U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced $340.6 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture disaster assistance to deliver relief to farmers, ranchers and rural communities impacted by natural disasters that have caused devastation across the country. In support of President Trump’s January executive order, which expedited assistance to communities who were left behind by the Biden Administration, Secretary Rollins is delivering critical aid through the USDA Disaster Assistance Fund to provide immediate relief to communities that have waited far too long to receive the aid they need to recover.
AgCareers launched the Application Motivation Survey in late 2024 to assess what entices candidates to apply and what deters them from completing the process. The analysis found that salary/benefits information was the most critical detail for employers to include in a job advertisement and the most encouraging to apply for candidates. Only 32 percent of candidates said they would apply to a job posting that did not include salary details.
Nine individuals will make up the second cohort of the American Agri-Women (AAW) Road to influence. The Road to Influence (RTI) is a program developed by AAW designed to provide a bold and innovative personal development experience for AAW members. The program is designed to identify and overcome limiting beliefs and behaviors, ultimately yielding stronger leaders for AAW and beyond. The 2025 cohort kicked off their journey on April 6 in conjunction with the AAW Mid-Year meeting in Grapevine, TX.
Brownfield’s Melanie Rice was named president of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) during its 2025 Convention held in Kansas City, Missouri. With more than sixteen hundred members, NAMA is the nation’s largest professional association for professionals in marketing and agribusiness. Melanie is set to assume the role of NAMA president on May 1, 2025. Melanie has been a Marketing Strategist for Brownfield Ag News since 2018. She works with national, regional, and local clients to help them connect their brand messages with farmers and those who live in Rural America.
Following a national search, Mykel Taylor was named head of the Auburn University Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, effective April 15. She had served as interim head of the department since fall 2024.
Connor Henry of Stuttgart, Arkansas, is the recipient of the 2025-2026 Soy Scholarship award, sponsored by the American Soybean Association and BASF. The ASA/BASF Soy Scholarship is a $7,000 award presented to an exceptional high school senior who excels in both academic and leadership roles and who plans to pursue a degree in an agriculture-related field of study at an accredited college or university. The scholarship is open to children and grandchildren of ASA members.
The World Food Prize Foundation announced that it will send 16 students abroad for the Borlaug-Ruan International Internship program at renowned international research centers and NGOs this summer. These exceptional students hail from six U.S. states, Honduras and The Netherlands. The 2025 Borlaug-Ruan intern cohort will delve into issues related to global food security, sustainability and development during their eight-week internships at leading international research centers and development organizations in Costa Rica, India, Kenya, Mexico, China and Taiwan.
Meister Media Worldwide, the leading agriculture media and events company, has been named a national finalist for the 2025 Azbees American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) Awards of Excellence for editorial content in American Vegetable Grower.
The American Farm Bureau Federation and Pennsylvania Farm Bureau presented House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-PA) with AFBF’s Golden Plow award. The Golden Plow is the highest honor the organization gives to sitting members of Congress. This is the second Golden Plow award for Chairman Thompson. He was previously honored in 2014.
Agri-Pulse is pleased to announce a new webinar, “Economic Stakes: How Thoroughbred Racing Fuels Rural Economies” on May 19 at 12:30 CT/1:30 ET. Free registration is available here. The webinar is sponsored by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, and the Breeders’ Cup.
