mano-Y-ola believes in supporting the future of agriculture through the talent development of Hispanic students in two distinct internship programs. Our company’s partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has directed our growth in the field of talent development. We first started the talent development program in 2018 with our Travel Internship where we placed college students in various NRCS field offices. During this Travel Internship, our interns spent their summers gaining valuable work experience and exposure to the world of agriculture. Since that year, we have hosted annual summer Travel Internships, and in 2020, we expanded to include a virtual internship in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Virtual Internship, interns complete a curriculum developed by our company designed to educate them on the basics of natural resource conservation, data and entrepreneurship, leadership, and how to navigate the professional world as young future conservationists. 

Building a successful approach to enhance USDA-NRCS's Hispanic outreach and increasing the agency's bilingual, professional talent pool are two endeavors that mano-Y-ola knows how to do well. Our priority is to extend the agency across Hispanic communities, counties, and states. Internships at mano-Y-ola give students a unique opportunity to make connections with USDA-NRCS offices, opening doorways to potential, future employment.