September 15 marks the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month, a significant celebration that began as a week in 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson and was later extended to a month by President Ronald Reagan. Please join me in this celebration as we honor and recognize the rich culture and remarkable achievements of the Hispanic community.

Our team of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Partnership and Public Engagement (OPPE) Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Liaisons foresee many opportunities ahead, as the Hispanic student population is expected to exceed 4.3 million by 2026, surpassing the growth rate of any other racial-ethnic group by over 10%.

OPPE has pioneered communication with Hispanic students and farmers by releasing information about USDA programs and conducting workshops fully in Spanish for the first time this year.

On October 9, our HSI team will host a virtual half-day symposium on Federal Programs and Resources for Hispanic-Serving Institutions. The HSI community and partnering stakeholders are invited to hear from USDA leaders, program officers and project coordinators about a variety of student internships, experiential learning and career programs offered at USDA and other federal agencies.

Hispanics, a proud and prominent part of our country's fabric and the county’s largest minority group, make up nearly 20% of the U.S. population. I invite you to join me this month in celebrating the vibrant history and promising future of the American Latino community.

USDA Welcomes 2024 Class of E. Kika De La Garza Fellows

This summer USDA welcomed 32 faculty and staff from HSIs and Hispanic-Serving School Districts around the nation to the 2024 class of E. Kika De La Garza (EKDLG) Fellows. The Fellows came to Washington, D.C. to learn how USDA services and programs can benefit them, their students and their communities. Since the program was established in 1998, USDA has hosted more than 400 faculty and staff to strengthen relationships with HSIs.

September 9-15 Proclaimed National HSI Week

Education provides an opportunity for a better life, and for more than 4.7 million Hispanic and Latino students, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) make it possible. The over 500 HSIs across our country are home to over half of Hispanic and Latino college students. During National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week, we celebrate these critical postsecondary institutions, which empower our students to pursue the full limits of their talent and ambition.

E. Kika De La Garza Fellow Brings USDA Awareness to South Florida

Dr. Maruthi Sridhar Balaji Bhaskar was chosen for the USDA EKDLG Fellowship in 2023. The experience allowed him to bring back information about USDA funding, resources and career opportunities specific to the Miami region, which has the largest concentrations of nurseries in the United States, and to Florida International University, which has one of the greatest concentrations of Hispanic students. “We have lots of interest in agriculture here,” said Bhaskar. “I want my students to know what opportunities are available to them, especially with USDA.”

HEP/CAMP Intern Draws Inspiration from USDA

Vanessa Valencia is one of 14 students accepted into the USDA High School Equivalency Program (HEP)/College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) internship program. Valencia interned with the USDA Farm Service Production and Conservation recruitment and development team where, she helped provide feedback to improve the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA’s) career recruitment efforts. “I want to use my own skills and experiences to help underserved communities, like the migrant farmers I grew up with,” she said. “I plan to advocate for equity and opportunity for all.”

USDA Liaison Recognized for Outstanding Contributions

USDA Liaison Horace Hodge (left) was recognized with the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Academic Mission and Excellence in Partnership from Prairie View A&M University, where he has been a USDA liaison for 35 years. “I am so humbled by this recognition, as it is a shared accomplishment,” he said. University College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Dean and Director of Land-Grant Programs Dr. Gerard D’Souza (right) presented the award at the recent Academics, Research and Extension Joint Conference Awards Banquet in August.

1890 National Scholar’s Roots Run Deep in Agriculture

Tuskegee University Sophomore and USDA 1890 National Scholar Kiera Sherrod interned this past summer at the USDA Farm Service Agency in Alabama. There she helped route producers to the correct points of contact, modernized paper resources to more accessible digital media, and shadowed field staff to monitor livestock health.

“I gained a true understanding of USDA and how its programs touch rural areas and other agencies,” Kiera said. “I want to help uplift farmers to continue doing what they love.”

HBCU Engineering Students Tour Water Plant

In partnership with professors and department chairs of the Environmental Engineering Department at Central State University, USDA Liaison Isabel Brumley (front row second from left) recently led a group of engineering students on a trip to the Dayton Water Plant in Dayton, Ohio to see firsthand how water is treated and made potable for drinking and agriculture. These students were able to see first-hand the real-world applications of their classroom studies.

OPPE Recognizes Interns

At a recent celebration, OPPE recognized USDA interns at a ceremony, presenting them with certificates of appreciation and recognition for their hard work and accomplishments over the summer.

Find out more about USDA internships and career opportunities at https://www.usda.gov/youth/career.

USDA Leadership attends FFA State Officer Summit

USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small (in green) met with national Future Farmers of America (FFA) members and was a featured speaker at the recent FFA State Officer Summit in Washington, D.C. At this five-day event, nearly 350 FFA members learned about USDA programs and resources.

CAPAL Intern Driven to Change Food Insecurity

Nichole Espineli’s drive to improve food security stems from her personal experience of her family’s heavy dependence upon government food assistance while she was growing up.

“I would walk past the food pantry when I was younger and see the same people, but the line continued to get longer,” she said. “Shouldn’t it be getting shorter? I wanted to change that.” Her work as a USDA  Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) intern is about creating a hopeful future where no family faces the same challenges that she did. 

Boots to Business Reboot for Veteran Beginning Farmers & Ranchers

In partnership with USDA and the New England Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will host a Boots to Business entrepreneurial education and training program on September 30. Veterans, active-duty, service members and spouses are invited to learn about entrepreneurship and business ownership fundamentals and the resources available to support the development of an agriculture-based business. This workshop features speakers from across the USDA, farmer veteran business owners, VBOC/SBA resource partners, and industry experts.

Quicker, Easier Payment Process for USDA Vendors

USDA is making it easier for vendors to receive contract invoice payments. AgPay XPress is a new invoice payment service that enables USDA vendors to receive payments as fast as 3 days after processing a secure one-time use virtual credit card. Virtual cards are a trusted payment method that has been used since the early 2000s.

A collaboration between USDA and U.S. Bank, AgPay XPress provides:  

• Streamlined accounts receivable and reconciliation.  
• Decreased operational costs and less data entry.  
• Reduced risk of fraud and chargebacks.  
• Express receipt of payment after processing the virtual card number.

For more information, visit AgPay XPress | USDA.

Meet Juan Alvarez

Juan M. Alvarez is a USDA liaison with the Office of Partnership and Public Engagement. He shares information about USDA programs and resources with students and staff at Hispanic Serving Institutions and their surrounding communities. By leading collaborative activities, convening meetings and workshops, and organizing training opportunities in both English and Spanish, he builds partnerships throughout California that contribute to grants, research, a more diverse workforce and educational programs.  

Alvarez mentors many students and serves on college and university committees working to guide student development.  He also supports the development of policies to strengthen USDA’s relationships with colleges and universities with a special focus on capacity-building initiatives to improve Hispanic and minority representation.

That according to the USDA Census of Agriculture, Hispanic-operated farms sold $33 billion in agricultural products in 2022, accounting for 6% of total U.S. agriculture sales and 4% of U.S. farmland? In 2022, the United States had 112,379 producers who identified as Hispanic, Latino or of Spanish origin, accounting for 3% of the country’s 3.4 million producers. Almost two-thirds of Hispanic producers were based in Texas, California, New Mexico and Florida. They are younger and more likely to have recently started farming than U.S. producers overall.