Delaware County Community Partnership supports the next generation of agriculturalists across Delaware County, Oklahoma, through its Raising Native Producers: Youth Livestock Program. Working in partnership with three local FFA programs, the project expands students’ access to agricultural education. Participants raise and manage supervised livestock projects while learning animal husbandry, budgeting, recordkeeping, and how to read livestock market reports and price trends, building the practical business skills behind a working operation. To remove barriers to participation, the organization’s Native Youth Livestock Assistance Fund helps cover livestock, feed, veterinary care, and essential supplies, and provides stipends to the participating agriculture programs.
By pairing hands-on instruction with financial literacy, capital readiness, and family engagement, the program ensures youth are not only engaged in agriculture but are building the skills, documentation, and support systems they need to access agricultural capital and sustain long-term participation in food and agricultural systems.
