Print This PagePartnership Announced to Benefit Black Farmers and 1890s University Students
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson from Mississippi, Alcorn State University and Monsanto have announced a partnership that will include other 1890 land-grant universities to provide more opportunities for students interested in pursuing professions in agriculture and greater access for black farmers to the latest technologies and best on-farm practices in cotton and vegetables.
Through the partnership announced Feb. 22, Monsanto will initially work with Alcorn State University to establish cotton and vegetable demonstrations with local black farmers to narrow the gap in technology adoption among black farmers. The demonstration plots will also provide a component for university student research, bolstering opportunities for students interested in agricultural careers.
"Alcorn State University has been selected as the lead institution for this project," said Carl Casale, North America Commercial lead. "We are looking to ASU leadership to enlist broad support for this program so that black farmers and students can realize enhanced benefits and opportunities across several agricultural crops."
Keeping Local Talent at Home
Quintin Saffold, a senior at Alcorn State University majoring in agro business
management, was a Monsanto intern last summer in the Paducah, Kentucky, area,
working as a retail sales trainer. Saffold, who has an agriculture background,
said the internship was a good learning experience. “It was great to
get some work experience in the agriculture field, especially for Monsanto,” Saffold
said. “Working directly with farmers gave me insight into the business
and an idea of what ag has to offer farmers today.”
Saffold also feels the partnership will be a tremendous benefit for people in Mississippi who are afraid to leave the area. “Currently there are no Fortune 500 companies investing in the area,” he said. “The partnership changes that by giving students opportunities to stay in Mississippi to work and perform research in ag.”
"This program will bring together the best and the brightest minds and work to keep that talent in the state of Mississippi," said Thompson. "We've made a commitment to identify and help remove barriers to technology adoption and career opportunities for blacks in agriculture, but this project is just the first chapter in that endeavor. We'll be depending on other key leaders to come to the table and discuss ways to break down these barriers."
Developing a Diverse Talent Pipeline
"The career component of this program will serve as an important vehicle to
support building the broadest, deepest and most diverse talent pipeline possible
for agriculture," said Steve Mizell, Global Human Resources lead. "We recently
established a relationship with the Council of 1890 Presidents and Chancellors
through which we've already identified a number of extremely talented candidates
for Monsanto internships this summer. This new program will augment that process
to introduce students to careers at Monsanto and in the agriculture industry."
The career component includes both a Monsanto Company internship aspect as well as an annual student leadership event held at Monsanto each summer. This program offers the 1890s university students a glimpse into a career in agriculture as well as a real-life professional development experience.
John Lyday, Global Staffing Lead and coordinator of the program, says, “We view our partnership and career activities with the 1890s institutions as a mutually beneficial way to build a future talent pool for the field of agriculture.”
He went on to say that “We are excited at the possibilities of working with more interns and future employees each year.” He said he expects that the students who participate in the program will not only have their career horizons expanded in terms of better understanding the vast opportunities that the field of agriculture has to offer, but he also hopes that they will become ambassadors back at their home campuses for careers in agriculture.
Expanding to Other Regions
The program will strive to establish similar partnerships with other 1890 universities,
including Tuskegee University in Alabama, University of Arkansas at Pine
Bluff, and Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
These and other related schools are referred to as the “1890” institutions
because that was the year the U.S. Congress enacted legislation to establish
them.
