(NCCOP), a two-year NC State Extension/NC FarmLink initiative funded by USDA–NRCS. Our work had two aims: first, to help producers and landowners understand and adopt NRCS conservation practices; second, to open clear conservation career pathways for youth.

For producers, we hosted field days, demonstrations, and farm tours, and produced practical educational materials—a mobile producer app, an educational video series for vegetable, livestock, and forestry operations, and a graduate-level research paper identifying barriers and solutions to accessing NRCS programs.

For youth, we spoke at events statewide, built career pathways content into our mobile app, and provided scholarships to opportunities such as Resource Conservation Workshops and the Juntos Summer Institute.

We partnered with organizations across North Carolina to connect people with the right contacts, tools, and next steps to improve conservation statewide.

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This project was supported by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Cooperative Agreement NR243A750003C105. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.