2025 TAF Cohort

Tribal Agriculture Fellowship (TAF) announces its 2025 cohort, naming seven new Fellows joining the program in June. TAF is passionately committed to empowering Native American students pursuing higher education in agriculture, opening doors to new opportunities and inspiring the future leaders of the agriculture industry.

The focus of this new cohort ranges from researching traditional agriculture practices, to contributing to the development of Tribal natural resources, while also studying crucial plant, soil, and animal sciences.

“I am beyond excited to share the next cohort for TAF, whose dedication to Indian Country agriculture will shape the future and empower Tribal Nations through their leadership,” said Nicole DeVon, Executive Director of TAF. “Their work will not only create vital connections but also nurture a generation of leaders who are committed to supporting their communities. TAF's mission is essential in expanding opportunities for Native students, and we are fortunate to build a network that ensures they feel supported every step of the way on their educational journey.”

To read more about our new fellows, read the full press release below.

Wingate High School in Ft. Wingate, NM

The Agriculture Career Day at Wingate High School was created by the Tribal Agriculture Fellowship and BIE Indigenous Food Hubs in collaboration with Wingate staff to incorporate Ag into classroom settings for students over the next 3 years. This provides students with the opportunity to explore real-world careers and gain hands-on exposure to the agriculture industry. By incorporating agriculture into the classroom and creating a pathway for students to engage with professionals in the field, this event bridges the gap between academic learning and career exploration.

This event offered a variety of opportunities for students to explore potential careers in agriculture and to begin integrating agriculture coursework into their classrooms. Students were able to learn from ag extension agencies, natural resource conservation offices, and from local universities in their region to learn more about the possible resources available for pursuing agriculture.

The Ag Career Day was attended by approximately 150 Juniors and Seniors from Wingate High School. In the following survey from Wingate students 73.4% responded with a resounding yes to wanting to attend the ag career day again, with the remaining students saying they may want to attend again. This underscores the potential impact of such events for students early on when they start to consider their future career. Additionally, the range of student interests greatly varied with 32 students out of 79 directly expressing they wish to pursue agriculture in various ag industry fields.

Staff Retreat

Covered planning for the 2025 academic year and helped TAF begin building local contacts for a future TAF student retreat.

American Farm Bureau Conference

TAF attended this with NAAF, and we worked on building potential funder contacts.

Cultivating Career Alliance

TAF met with FFA, AFA, 4-H, and MANNRS to develop future partnerships and opportunities for TAFellows.

TAF Board Meeting

TAF selected the 2025 TAF fellows.

Alliance X

This is an Agriculture Future of America (AFA) event they put on yearly to invite Alumni and Friends of AFA. Nicole DeVon, TAF Executive Director, spoke on a panel titled “Closing the Trust Gap”.

MANNRS

TAF attended The MANRRS 39th Annual Training Conference and Career Expo. This builds connections with those in the industry and allowed TAF to find opportunties for future collaborations for TAFellows.

The Tribal Agriculture Fellowship (TAF) is a non-profit organization committed to empowering Native American students pursuing careers in agriculture. Our organization funds a variety of agriculture degrees at levels ranging from CTE, undergraduate, and graduate.

Through our specialized cohorts, TAF fellows gain valuable professional development opportunities, access to an educational fund, and mentorship from TAF alumni who have successfully navigated the program.

This vital work is made possible through generous community donations and the support of TAF founding funders. To help sustain and expand our efforts, we encourage individuals to consider donating to support the next generation of Native American agricultural leaders.

To learn more about our TAF fellows, follow us on social media or visit our website at TAFFellows.org