Agriculture is our state’s top industry and is responsible for 1 in 6 jobs in North Carolina. Yet, this important industry is under pressure. Every year we lose farmland to development, and we also face generational challenges as the average age of a farmer in our state today is 58 years old.
Aspiring young farmers are enrolling in high school and college programs to pursue their academic education in agriculture. The students are out there however, access to working farms is often limited to those who come from farming families. Moreover, access to hands-on training in the emerging methods of regenerative farming is extremely limited. Young farmers are hungry to contribute new solutions to the challenges facing the agricultural industry, they just need more opportunities to learn and explore bright futures in farming.
What is the Piedmont Agriculture Scholars Program?
The Piedmont Agriculture Scholars Program is a two-day agricultural seminar developed by the Juneberry Education Foundation for select student scholars from high schools across North Carolina to participate in hands-on and immersive agricultural training on a regenerative farm.
Student scholars will be introduced to all areas of regenerative farming at Juneberry Ridge, a 750-acre working farm in Norwood, N.C. Students will attend lectures and gain hands-on farm experience related to soil health, water management, wildlife, aquaponics, farm-to-table hospitality, and more. The program provides room and board for accepted students.
Student scholars must receive a nomination from a teacher/educator.
Nomination Form: Submit Student Scholar Nomination Online Here
Nomination Deadline: Open from January 8 to deadline February 9, 2024. Application Process: Nominated students will receive an email invitation from the Juneberry Education Foundation to fill out a student application due on or before March 1, 2024.
Our program is looking for bright, upstanding, and enthusiastic high school juniors and seniors with the following criteria:
• 3.0 GPA or higher enrolled in a North Carolina High School (Junior or Senior)
• Interest in regenerative agriculture, farming, and/or agribusiness
Why focus on inspiring young farmers?
“If we fail to inspire young farmers today, it’s only a matter of time before we lose our farmland along with high quality local food production right here in North Carolina. So, how can we inspire the next generation? Our answer is to provide the farmers of tomorrow with the best possible education in regenerative farming. We designed the Piedmont Agricultural Scholars Program as a call out to our brightest young minds, to bring them out to our living classroom, to show them how we farm, and invite them to envision a brighter future for food production with us.” – Suzanne Durkee, President, Juneberry Education Foundation
About the Juneberry Education Foundation (edu.juneberry.com)
We envision a future where our food systems become more resilient over time, not less so. This is possible when we empower farmers and consumers with knowledge, tools, and practices that take whole contexts into consideration to develop stronger farming ecosystems. Whole contexts are those that integrate positive agricultural practices with long- and short-range outcomes for our soil, water, plants, livestock, wildlife, farmers, and local communities.
Our mission is to inspire current and future farmers to reimagine the agricultural landscape in North Carolina through the study, research, and real-world application of regenerative farming.
Located in Norwood, N.C., the Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit public charity established in 2022 with funding support from the North Carolina state legislature and private donors. Overseen by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Foundation offers immersive farming internships and accredited training as well as hands-on learning and farm workshops for future farmers, including college and high school students. The foundation is actively working to improve our local food systems by providing education and hands-on training in regenerative agriculture. Core to our educational mission is a focus on methods to grow food locally while contributing to long range outcomes for soil health restoration, community vitality, and economic prosperity for agricultural businesses right here in North Carolina.
Beyond sustainable: Regenerative Education
We empower current and aspiring farmers in North Carolina with future-minded knowledge and tools in regenerative farming. In light of new threats and trends facing agriculture, we offer a fresh approach to farming that follows natural processes to grow healthy food while improving community resiliency in its whole context. Natural processes are those that allow farmers to avoid or eliminate entirely conventional dependance on synthetic chemicals in their farming systems.
We believe farming methods must evolve to consider the whole context of growing food by healthy means. Sustainability practices do not go far enough. The Juneberry Education Foundation offers education in the emerging practice of regenerative farming. We focus on improving soil health and biodiversity so that farmers can feed communities while revitalizing entire ecosystems. By inspiring young farmers to cultivate a regenerative path for local food production, our foundation helps ensure that the land and those who work it will thrive for generations to come.
For more information, contact Danielle Rushing, Education Director danielle@edu.juneberry.com or Suzanne Durkee, President Suzanne.durkee@juneberry.com