Bluegrass Community and Technical College is partnering with the University of Kentucky to tap into newly developed interest in agriculture-related jobs. It started with backyard gardening with some BCTC students.
The avenue for advancement in ag areas comes through an AgriProspects grant. Dr. Carlous Yates is BCTC Vice-President for Culture and Engagement. He said there are communication barriers between migrant workers and farmers.
“There’s an opportunity for some of our students to even work with those farmers to produce marketing materials. They’ll be able to build a bridge with communicating with individuals who are the workers and also the land owners,” said Yates
Yates said that could hopefully grow into some student internships. Kentucky’s specialty crop industry includes about 14,000 acres cultivated over 52 hundred farms. The workforce largely consists of non-white Latinx people who are often unskilled, non-English speaking, and low-literate.
That small taste of agriculture has blossomed into a bigger interest in ag-related jobs. Dr. Carlous Yates says students participated in small backyard gardens.
“From there they had a real interest in what is agriculture and what kind of career paths do you have in it. Farming looks different because it doesn’t have to be just you going out and planting things or harvesting things but there’s all types of career paths in farming and agriculture,” said Yates
BCTC officials say this project is the first of its kind in plant science, focusing on both farm worker resources and the integration of minority professionals. It aims to serve as a model for a more inclusive and skilled agriculture workforce. The program is expected to fully launch next spring.
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