New Mexico-based agricultural businesses may now apply for internship funding through the New Mexico Department of Agriculture Agricultural Workforce Development Program.
The AWD Program aims to create opportunities for young and beginning farmers and ranchers, including students, to gain work experience in agriculture that can turn into careers and thus support New Mexico’s agricultural future. The program provides incentives to New Mexico agricultural businesses to hire interns.
An “agricultural business” is defined in the New Mexico Agricultural Workforce Development Program Act as a business of food or agricultural nature, including agriculture production or processing. Examples of agricultural businesses eligible to participate in the AWD Program include—but are not limited to—farms and ranches; facilities at which raw agricultural commodities are processed into finished products; and food and beverage manufacturing facilities.
NMDA will reimburse participating agricultural businesses up to 50% of the actual cost to employ the intern(s), not to exceed $15,000 per intern. A business may hire up to three interns in one year, and the internship must consist of at least 130 hours.
For more information about the AWD Program, please visit the NMDA website at bit.ly/43MDMGl, email [email protected] or call NMDA at 575-646-2642.
