USDA Appoints Vanessa García Polanco to the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board – National Young Farmers Coalition (2024)

Young Farmers is excited to announce that Government Relations Director, Vanessa García Polanco has been appointed to the USDA’s National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board. The 15-member Board informs the USDA’s science and research priorities and is composed of university, non-profit, and industry representatives, and each member serves a 2-3 year appointment. In a USDA press release Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics, stated “The NAREEE Advisory Board is an integral component of USDA’s scientific enterprise. USDA relies on these scientific experts to provide evidence-based insight and recommendations as we develop innovative, sustainable, strategic and inclusive science priorities that serve all Americans.”

Vanessa attended her first in-person meeting with the Board on June 3-4, 2024 in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Several policy priorities were discussed, including progress on the Board’s ‘Relevance and Adequacy’ evaluation of USDA’s precision nutrition efforts. Board members also visited the North Carolina Agriculture and Technology (A&T) University Center for Post Harvest Technologies and the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab.

“I’m excited to have been appointed to serve USDA’s National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board,” Vanessa shared after the June meeting. “I am thrilled to bring my passion for farmer-led research and farmer-serving extension and education to be part of this expert group helping to ensure USDA’s science and research are informed by the best available science and serving critical stakeholders like young, beginning and farmers of color.”

“Vanessa’s appointment as a farmer representative brings a refreshing focus on farmer-led, scale-appropriate research at USDA.” said Nick Rossi, Research Extension and Education Policy Specialist at National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. “USDA funding should be directed toward building an understanding of the ecological aspects of our food and farm systems, integrating the diverse knowledge and practices of agroecological farmers and farm workers, and accessible to all farmers.”

Young Farmers report Building a Future With Farmers 2022 found that 71% of young farmers are unaware of USDA programs that could help them, and Black and Indigenous farmers were more likely to report being denied access to federal programs and being ignored by local or state USDA staff. Only 11% of young farmers reported using the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SARE), which offers a variety of grant and education programs across the country. Yet 97% of young farmers identified using sustainable practices on their farm or ranch, and 86% of respondents use regenerative practice. “We need to address the issues that keep young farmers from using programs like SARE. Young farmers are clearly interested in sustainable and regenerative practices – they’re already using them. We want USDA programs to support those efforts as well,” said García Polanco.

The NAREE Board was established by Congress in the 1996 Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act. The Board has three statutorily-established committees: the National Genetic Resources Advisory Council (NGRAC), the Specialty Crop (SCC) Committee, and the Citrus Disease Subcommittee (CDS).

Other new or reappointed NAREEE Advisory Board members include:

Dr. Sreekala Bajwa, Vice President for Agriculture, Montana State University, Montana Agricultural Experiment Station (1862 Land Grant University Representative) (New)

Dr. V.M. “Bala” Balasubramanium, Professor, Food Engineering, The Ohio State University (Academic/Research Society Representative) (Reappointment)

Dr. Mario Ferruzzi, Professor and Director, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences/Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (Academic/Research Society Representative) (Reappointment)

Dr. Ellen Harris, ARS Associate Area Director, Southeast Area (retired), and former Executive Director, Food First (Industry, Consumer or Rural Interest Representative) (New)

Dr. Mark Lawrence, Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University (College of Veterinary Medicine Representative) (Reappointment)

Dr. William Lytle, CEO/Founder; Evergreen International Sustainability Solutions (Farm/Producer Representative) (New)

Mr. Edwin Kitzes, Land Grant Director, United Tribes Technical College (1994 Tribal College Representative) (New)

Dr. Natasha Mast, Associate Professor, Texas A&M University – Kingsville (Hispanic Serving Institution Representative) (New)

Dr. Jane Schuchardt, Organic Farmer, Schuchardt Farms (Farm/Producer Representative) (New)