Farm Credit of the Virginias Awards $43,000 in Funding through Agricultural Career Enhancement Grant Program
Farm Credit of the Virginias (FCV), a lending cooperative that serves Virginia, West Virginia and western Maryland, announced the Association would award a total of $43,000 in grant funding to eligible postsecondary education institutions through the Agricultural Career Enhancement (ACE) grant program. The following applicants were awarded grant funding to support their agriculture-related programs:
- Allegany College of Maryland – Support for Forest Technology Program (Allegany County, Md.)
- Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation – Recruitment & access to Agricultural Sciences Program (Augusta County, Va.)
- East Coast Horseshoeing School – Support for horseshoeing education (Pittsylvania County, Va.)
- Ferrum College – Technology upgrades for Agriculture Program (Franklin County, Va.)
- Virginia Tech – Support for the Agricultural Technology Program (Montgomery County, Va.)
- Virginia Western Community College – Support for Controlled Environment Agriculture/ Hydroponics exploration and workforce development (Roanoke, Va.)
- West Virginia University at Parkersburg – Support for Agriculture Program and student work at Riverhawk Farm (Wood County, W. Va.)
FCV’s ACE grant program was launched in 2024 with the goal of supporting agricultural career development programs at postsecondary education institutions, including those in agricultural sciences, agricultural technology, agricultural education, agribusiness, conservation and more. The ACE grant program allows the Association to meet their mission to serve the agriculture industry by investing in the growth of agricultural education. The program offered up to $10,000 grant opportunities for eligible institutions that serve the Association's 96-county territory and align with FCV’s mission. Grant applications for this funding cycle were accepted August 1, 2024 through September 30, 2024, in which 16 eligible applications were received and reviewed.
Jamie Kinsey, Chairperson of the Farm Credit of the Virginias’ Board of Directors, said, "On behalf of the board, we are thrilled to provide funding support for agriculture and forestry education programs at these institutions. Farm Credit keeps the communities we serve and the future of agriculture top of mind, and while our primary focus is meeting the needs of our customer-owners, we also seek to strengthen agricultural education opportunities for young people throughout our territory and beyond.”
Brad Cornelius, Farm Credit of the Virginias’ CEO, said, “Our Agricultural Career Enhancement grant program is a prime example of how we are working to carry out our mission of being an engaged partner in our rural communities. We're proud to award grant funding to institutions working hard to promote agriculture to the next generation. We look forward to seeing the lasting positive impact these funds will have across our footprint through the programs they support.”
About Farm Credit of the Virginias
Farm Credit of the Virginias provides over $2 billion dollars in financing to more than 12,000 farmers, agribusinesses and rural homeowners throughout Virginia, West Virginia and western Maryland. Farm Credit is a cooperative capitalized largely through investments made by farmers, ranchers and the rural homeowners and businesses that borrow from them. In fact, as part of a nationwide network they are the largest single provider of agricultural credit in the United States and have been for over 100 years. Farm Credit helps maintain and improve the quality of life in rural America and on the farm through its constant commitment to competitive lending, expert financial services and for facilitating and sharing knowledge and resources through the Farm Credit Knowledge Center. For more information, visit zfu.cesametal.net.