USDA Stands Up New Team to Better Serve Beginning Farmers and Ranchers in the US Virgin Islands

Contact: Janet.wright@usda.gov

Gainesville, Florida, August 7, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is standing up a new team that will lead a department-wide effort focused on serving beginning farmers and ranchers.

To institutionalize support for beginning farmers and ranchers and to build upon prior agency work, the 2018 Farm Bill directed USDA to create a national coordinator position in the agency and state-level coordinators for four of its agencies – Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Risk Management Agency (RMA), and Rural Development (RD).

Katrina Moseley (katrina.moseley@usda.gov) was selected as the USDA Beginning Farmer Rancher state coordinator in the US Virgin Islands. Katrina is the US Virgin Islands Multi-Family Housing Program Director for USDA Rural Development. She has been with Rural Development for 11 years, starting in the Lake City, FL Area Office and later transitioning to the State Office in Gainesville. She and her husband were on the Florida Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer and Rancher Committee from 2016-2018 and she is the Chair of the Columbia County Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee. She and her husband, as well as their twin girls, own and operate a beef cattle and hay farm in Columbia County, Florida.

Others on the team coordinating USVI’s beginning farmers and rancher efforts include, Janet Wright (janet.wright@usda.gov), Outreach Coordinator with FSA; Julie Wright (julie.wright@usda.gov), Outreach Coordinator with NRCS; and Jon Deal (jon.deal@usda.gov), Risk Management Specialist with RMA. This is a collateral duty for all team members.

Each state coordinator will receive training and develop tailored beginning farmer outreach plans for their state. Coordinators will help field employees better reach and serve beginning farmers and ranchers and will also be available to assist beginning farmers who need help navigating the variety of resources USDA has to offer.

More on Beginning Farmers

Thirty-five percent of USVI farmers were categorized as new and beginning producers, with 10 years or less of experience in agriculture, according to the 2018 USVI Census of Agriculture.

USDA offers a variety of farm loan, risk management, disaster assistance, and conservation programs to support farmers, including beginning farmers and ranchers. Additionally, a number of these programs have provisions specifically for beginning farmers, including targeted funding for loans and conservation programs as well as waivers and exemptions.

More Information

Learn more about USDA’s resources for beginning farmers as well as more information on the national and state-level coordinators at farmers.gov/newfarmers. For more information on available programs in your area, contact your local USDA Service Center.