BATON ROUGE, La. – The Southern University Ag Center has partnered with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to host a debt relief webinar for small and minority farms at 10 a.m. on May 13, 2021.
“The Southern University Ag Center, by way of our Cooperative Extension Program, is honored to partner with the USDA Farm Services Agency to host the USDA Debt Relief Webinar,” said Dr. Orlando McMeans, Chancellor-Dean of the Southern University Ag Center and the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Science. “The purpose of this webinar is to provide information to socially disadvantage and minority farmers and ranchers regarding the USDA’s debt relief program, which is part of the recently passed American Rescue Plan.
As an 1890 Land-Grant University it is our mission mandate to provide such educational opportunities to underserved and limited resource populations,” added Dr. McMeans.
The virtual event will feature presentations by Dewayne Goldmon, Ph.D., USDA Senior Advisor for Racial Equity to the Secretary of Agriculture and Zach Ducheneaux, Administrator of the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).
Goldmon was appointed to his current position on March 1, 2021. Before joining the USDA, he served as the Executive Director of the National Black Grower Council (NBGC), an organization that advocates for the improvement of the efficiency, productivity, and sustainability of Black row crop farmers. Goldmon is a farmer in southeast Arkansas and has more than 30 years of experience in the agricultural sector. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Arkansas and his Ph.D. from Iowa State University, all in agronomy.
Ducheneaux was appointed to his current post on February 22, 2021. Before his appointment, Ducheneaux was the Executive Director of the Intertribal Agriculture Council, which is the largest and longest-standing Native American agriculture organization in the United States representing 80,000 Native American producers. His career has focused on educating individuals on the social challenges facing Native Americans and reservations. He runs his family’s ranch on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota with his brothers and serves on the board of directors for Project H3LP!, a non-profit organization that benefits Ducheneaux’s local community by providing life lessons and therapy through horsemanship.
The webinar is free but registration is required. To register visit, https://bit.ly/3aPfouv.
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