Ag News: Worker Path to Citizenship and After School Programs
**The California Farm Bureau and the National Immigration Forum announced a partnership to support farmers and ranchers wanting to help their employees become U.S. citizens.
The organizations are creating an online portal to encourage eligible workers to apply.
The Farm Bureau will pay for immigration services member farmers and ranchers request on behalf of employees.
The program applies to farm employees who already have legal status but are seeking citizenship and stability in the workforce.
**A new report finds just 11% of America’s rural children are enrolled in an afterschool program.
The report, Spiking Demand, Growing Barriers, is based on a household survey conducted by Edge Research for the Afterschool Alliance.
The number of rural children enrolled in afterschool programs dropped from 13% in 2014, to 11% in 2020.
The new study finds that cost and transportation are significant barriers.
**Boehringer Ingelheim and USDA’s Agricultural Research Service are joining forces to offer veterinary students the opportunity to research diseases that could affect livestock and public health.
The collaboration expands the Boehringer Ingelheim-led Veterinary Scholars Program, which has provided stipends to more than 3,500 veterinary students over 30 years.
The expansion will create opportunities for up to 12 students to spend the summer at one of nine USDA sites working with an ARS scientist on a research project.