CoBank pledges $100,000 to Alaska Young Fishermen’s Summit
December 11, 2013
907-274-9698
12/11/13
A new $100,000 pledge from CoBank will support the Alaska Young Fishermen’s Summit, a University of Alaska Fairbanks program that provides professional development for young fishermen and those new to the business.
The gift is the largest since the summit’s inception in 2007. Cobank is a cooperative bank serving agribusinesses, rural infrastructure providers and Farm Credit associations throughout the United States. The pledge to UAF is part of a $5 million fund established by the bank to support education and research at land-grant universities nationwide.
“CoBank is a mission-driven lender committed to supporting agriculture and other vital industries throughout rural America,” said Leili Ghazi, CoBank’s western region president, Regional Agribusiness Banking Group. “We believe we have a responsibility to help those who are just starting out in these industries and the young people who will shape the future. In Alaska, where fishing is such an important part of the state’s economy, it makes good business sense for us to support the professional development of the next generation of commercial fishermen.”
This year’s summit is taking place in Anchorage this week. The summit was created by the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program, which is part of the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Sherry Johnson, CoBank corporate communications manager, 303-740-6518, SJohnson@cobank.com.
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