Meet William Gaspard, Jr., “Fearless, Relentless, and Unapologetic Advocate for Agriculture”

When asked where he’s from, William Gaspard opens his hand, sticks out his thumb to make his hand look like Louisiana, and points to the top of his palm.

“This is the boot, and this is where I live,” he said.

From Moreauville, a small town about an hour southeast of Alexandria, William Gaspard is in his third year in the agricultural and extension education and evaluation program at LSU College of Agriculture, yet already a senior. By taking two full semesters of college courses at LSU of Alexandria, while still in high school at the Louisiana School for the Agricultural Sciences in Bunkie, Gaspard put himself on the fast track. He will graduate this May and start law school this fall.

Gaspard’s dream is to advocate for farmers, something he’s already doing. By making sure farmers are heard and their needs met, he ultimately wants to protect America’s food supply and make sure the world’s growing population—expected to reach 9 billion by 2050—have enough to eat.

“A threat to farmers is a threat to food security and therefore our national security,” Gaspard said. “We literally have less than 2 million people producing the food and fiber of our world, and unfortunately, they don’t have the best level of representation or respect. It’s really a huge issue. We’re all so concerned about our food, yet so disconnected from farms and farming. That’s why I want to be a fearless, relentless, and unapologetic advocate for agriculture.”

Gaspard knows what it means to fight and overcome great challenges. When he was in fifth grade, his mom became paralyzed from the waist down as the result of a staph infection. She later had spinal reconstruction surgery at LSU Health Shreveport and is now able to walk again. In the meantime, Gaspard experienced the weight of responsibility of caring for a home and family, and then lost his father in a car accident in 2019, just before graduating high school.

Looking out at the cow pasture behind his family home in Moreauville, Gaspard now sees it differently than he did as a younger man.

“Before finding my passion, I’d look out there and think, ‘Cows stink,’ and get really frustrated whenever I got trapped behind a tractor on the road, because they’re always so slow,” Gaspard said. “Now, I see something different. I see the stories, the hands behind the harvest, the countless hours, and the people who have dedicated their whole lives to this industry. It’s not a pretty industry, but the people are proud of what they do, and now I understand how central agriculture is to our lives and how essential is it for us to protect them.”

“ I see the stories, the hands behind the harvest, the countless hours, and the people who have dedicated their whole lives to this industry. ”

“If I’m successful as a lobbyist and lawyer, agriculture is always going to have a seat at the table and farmers are going to be heard,” Gaspard said. “I want to advocate for them, because the saying is true—if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”

Robin Moreau, a beef cattle farmer in Hessmer, Louisiana understands the value of Gaspard’s advocacy:

“William Gaspard is helping us get the word out about the importance of agriculture to everyone,” Moreau said. “Agriculture is the backbone of the United States. Having a strong military and infrastructure is important, but if you can’t feed your people, you become weak. America is as strong as its agriculture, and I appreciate fine young students like William getting involved, getting out there, working hard, and motivating others to make a difference.”

Learn more about William Gaspard:

President’s Millennial Scholar: William J. Gaspard Jr. (LSU Foundation)

William Gaspard Jr.: Advocating for Farmers