Vicki Needham: Advocating for Farmers Across the State
Hello, my name is Vicki Needham and I am a board member for Kansas Rural Center (KRC). I’m happy for this opportunity to share about myself, my work and my time on the board with KRC. First things first, I’m a mom of one girl and one boy, and a stepmom to three boys in England. This year was especially exciting because both of my kids got married, growing our family by two new members.
My husband came to the U.S. on a K-1 Visa (the “90 Day Fiancé” visa), which makes our story a little unique in social circles. I work for a nonprofit that administers the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Section 167, better known as the National Farmworker Jobs Program. In my role, I help displaced or underemployed farmworkers find full-time, permanent positions—or get the training they need to qualify for them. These jobs don’t have to be in agriculture directly, though many are in industries that support it. For example, many of my clients train in Agricultural Equipment Technology so they can service the machinery farmers rely on. I cover 23 counties in north-central and northeast Kansas, which means I travel often and get to enjoy the state’s beautiful landscapes. Over my 31.5 years with SER Corporation, I’ve also had the opportunity to serve other regions, including northwest and south-central Kansas.
I’m from Great Bend, Kansas, a farming and oil community. Growing up, I was aware of agriculture all around me, I didn’t pay much attention to it since neither of my parents worked in that field. I went on to college, earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, and became a certified teacher. However, before I began teaching, SER Corporation reached out to me because of my education background and the fact that I had also studied Spanish. They encouraged me to apply, and after the interview and job offer, my parents asked, “What are you doing with this job?” My honest reply was, “I don’t know—something with agriculture.”
I learned so much about agriculture and farmworkers in the first year of my employment at SER Corporation and this job that I took as a resume builder quickly became my passion. I fell in love with the clientele that I was working with. The farmworkers that I was meeting and working with inspired me to learn more about their backgrounds. They have inspired me with their work ethic, love for agriculture, and desire to support the agricultural industry in many different ways.
The longer I work for SER Corporation, the more I learn about the environment, agriculture and food systems. It has been a learning experience as the program has been funded through a variety of acts. At the heart of all the grants are the people that do the work for wages in agriculture. I have learned about some of the hardships that can go with the positions. At one point in time, I was a certified trainer for pesticide usage and safety. That experience opened my eyes to even more of some of the hidden dangers that surround agriculture. The more I learn about the farming community, the more I love helping the farmworkers, many who become farm owners themselves.
This work has also opened me up to travel through my national conferences and many contacts that I have kept over the years. Through these opportunities I have learned about other aspects of agriculture that typically are not seen around Kansas due to our climate.
Kansas, at its roots, is a farming community. We’re known as the Wheat State—the breadbasket of the country. I get to drive across the state and watch the crops grow, taking in the beauty of the industry while helping to support it. One of my favorite parts of the job is seeing my clients’ eyes light up when they talk about the work they’ve done with crops or animals. Most of my clients are between 18 and 24 years old (though not all), which means I get to work with some of the best of today’s youth—young people who were raised with manners and a strong work ethic. It’s inspiring to watch them succeed in the career paths they’ve chosen.
I had worked with Brenda Gutierrez on multiple committees over the years, and she was the one who reached out to me about joining the board—so I guess you could say she’s to blame for my involvement. Thanks, Brenda. Once I joined, I quickly realized how valuable the experience would be. It has given me the opportunity to learn about even more facets of the farming community, many of which I hadn’t been exposed to before. Every meeting and discussion allows me to absorb new information, which I can then share with the other committees and groups I’m involved in across the state. In that way, I get to help spread the mission and work of the Kansas Rural Center beyond just this board, reaching communities all across Kansas.
At the same time, my role works both ways—I can also bring insights, questions, and challenges from those other meetings back to the Kansas Rural Center. This creates a space for collaboration and brainstorming, where we can think about practical solutions to the issues farmers and rural communities are facing. Because I travel so much throughout Kansas, I’m able to see firsthand some of the unique challenges in different regions, and being on this board gives me a platform to share those perspectives while also learning from others who bring their own experiences to the table. I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve and to keep learning, sharing, and supporting the agricultural communities that make Kansas so strong.
Article by Vicki Needham and Charlotte French-Allen