Vidalia onion grower G&R Farms, Glennville, Ga., is celebrating the fifth anniversary of Growing America’s Farmers, the non-profit started by G&R’s co-owner, Walt Dasher.
The Dasher family started Growing America’s Farmers with the support of the National Future Farmers of America program, due to concerns about the number of young people who are choosing farming.
“This caused me great concern because we all know that a lack of farmers could create a myriad of problems for our country,” Dasher said in a news release. “Can you imagine if we experienced a food supply shortage in the United States and had to depend on foreign countries to feed our families?”
The non-profit foundation, funded through retail partners, is seeing scholarship recipients return to family farms with new ideas about technology and growing practices, according to the release. The scholarships allow students to meet college goals and help improve family farms.
“I am sincerely honored and humbled in being selected for the 2018 Ohio FFA Growing America’s Farmers scholarship,” scholarship recipient Alex Kutz said in the release. “This scholarship will give me the opportunity to launch my educational career, while easing the financial burden.”
Molly Ball, president of the National FFA Foundation, said in the release that supporters such as G&R Farms and their customers “help sustain the future of agriculture and help achieve the FFA vision of growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture.”
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