August 2, 2025
Kendall Rae Johnons is the youngest USDA certified farmer at 10-years-old and was named the USDA Youth Ambassador.
Kendall Rae Johnson is the youngest USDA-certified farmer in the United States, and at ten years old, she received a full scholarship to South Carolina State University.
The young farming ambassador visited South Carolina State’s Research and Demonstration Farm. Johnson toured labs, participated in hands-on robotics sessions, and met university leaders who were impressed by her focus and maturity, the university revealed in a press release.
That visit culminated in a surprise announcement from University President, Alexander Conyers, who awarded her the 1890 Agriculture Innovation Scholarship and praised Johnson’s mature endeavors. The award is valued at approximately $83,500 and covers full tuition, fees, room, and board.
“We were genuinely inspired by Kendall Rae’s focus and maturity,” Conyers said. “It’s not every day you meet a 10-year-old who talks about microorganisms, crop counts, and longhorn cattle. She’s remarkable.”
Johnson was pleased about the praise. Her father commented on his excitement to support his daughter in her agricultural journey.
“We just said we’d support any idea our child had when we saw real active focus. She zeroed in on plants and wanting to grow things, so we just stuck behind it, and when we realized she wasn’t veering off into any other thing, we just kept building it up.”
Johnson began her agricultural journey at age 3, inspired by her great-grandmother.
The matriarch warned Johnson about food conservation. She also shared the basics of gardening.
“Don’t throw that collard-green stem away—put it back in the dirt,” she recalled her grandmother saying.
By age six, she obtained her farming tract ID, making her the youngest certified farmer nationwide. Today, she works on her family-run urban farm ,aGROWKulture. Based in Southwest Atlanta, she grows everything from tomatoes to honey, and leads educational workshops for young people.
As a USDA National Urban Agriculture Youth Ambassador, Kendall Rae is touring 1890 land-grant colleges. So far, she’s visited Virginia State, Tennessee State, and Prairie View A&M to promote sustainable agriculture, financial literacy, and youth leadership in farming.
Johnson is also the author of a children’s book, My Farm Biz. Additionally, she operates a nonprofit, Kendall Rae’s Green Heart. She offers agricultural education to people around her community.
Though only ten years old, Johnson has a strong vision for her future.
“I want at least 100 acres,” she said. “And a longhorn, baby.”
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