The Edmond Sun

Local News

November 6, 2009

Langston receives federal farming grant

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Van Mitchell

EDMOND — Langston University has been awarded a three-year $525,000 federal grant to help provide training for beginning Oklahoma farmers and ranchers.

The school is one of 29 colleges and universities nationwide receiving more than $17 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture grants to fund the program.

The grants were awarded through the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, an education, training, technical assistance and outreach program designed to help U.S. farmers and ranchers, specifically those who have been farming or ranching for 10 years or fewer.

The grants are part of USDA’s new “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative, which was launched in September to emphasize the need for a fundamental and critical reconnection between producers and consumers.

Chongo Mundende, director of Langston’s Center for Outreach Programs, said the Langston grant will go toward classes taught by both LU and Oklahoma State University Extension specialists. The program is expected to begin in early 2010.

Mundende said the classes will be designed to explain what it takes to become a farmer or rancher and to encourage more Oklahomans to become involved in agriculture.

“(The federal grant) couldn’t have come at a better time than it did,” Mundende said. “When you look at the statistics, small farmers have been getting off of farming in large numbers. If we aren’t careful as a nation we won’t have small farmers participating. We want to increase or at least maintain the number of small farmers we have in Oklahoma. The hope is that more people will consider getting into small farming.”

Mundende said the classes in part will be tailored to the individual interests of class participants. He said class topics could range from home gardening to goat farming.

“This is a very hands-on program,” Mundende said. “If a person is interested in goat farming for instance, we wouldn’t just cover only fencing, breeding and nutrition and forest management. We would cover the whole nine yards.”

Mundende said the federal grant requires LU to have a 25-percent match in funding. The university has partnered on the project with Heifer International, a nonprofit organization in Arkansas with a goal to help end world hunger and poverty through self-reliance and sustainability.

Mundende said Heifer International has a small ranch in Perryville, Ark., that class members may visit to learn about growing sustainable crops and other farming techniques.

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said in a press release that the grants will help ensure the success of the next generation of farmers and ranchers.

“Beginning farmers and ranchers face unique challenges and need educational and training programs to enhance their profitability and long-term sustainability,” Merrigan said. “The training and education provided through these grants will help ensure the success of the next generation of farmers and ranchers as they work to feed people in their local communities and throughout the world.”

Mundende said he is hopeful that the Langston program will be a success and a new generation of Oklahoma small farmers will be born.

“I think there will be an upturn in small farming,” he said. “I think there is a lot of potential. The average age of a farmer is 57. We welcome all ages. We need some young blood.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION about the Beginning Farmer Program, call 466-6154 or 866-466-2231.

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