84th annual Professional Agricultural Workers Conference kicks off in Montgomery
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA) – Agricultural leaders from across the nation are gathering in Montgomery as the 84th annual Professional Agricultural Workers Conference kicks off at the Renaissance Hotel downtown.
First established in 1942, the event continues its long-standing mission of advancing equity, innovation, and leadership within the agricultural industry.
Among the national figures attending is Devon Westhill, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), who is serving as a keynote speaker for the event.
Ahead of his address, Westhill toured Tuskegee University as part of the USDA’s ongoing initiative to strengthen partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
During his visit, he met with students, faculty, administrators, and Tuskegee University President Dr. Mark Brown.
“Those institutions have a very unique and long-standing legacy relationship with the USDA and what we want to do is strengthen that,” says Westhill. “So we’re sending senior executive leadership down here to talk with students to talk with administrators to talk with faculty and to have the opportunity to talk with President Brown earlier today as well about how we can strengthen those relationships.”
Westhill highlighted significant financial commitments made to minority-serving institutions in recent years, noting that Congress has allocated more than $500 million in additional funding for HBCUs.
“There’s been a lot of historic investment in the last couple of years,” says Westhill. “And historically black college and universities have been given, in fact, over a half a billion dollars in additional funding that Congress above and beyond has allocated and I want to make sure that I’m bringing that message.”
The conference will continue throughout the week in downtown Montgomery, featuring workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities for agricultural professionals nationwide.
