without having to pay for the tuition and fees. Additionally, an internship stipend ($6,000 for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension internship and $7,000 for USDA internship) was paid to each student completing the internship experiences allowing them to concentrate on the experience without having to work part or full-time to make ends meet. On September 20, 2024 the Intern Display of Experiential Accomplishment (IDEA) conference was held in the Texas State University student center. The IDEA conference includedposter presentations by former interns (n=21), lunch and networking, a panel discussion with USDA Agencies (panel included AMS, FSA, USDA Liaison, and NRCS), and panel discussion with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (panel included Community Engagement Coordinator, the Urban Program Director, and two Extension Directors) and concluded with a focus group discussion with all interns. Students in both sections of AG 1110 in the Fall 2024 semester were required to attend the conference and complete a "Bingo Card" activity gather stickers from the different participants to fill their card. This required students to interact and network. The total student participation was n=217. An intern that presented reported that "I feel the first annual RAISE internship conference went very well! Students gained practice and experience presenting their work (via poster) in a professional setting and fostering in-person interaction with and learning from USDA and AgriLife leaders."
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Progress 06/01/23 to 05/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this reporting period included Freshmen and new transfer students enrolled in the AG 1110 - Careers in Agriculture course in the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters. The total enrollment for the combined semesters included 278 students. Students enrolled in this course have declared majors of General Agriculture, Animal Science, Horticulture, Agricultural Business Management, Agricultural Education, Agriculture Mechanics, and Plant and Soil Sciences. Additionally, internship applications were opened to all Department of Agricultural Sciences students (n = 791). A total of 8 students completed internships with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and 7 studnets with Bobcat Farm in the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters. The locations included Bexar County (San Antonio), Travis County (Austin), Hays County (San Marcos), and Wilson County (Floresville). These areas are very urbanized, and the work of the interns captured the interest of audiences from non-traditional agriculture backgrounds. Changes/Problems:We had originally written in theproposal that Fall and Spring internships would be full-time. We quickly found out that students were unable to forgo all of their courses during a long semester due to the risk of delaying their graduation an entire year. We decided to allow students to complete a part-time internship (either MWF or TTH). We also have been in discussion of allowing and funding students on undergrduate research projects on campus to defray the time lost with not being able to complete an internship full-time. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Of the 15 internships, 8 of the interns were assigned former USDA mentors. The interns were required to meet with their mentors 3 times during the 14-week semester to be trained on the topics 1) defining leadership and 2) the value of interpersonal skills / handling conflict. Interns were required to write a one-page reflection discussing their experiences. One intern really resonated with the advice that her mentor gave her " My mentor suggested taking any leadership opportunity to gain leadership skills. Even if it is something you think you may not like or be interested in, you can still learn from positions you don't like." All 8 interns indicated in a final internship report that this was one of the most valuable components to their experience because these people have been in "their" shoes. Federal resume writing, USA Jobs training, and career planning curriculum was used to train 278 incoming freshmen and transfer students in AG 1110 - "Careers in Agriculture". As a result, internship applications (one of the requirements is a resume) improved drastically. Eight of the 15 interns completed a 14 week internship with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Of those 8, 3 students completed an experience at the Bexar County (San Antonio) office, a very large county in Texas. One of the students worked in the Urban Agriculture area that is partnered with many public schools in the county. She provided many experiential learning activities to students not familiar with FANH (egg hatching activity, community gardens, etc.). As a result of her internship, she is gainfully employed with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Bexar County as the Urban Agriculture Coordinator. The other two students within Bexar County worked in the area of Horticulture and Food and Community Health. Two interns were placed in Travis County (Austin) working with Horticulture and 4-H Youth Development. Two students were also placed in Hays County (San Marcos) and worked in the area of 4-H Youth Development. Both students were amazed at how much of an educational component AgriLife Extension had. They were a little skeptical about working with young kids, but both really enjoyed it and have indicated that they potentially see themselves doing this in the future. The last student was placed in Wilson County (Floresville) with the 4-H Youth Development agent. She indicated on her final report that this is exactly what she wanted to do and as a result of her internship experience, she is currently teaching secondary agriculture at the public-school level. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? During the fall semester we taught 2 sections of AG 1110 with 95 students in each section and one section in the Spring semester with 88 students enrolled. With the revision of curriculum, we were able to increase incoming students awareness of FANH careers and opportunities by using guest speakers from USDA and other federal and state agencies and bringing in former interns to have a discussion on their experiences while they completed an internship at AgriLife or USDA. All 21 students that applied for a Summer 2024 internship were enrolled in AG 1110 indicating that these activities sparked an interest and created a seamless pipeline for the next cohort of NextGen scholars and interns. Eight of the interns completing an internship with AgriLife extension completed community outreach in the form of intern projects in the urban communities in which they were housed. One of the interns placed at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Travis County) developed curriculum for a community outreach event at the St. John Faith focusing on community gardens. Another intern placed at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Bexar County) hosted an event for educators and community leaders who want to run youth gardens. The event's goal was to provided necessary materials and knowledge to these educators in order for them to successfully have their own youth gardens. It was held at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. Lastly, one helped the 4-H youth development educator create a comprehensive curriculum for a three-day discovery camp for children aged eight to eleven. The curriculum for day one consisted of agriculture and nutrition. The curriculum of day two consisted of wildlife and gardening. During these activities, interns were able to discuss the NextGen program and the opportunities that they have had thus sparking an FANH career interest in both young children and the community. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We are currently in the planning phase for the Summer IDEA (Intern Display ofExperiential Accomplishments) conference to be held on September 20, 2024. The conference will be a one day event, hosting two panels (USDA experts and Texas A&M AgriLife experts). A moderator will guide discussion with questions related to career opportunities, applying to federal jobs, etc. A poster session will be on the agenda allowing ALL of the interns who have completed an internship to-date to highlight their experiences and accomplishments (~40 students). The top five posters will be selected for oral presentation in the form of the national 3MT presentation. Attendance will be required for the two sections of AG 1110 (~200 students), and the conference will be open to ALL Texas State and partner community college students (~40,000 students) Currently wehave 21 scheduled internships for Summer 2024. The internships will start June 3 and end August 15. The students will be required to enroll in AG 4310/AG 5370 - Agriculture Internship (scholarships will be provided for tuition and fees) and a stipend will be provided during the time duration of the internship. Agencies and locations appear below: USDA-ARS (Miles City, MT) USDA-AMS (Ft. Collins, CO) USDA-ARS (Manhattan, KS) USDA-ARS (Miles City, MT) USDA-NRCS (Seguin, TX) Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Harris County) Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Dallas County) Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Dallas County) Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Guadalupe County) Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Harris County) Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Wilson County) Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Travis County) Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Bexar County) Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Bexar County) Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Hockley County) Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Bobcat Farm) National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) 4 Bobcat Farm interns
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
An initial visit and recruitment plan at each of the four community college partners (Laredo College, Austin Community College, Houston Community College, and Palo Alto College) was completed in June 2023. A discussion of recruitment of students and applying as non-degree seeking status at Texas State University was initiated. As a result of the meetings, a strong collaboration was built and courses to target for recruitment weresolidified. A peer mentoring program of 7 mentors was created using former USDA fellows completing a similar program in 2011 and 2014 (all participated in USDA internships). The mentors were paired with the 8 students completing Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service internships in Fall 2023 and Spring 2024. As part of the AG 4310 - Agriculture Internship course in which students were required to enroll, one of the interns' assignments included meeting with their assigned mentor three different times. A guided discussion theme for each session was developed to include 1) a general introduction session, 2) defining leadership, and 3) the value of interpersonal skills / handling conflict. The former USDA mentors' careers included two veterinarians, a U.S. Wildlife and Fisheries Park Ranger, a farm owner, and a registered dietician. As a result of thementor assignment, one student reportedthat "one of the things that my mentor said which really resonated with me is "prioritize yourself". I have really struggled with that because I am extremely family oriented, so I never really go out of my comfort zone to do what is best for me. He also mentioned that focusing on yourself will help when it comes to work ethic, when you show up to work only 40% yourself, then you are doing a disservice to your employer and yourself. All in all, the conversation I had with him has made me reevaluate my options and goals." All 8 students indicated that this was a valuable component of their internship experience. AG 1110 curriculum was revised to include teaching career skills for entering state and federal agencies. Two sections of the course wereoffered in Fall 2023 and one section in Spring 2024 for a total enrollment of 278 new freshmen and transfer students. The course met once a week and a guest speaker was invited each time to discuss career opportunities within USDA, federal resume writing, navigating USA jobs, and general career opportunities within state and federal agencies. Additionally, the current semesters' interns came back to campus to present on their internship experiences. After each class session, students were required to write a one-page reflection of the guest speaker. Guest speakers for the Year one reporting period included: Texas State University Career Services, a DVM - Medical Resident at University of Tennessee, a District Conservationist - USDA - NRCS, a Research Microbiologist - USDA-ARS (Beltsville, MD), the USDA-NRCS State Outreach Coordinator and Tribal Liaison, the Urban Program Director - Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, a USDA-FSIS State Public Health Veterinarian, the National Turkey Federation Legislative Affairs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Community Engagement Coordinator. On the course student evaluations, one student indicated "this class was extremely helpful in framing what I would like to do as a potential career. I realized that there are other options for a veterinarian than just private practice. I had no idea that I could work for the USDA as a future vet." Bobcat Farm, a 1.4-acre student-run farm at Texas State University Freeman Center, was developed that uses sustainable agricultural methods to regenerate degraded soils and contribute to local food system development through the cultivation of annual and perennial vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers. Bobcat Farm is devoted to providing experiential education through coursework, research, internships, volunteer work, farm tours, and workshops. Seven interns engaged in experiential learning and research projects at the student-run Bobcat Farm. These interns prepared the farm for future research trials with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and USDA-NRCS. Curriculum is currently being developed to host community events and school tours at the facility. The interns conducted research on biochar and blackberries. In the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters,a total of 15 interns were placed and completed internships with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service (8) and Bobcat Farm (7). Students were recruited using an application and interview process with the RAISE team. All students were exposed to the day-to-day operations of a state agency and got to experience first- hand USDA relations with these agencies. Interns were required to enroll in the AG 4310 - Agriculture Internship course or the AG 4371- Field Experiences at Bobcat Farm course (each was provided a scholarship to cover tuition and fees for the course) and complete a 14-week internship at the agency (each was provided a stipend to complete the internship). Interns were required to complete weekly reports, assigned mentor meetings, an internship project (products appear in "Other Products" section of this report), and a final report. Students completing internships at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service were housed in 5 different Texas counties. Their duties included strong involvement in program planning, preparation, delivery, and reporting, e.g., examining and retattooing livestock for validation; offering meal programs for the elderly, including preparing age-appropriate meals; building a small greenhouse, planting trees and vegetables, and leading physical exercises with youth. Interns made such statements as "truly an amazing experience," "internship was impactful and informative, "this internship provided me with useful knowledge about gardening in central Texas and introduced me to new communities," and "I would not be this confident if I had not met the people that I met in the extension service who pushed me to get out of my comfort zone." Another intern indicated that "my goal during this internship was to build enough experience and confidence to apply for many job opportunities," which she reported she gained and is using it to apply for jobs. Another student quoted, "I now know I am interested in jobs pertaining to educational outreach and event planning, which I would have never thought about doing without this experience. I have met many people within the agriculture industry and learned what they do on a day-to-day basis from small farmer to large scale plant distribution." Over the last twelve months, we provided 15 undergraduate student scholarships to help interns pay for the 3-hour internship course. Our scholarships were awarded to students based on an application process, academic performance, and interview score. All students (8) who completed AgriLife internship were female and all but 2 who completed a Bobcat Farm were female. Enrollment in this course allowed students to progress toward their 120-hour degree without having to pay for the tuition and fees. Additionally, an internship stipend was paid to each student completing the internship experiences allowing them to concentrate on the experience without having to work part or full-time to make ends meet. Twostudents attended the NextGen Student Summit, held in conjunction with the Agricultural Outlook Forum in Washington, D.C. Upon returning home, one student indicated the excitement of getting to listen to Secretary Vilsak and mentioned that she was intrigued by the vast amount of statistics and data that USDA collects to help the community. She was quick to say that "I will be able to us the vast amount of information that I learned at the forum in my future career as an AgriLife Extension agent in Texas to help farmers, ranchers,and producers."
Publications
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