CHS基金会 celebrates 75 years of giving back to agriculture
The CHS基金会 supports ag leadership organizations for students of all ages. FFA招收7至12年级的学生, while AFA provides leadership development opportunities for college students.
Cassandra Valdez was unsure about her future when she joined the Leader Fellowship program through Agriculture Future of America (AFA).
“我在2020年开始了这个项目, 当我绝望无助时,” says the Merced Community College and California State University, 弗雷斯诺的学生. “大流行刚刚开始, and I needed something to help me continue to grow professionally as we all stood still from home, 但我不知道该怎么做. 作为一个农业专业的学生, 我真的不知道我想做什么, but I knew I wanted to get involved in the industry side while still being connected to my ag 教育 roots.”
Through the fellowship program, Valdez started to see other career opportunities in agriculture. “All I had known from college was that there was a classroom route, so exposure to other options through the AFA fellowship is something that I’m grateful for,她说。.
Supporting Valdez and other emerging ag leaders is the mission of the CHS基金会, which was established in 1947 by the founding members of CHS to support rural communities and the future of agriculture. 从那时起, the CHS基金会 has been devoted to developing the next generation of ag leaders through cooperative 教育, 大学伙伴关系和农业领导项目.
提供的机会
在CHS基金会的头75年里, strong partnerships have emerged to give all young people the opportunity to become leaders in agriculture and further their ag 教育.
从20年前开始, the CHS基金会 and AFA have shared a goal of educating the next generation of agricultural leaders. 自2004年以来, the CHS基金会 has been the largest supporter of AFA, 资金的编程, encouraging AFA board members and providing meeting space.
由CHS基金会资助, the AFA Leader Fellowship program pairs AFA student teachers like Valdez with trained industry professionals to coach them through personal development and career exploration.
“通过奖学金项目, I chose a mentor who would guide me in this two-year journey of developing a series of leadership competencies,瓦尔迪兹说。. “They helped me see areas of growth where I could develop as a young professional and agriculturalist and create a development plan that would commit me to my goals.”
The CHS基金会 also partners with organizations focused on cultivating learning and career opportunities that value diverse thinking, 声音和背景. That commitment was the driving force behind the Foundation’s relationship with Minorities in Agriculture, 自然澳门皇冠赌场平台, 和相关科学(MANRRS)，始于2010年.
“It’s beneficial for students to see multiple career paths in agriculture,Ebony Webber说, MANRRS首席运营官. “Being able to travel to attend a national conference is transformative. Having the financial support to go to college and major in these careers is equally transformative.”
As the primary supporter of the Junior MANRRS Gold program, the CHS基金会 provides funding for the Going for Gold scholarship, which supports high school students who plan to pursue ag-related or STEM (science, 技术, 工程和数学)研究领域.
建设农业的未来
FFA and 4-H are synonymous with the future of agriculture, and the CHS基金会 has supported both organizations for nearly six decades.
Currently, 40% of Minnesota FFA students come from economically challenged households. 在CHS基金会的财政支持下, Minnesota FFA has been able to offer more scholarships to create opportunities for these students, including helping them attend the Minnesota State FFA Convention. 每年, 大会主办了超过5个,000名学生, 来自全州各地的教师和支持者.
“与CHS基金会合作, 这远不止是经济上的支持,瓦尔·阿斯沃尔德说, 明尼苏达州FFA基金会的执行董事. “It’s about having conversations about what communities and agriculture need, then building our programs around those goals and needs.”
The CHS基金会 brings the same mission of providing equal opportunity into its partnership with 4-H, 它每年为600万青年服务, 其中青年参与5项.600万个STEM项目.每年100万个农业项目. “Those are huge numbers of young people who are finding their spark and pursuing that all the way through their 4-H career,希瑟·艾略特说, 国家4-H委员会首席发展官. “It builds a pipeline of workforce-ready young people who have skills like teamwork, 沟通与领导.”
The CHS基金会 has committed $1 million to the National 4-H Council to support the 4-H True Leaders in Equity Program and What I Wish People Knew (WIWPK) storytelling platform. The 4-H True Leaders in Equity program will create more than 1,000 youth-led 公平与包容 projects in local communities. The WIWPK platform empowers youth to lift their voices and share their stories and passion for diversity, 公平与包容.
推动创新
在全国各地的大学里, students and educators are engaging with new technologies and practices that will impact the future of agriculture. “The CHS基金会 supports this important work because new thinking will be the engine that drives agriculture forward,Nanci Lilja说, CHS基金会主席.
Among other higher-教育 support, the CHS基金会 has:
- Helped North Dakota State University establish the Center for Trading and Risk Management to prepare students for the complex world of agricultural commodity trading
- Supported the Raven Precision Ag Center at South Dakota State University, 第一所提供B级的大学.S. 精准农业学位
- Partnered with the University of Minnesota to create the Minnesota Model program, 帮助K-12农业教育现代化
“We’re helping students see that if they're interested in 技术, 教育, 农业或粮食生产, 这是一个允许他们使用技术的领域,Steven corkerry说, associate vice president of the Corporate Engagement Center at the University of Minnesota.
从老师开始
The CHS基金会 supports teachers who are committed to bringing ag-related lessons to their students. Through National Agriculture in the Classroom (NAITC), 例如, the Foundation provides scholarships for teachers to attend a national conference, resources to bring ag literacy into the classroom and the chance to experience agriculture in a specific region.
“Our relationship with the CHS基金会 has been really important for increasing the number of teachers we’re able to bring to the conference and providing classroom grants,Andy Guffey说, NAITC执行董事. “Those hundreds of teachers are influencing thousands of students.”
The CHS基金会 also provides support to the National Teach Ag Campaign, which provides an avenue for new and aspiring educators to make a difference in the classroom.
Rachel Sauvola, a high school teacher in New Richmond, Wis.她已经做了24年的教育工作者. 她的激情, 她说, is mentoring teachers and pre-service teachers to help them be the best educators they can be — and the Future Agriscience Teacher Symposium (part of the National Teach Ag Campaign) enables her to do that.
“We train college students who are studying to be teachers to think about how they can encourage students, 问一些重要而有挑战性的问题, 远离课本,索沃拉说. “现在的农业教育不同了. We have hands-on labs and experiences that make our students think about how they can help solve world problems.”
关注合作社
As the charitable arm of the largest farmer-owned cooperative in the U.S., the CHS基金会 is driven to keep the cooperative system strong and thriving.
1959年首次支持, North Dakota Farmers Union (NDFU) was one of the first entities to offer cooperative 教育. In 2020, the CHS基金会 supported development of the new Jamestown Camp facility.
“We train our summer staff counselors on the cooperative business model,NDFU主任米兰达·莱瑟曼说. “They in turn teach campers the basics of how a cooperative works, and campers put that knowledge to work operating their own cooperative store. Campers take those skills home and share them in communities throughout North Dakota.”
The CHS基金会 also partnered with Discovery Education to build the Cooperative Minds platform, 一个提供免费视频的在线门户网站, 课程, career profiles and other resources to educate students about the cooperative business model and careers.
“我们感谢农民, ranchers and cooperatives for being part of the CHS family and helping the CHS基金会 continue its mission,CHS基金会的Lilja说. “We are looking forward to the next75 years of working together to drive growth and development among students and teachers who are helping shape the future of the agriculture industry.”
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