A dozen houses, wrapped in Christmas glitter and full of merchandise for sale, will help send bankrupt farmers back to school.
The Christmas-decorated parade of homes in Fargo, North Dakota, is one effort to raise funds for the state university’s Alternative Career Program for Experienced Farmers and Ranchers.
The two-year-old program was started in response to the agricultural crisis affecting producers in the northern plains of the United States. Low prices, extensive floods and localized droughts are taking their toll on farmers.
“We looked at how we can take a role in the recovery,” said Jim Venette, of the North Dakota State University’s college of agriculture. Financially stressed farmers told the college they needed training to help them leave farming and find jobs in agriculturally related businesses.
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Program graduates will find jobs in what Venette calls near-agriculture – chemical companies, consultancy and value-added businesses. The program lets them refresh their skills if they already have a degree, or learn more about technology and modern agribusiness.
“We cover the tuition so they would not be faced with that hardship,” said Venette.
The scholarships of up to $5,500, raised by private donations and money from NDSU’s budget, only cover academic expenses. The farmers must pay their room and board while studying 12 to 15 months at the Fargo campus.
While about 40 farmers initially expressed interest in the program, only four have enrolled. The college discovered this is because people don’t want to leave their communities. Farmers told the college that they want to stay with their support system, their part-time employment and their families.
“We needed to find ways to deliver our program to them,” Venette said. “We’ve had a big boost for distance education, putting some courses on-line. We want to increase the robustness of our courses. The computer science department agreed to do more training for us.”
But Venette does not want to become a “virtual university.” He said there is less vitality and creativity if students can’t interact with other people to exchange ideas and experiences.
“It’s a living program. We’re learning as we go.”
Venette isn’t sure if Canadians can access the course because it receives American subsidies.
But, he said, “we’re certainly open to international collaboration.”
He can be contacted at 701-231-8790.
