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Trempealeau County Extension wins $350,000 USDA grant to pilot agriscience career pathway for high school juniors and seniors
Summary
An extension educator said the county received a $350,000 USDA NIFA grant to create agriscience career pathways in Arcadia and Independence school districts, with Western Technical College and the Juntos program as partners; the grant is structured as a three-year award and county staff said details on distribution were still being worked out.
Adam, an extension educator for Trempealeau County, said the Extension office received a $350,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to create agriscience career pathways for juniors and seniors in the Arcadia and Independence school districts.
The program is intended to embed agriscience coursework with school teachers, partner with Western Technical College and the county's Juntos program, and give students opportunities to tour facilities and meet employers. "We received a $350,000 grant, that I wrote for to provide agriscience career pathways, to juniors and seniors in the Arcadia and Independent School Districts," Adam said.
County educators described the grant as a three-year program. Adam said Western Technical College plans to adapt an existing Tomah program so 10–12 juniors and seniors at an Independence campus could spend half a day focusing on agriscience and potentially earn college credit. Staff said the project may hire a bilingual educator to serve the targeted area and that the districts supplied letters of support.
Adam also said the grant comes from a federal source and that the county is still clarifying how the funds will be administered. "That funding, we're not really sure where it sits, as of this spring, so we're in conversations about what that's gonna look like writ large," he said.
Extension staff tied the agriscience pathway into broader youth programming, including STEM after-school clubs and youth apprenticeship coordination with Junior Achievement. Adam said the program is being designed to be flexible so students who express interest can be guided into specific career pathways, such as hydroponics or farm operations.
Officials said they will provide updates as grant administration details are finalized and as partnerships with schools and Western Technical College are developed.
