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Dr. Marion Simon and Louie Rivers Jr. of Kentucky State University’s College of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems, along with several others on the Third Thursday Thing team, accepted the 2013 United States Secretary of Agriculture’s Honor Award on Dec. 11.

The award was presented by Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Jefferson Auditorium in Washington, D.C.
The Third Thursday Thing team received the award for developing and sustaining an educational program that empowers more than 12,000 farmers and positively impacts the quality of life and economic vitality of rural communities.

Considered the most prestigious award given by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, KSU was the only university selected to receive the highly competitive award for enhancing the economic vitality and quality of life in rural America.

Third Thursday Thing is a monthly sustainable agriculture workshop that targets small farmers, beginning farmers and agricultural professionals, including KSU and University of Kentucky researchers, cooperative extension specialists and small farm assistants. Meetings are held on various topics at KSU’s Research and Demonstration Farm in Frankfort, Ky.