University of Kentucky is the first in the South to launch a scholarship fund for LGBTQ+ agriculture students

Seth Riker holds a print of "Ag is for All," an artwork
by Kentucky artist Wylie Caudill, commissioned as a
fundraiser for the scholarship program.

The University of Kentucky's agriculture college has launched a scholarship fund for LGBTQ agriculture students, the first university in the South to do so. The College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment started the LGBTQ Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Fund last year "with the help of a grant from JustFundKY, a non-profit organization that has awarded $520,000 over the last decade to projects supporting LGBTQ communities in every county in Kentucky," Anya Slepyan reports for The Daily Yonder.

Though the fund only recently awarded its first $2,000 scholarship, just the fact that it exists sends a message, said Seth Riker, the college's marketing and communications manager and steward of the fund. "Speaking as a closeted kid who grew up on a rural Kentucky farm, I wanted to create the message I needed 20 years ago: you are not alone, and you belong here," he told Slepyan.

Creating a more inclusive environment for all ag students is both practical and ethical, Riker said: "If we consider the challenges of feeding a growing population in a changing climate, it is inexcusable to have bigotry and ignorance impeding tomorrow’s leaders from stepping into the places they will be needed." The fund "has the potential to inspire other colleges to follow similar paths. Already two other schools have reached out to Riker about establishing a similar fund," Slepyan reports.

The stewards hope to establish an endowment, but for now it's supported by individual donations made through the university's online philanthropy website and fundraiser events like "Drag Me to the Farm," a recent drag-queen brunch at Lexington restaurant Honeywood that raised nearly $10,000.

Honeywood owner Ouita Michel, a James Beard Foundation Award-nominated chef who emphasizes locally grown foods at her restaurants, told Slepyan she was glad to host the fundraiser. "I am interested in promoting agriculture to young people as a career path—hopefully helping a young generation of farmers feel included, seen and important to their communities," Michel said.