Now Take it to the Farmer

The suspense hung in the air as Professor Aaron Asare of the University of Cape Coast closed the novel cowpea seed presentation and it was time for the National Varietal Release and Registration Centre Committee to decide which varieties to take to the National Seed Council. Everyone shuffled outside the room as the gears behind […]

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Wear Socks, it’s Very Cold

On the first day of school at Nana Ankobea Takyiwa, a bell rang and over 200 primary students gathered in lines by grade level on the grass in front of the classrooms. The teachers went up the steps to stand on the cement walkway, and proceeded to list the school rules that all students should […]

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Background Noise

It was still within my new bedroom. I was as snuggled in as it gets being wrapped in a thin sheet, for the warm night acted as a blanket of its own. My first night at my new home in Asesewa could not have been more tranquil. The three window screens allowed for the room […]

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The Loop De Doops of Life

There I was, sitting in the passenger seat of a small red sedan car, en route to my new home and family for the next couple days in Koforidua, Ghana. As I stared into the dark storm clouds in the distance through the car window, thoughts of excitement and curiosity were flooding my brain. I […]

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Fear is a Liar

Taking a break from packing my bags in preparation for Ghana, I head to an old wooden dock overlooking a pond on a West Texas ranch. I journey there alone to be alone in nature, alone with my thoughts, and to contemplate what will happen over the next few months. I feel a warm Texas […]

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Eight Shades of an AgriCorps Fellow

Although all 8 of us have the same title, we have all had our own unique experiences as AgriCorps Fellows. In the past year we have laughed, cried, been angry, happy, and every other emotion you could ever imagine. We have gone through loss with each other and experienced new life. We have grown, both […]

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I Believe

“I believe in the future of agriculture…” The words were so familiar, but rang out so differently that day. “With a faith born not of words, but of deeds…” The sound from the speakers was scratchy and slightly delayed. “Achievements won by the past and present generations of agriculturalists…” But I didn’t care. “In the […]

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It Takes a Cutlass

I grew up on a farm in southern New Mexico and later, in Arizona. My father has been a vegetable farmer for almost 40 years. He too grew up on a farm, as well as his father before him. When I began to take on my first real responsibilities of irrigating fields, I was around […]

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Liberian Food for the American Soul

I didn’t always love Mama Liberia. And if you asked me now I would probably deny it. But there are moments I catch myself, appreciating the life I’ve curated here, and it has made the growing pains of this journey all worthwhile. Before I board the plan in exactly two months I thought it be […]

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There’s No Better Time Than Right Now

My heart started to race and I could feel the excitement building inside of me as Trent McKnight spoke about AgriCorps to our internship group in Greenfield, Indiana in August of 2016. I had heard about AgriCorps when I was a sophomore at NC State University, and it sat in the back of mind for […]

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