PVGA is trying to identify and encourage young growers in the vegetable, potato and berry industries in several ways.
PVGA Scholarships
First, PVGA offers two $1,000 college scholarships each year to a child or grandchild of a PVGA member who is pursuing higher education with the goal of working in production agriculture. These scholarships come from the interest of the Association’s Keystone Fund and are given in memory of Rudolph Grob who served the Association as a Director for 50 years. While the original deadline for these applications was March 31, the deadline for 2017 has been extended to May 31, 2017. The application is available by here. The eligibility criteria are: being a child or grandchild of a PVGA member who has been a member for at least a year; be enrolled in a two-year or four-year degree program; be in good academic standing; and be intent on pursuing a career in the vegetable, potato or berry production industries.
PVGA Young Grower List
Second, if you are 18 to 35 years old OR if you have a son, daughter or grandchild or an employee involved in your farm business between the ages of 18 and 35, please contact PVGA with your/their contact information so we can compile a contact list of members and member family members/employees in that age group. Our current member database does not identify the ages of members, so the Association has no way knowing who falls in that age group. If the contact information includes an email address, we will include that person on the list for the PVGA Update email list. This will provide the person with a weekly or biweekly reminder of the news updates to the PVGA website. It will also enable PVGA to contact these young growers with information about events that are of particular interest to them. Send an email to pvga@pvga.org
PVGA Membership
Third, if you have a son, daughter, grandchild, or employee whose interest in the vegetable, potato, or berry industry you would like to encourage, consider giving them their own PVGA membership. If they are a student, they are eligible to be an Associate member at only $30 per year. If they are not a student, after June 30, a half-year membership is only $27.50 for the rest of 2017 for new members. A PVGA membership of their own provides them with their own subscriptions to the PVGA newsletter, the Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers News, as well as the American Vegetable Grower magazine and the Vegetable Growers News. If they are graduating, a PVGA membership makes a great graduation gift.
PVGA Young Grower Award
Fourth, PVGA is awarding a Young Grower Award each year to a PVGA member who is 35 years old or younger and has been successfully growing vegetables, potatoes, or berries for less than five years while contributing to advancing or promoting the Pennsylvania vegetable, potato or berry industries. The prize for the award is free registration and lodging for the next Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention. Members can nominate themselves or another member who fits the criteria simply by sending a letter or email explaining how the nominee fits these award criteria. Applications for 2017 should be received by November 30, 2017. See more here.
For any of the above opportunities, contact PVGA at pvga@pvga.org.