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Embracing diversity in agriculture

Leaders representing some of the top farm groups say the agriculture industry needs to do a better job embracing diversity.

National Farmers Union president Rob Larew said the ag industry needs to have conversations with a more diverse audience and make sure they’re listening. “And this is diversity, certainly for people of color, and acknowledge the discrimination that has occurred,” he says. “And is well documented, and is not up for debate. And what can we do, going forward, to make sure there is space and opportunity there.”

Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall says the ag industry has failed to reach out to diverse audiences.  “We have not communicated with 1890 Universities, we haven’t communicated with women,” he says.  “We need to communicate about the opportunities in agriculture.”

Krysta Harden with the US Dairy Export Council says diverse candidates are there.  “You have to recruit differently,” she says.  “You can not use the same tired old ways you’ve been doing looking for candidates, because they are there.”

The group took part in the USDA’s 97th Ag Outlook Forum held virtually this week. 

  • As of the 2017 Department of Ag census (published in 2019) 38% of primary producers are now women. And older women comprise an even higher number of small farm producers.

    Also according to US census data 70% of black and brown people live in urban areas. It doesn’t take a statistics genius to understand that the vast majority of people of color aren’t choosing AG, not because AG is systemically racist, but because AG careers aren’t available in the urban areas where the majority of people of color reside.

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