Bergen Community College: Feds Award Bergen $4.5 Million To Grow Agriculture Education

Press release from Bergen Community College:

June 21, 2023

PARAMUS, N.J. – The federal government has awarded Bergen Community College a five-year, $4.5 million grant to help contribute to the growth of future food, agriculture, natural resources and human sciences (FANH) professionals. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) “From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals Program” (NEXGEN) sought proposals from colleges that would create pathways to employment in FANH fields, while prioritizing the selection of institutions that serve diverse student populations. USDA officials formally announced the $262.5 million Inflation Reduction Act-funded initiative on June 21 at a kickoff event in Washington D.C. with representatives from the 33 partners selected for the grant.

“Bergen Community College represents a leader in preparing students for in-demand fields in our region,” Bergen President Eric M. Friedman, Ph.D., said. “I am thrilled that the federal government has recognized Bergen’s contributions to the local economy and endorsed our plans for developing a sustainably conscious workforce.”

The 2023 Feeding the Economy report commissioned by agriculture industry leaders shows that nearly 20 percent of all U.S. economic activity ($8.6 trillion) comes from the food and agriculture sector. Fifteen percent of all U.S. jobs reside within the affiliated industries – including at farms, research laboratories, manufacturers, engineering firms and logistics companies. Bergen County leads the state in the number of direct FANH employees (67,883), wages ($3.4 billion) and economic output ($10.1 billion).

Nonetheless, the acquisition and retention of sector employees remains a key concern of federal officials. The USDA itself has a severe staffing shortage, losing more than 5,000 workers during the last six years. The NEXGEN program remains a critical component to stemming the problem, according to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. The secretary – a resident of agriculture-rich Iowa – led the agency during all eight years of the Obama administration and the past two of the Biden administration as well.

“We need to ensure our youth have the education and training they need to accelerate the development of an agricultural system that is climate-smart, sustainable, profitable and equitable,” Vilsack said at the June 21 kickoff event. “This historic investment from the Biden-Harris Administration in our nation’s Minority-serving Institutions brings us closer to building a workforce that represents the richness and diversity of all the communities we serve.”

Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 13,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.

This press release was produced by Bergen Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.