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NRCS and VSU Embark on Outreach Partnership to Reach Small Farmers
Group photo of VSU
administrators, faculty and staff
with NRCS representative Ray Dorsett and the two outreach
coordinators (Photo by
Pat Paul) |
Under a new partnership agreement with
Virginia
State University (VSU), NRCS has hired two outreach coordinators to
increase participation by small, limited resource, and historically
underserved farmers in NRCS Farm Bill Programs. These individuals
will be housed in Virginia Cooperative Extension offices and working
in communities to establish one-on-one connections with producers
and growers.
NRCS has partnered with VSU for many years. During the 1990's, we
collaborated on establishing a Water Quality Center of Excellence at
Randolph Farm. In 2009, NRCS made grants available to centers of
excellence across the country. VSU was one of four universities awarded
such a grant. The grant provides funding for two outreach coordinators,
farmer meetings, workshops, and on-farm demonstrations.
The coordinators are NRCS term employees
who have been on the job since mid-February. They will be working in
23 counties stretching south from Culpeper County to Franklin County
and east to Southampton County. Jim Schroering is based in the
Hanover County Cooperative Extension office and Barry Hughes is
working out of the Lawrenceville office.
Each is expected to meet several goals
before his term position expires in September:
- Make 48 new contacts per month
- Identify one demonstration farm
within his area
- Organize one regional workshop
- Recommend one farmer for a
Minority Landowner Magazine feature
The
coordinators will also be working closely with VSU Small Farmer Agents, who
will be helping them make contacts and inviting them to participate in
joint activities.
Meet
the Outreach Coordinators
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Third Annual USDA Outreach Conference Sets High Mark
Dinwiddie DC Anthony
Howell shares program information with a conference
attendee. (Photo by Pat Paul.) |
The 3rd Annual USDA Outreach Conference,
held at Virginia State University on March 18, was a rousing success with
high attendance and positive feedback from a diverse group of Virginia
farmers, rural businesses and community leaders. Co-hosted by USDA and VSU, the conference featured panel discussions, breakout sessions, and
agency displays. VSU President Eddie Moore, Jr., introduced USDA Deputy
Secretary Kathleen Merrigan who served as the event's keynote speaker
and highlighted a multitude of available USDA resources.
Breakout sessions covered such diverse
topics as "Organic/Selling Fresh Products Locally," Energy
Efficiency/Bio-Energy - New Enterprise Opportunities for Farmers," and
"Conservation Strategies for Small Farmers and Forest Landowners." Ray
Dorsett, Assistant State Conservationist for Operations, and Wade Biddix,
Assistant State Conservationist for Programs, both provided presentations
to event attendees. Acting State Conservationist Vicky Drew participated
in the afternoon grant writing presentations.
The conference
has evolved from the first meeting in 2008 with the number of
participants increasing from 150 to over 300 this year. NRCS staffers
made numerous contacts at the meeting and helped educate growers about
our services. Though evaluation forms are still being tabulated, many
positive comments from participants and agency officials have been
received. "When a grower from
Southwest Virginia is willing to take a day off, travel 150 miles, come
to hear and become engaged in one-on-one conversations with USDA agency
staff, fill his/her bag with publications and relevant sources of
information, network with other growers, and then turns around and tells
somebody else, 'This trip was worth it,' then it is fair to conclude
that this conference was successful," says Dr. Jewel Hairston, Associate Administrator of Extension
Programs. |
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Partnerships Key to Success of New Aquaculture Pilot
by Julie Hawkins, Area
III ASTC
ASTC Julie Hawkins
conducts an outreach meeting on the aquaculture pilot. (Courtesy
Photo) |
Virginia NRCS is "testing the waters" by
extending services to shellfish growers. The new Aquaculture pilot
program is available in 2010 under the Chesapeake Bay
Watershed Initiative (CBWI), which traditionally provides funding to eligible
agricultural producers within the watershed to assist with voluntary
implementation of conservation practices. Shellfish growers are now
stakeholders in this effort, because the definition of livestock has been
expanded to include fish and other animals raised by aquaculture.
With no prior experience in the
aquaculture arena, NRCS relied on the expertise of two new partners –
the Virginia Institute of Marine
Science (VIMS) and Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC). Following the innovative lead of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, VIMS
and VMRC provided the technical expertise to develop interim conservation
practice standard 706, Shellfish Aquaculture Management, for use and
adoption in Virginia. Under this interim standard, aquaculturalists
can receive assistance to recycle their grow-out gear to
improve water quality conditions in the Bay.
Water quality is a key resource concern
addressed in the pilot. This quality is compromised through biofouling
as plant matter grows on the gear used to raise oysters and clams. If left unchecked,
this growth will become so thick
that it causes reduced water and oxygen flow to the oysters and clams,
stunting their growth and even causing death. Growers traditionally
bring the gear onboard their boats, powerwash the gear, and replace that
same gear. The biofouled
material then dies and causes anoxic conditions in stream.
VIMS and VMRC have signed agreements to provide the
needed technical expertise to certify that growers implement standard
706 as agreed in their CBWI contract. They have also assisted NRCS
in creating a job sheet to provide growers with an understanding of what
is required to cycle their gear throughout the growing season. VMRC, in
partnership with the Eastern Shore and Tidewater RC&Ds, held two
outreach meetings with 45 shellfish growers, some of which have signed
applications to pursue CBWI contracts with NRCS.
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Cormier Receives Kudos for Outstanding Service
Excerpted from
Nomination Packet
by Kathy Holm, Shenandoah RC&D Coordinator
Lorraine Cormier (Courtesy Photo) |
Lorraine Cormier of the Shenandoah RC&D Office is
living proof that talent and initiative can pay off big. Named Outstanding
Program Assistant by the National Association of RC&D Councils, Cormier
received the prestigious award at the Leadership Forum this month in
Washington, D.C.
Cormier started with the Council shortly after it
received its official designation in 2004 and has been a leader in
developing solutions and processes to benefit both the organization and
the community at large. Though she had no prior knowledge of RC&D
programs, Cormier quickly got to work designing a website and offering
suggestions to streamline operations.
She has been instrumental in suggesting financial
policies and procedures to track grants and expenditures. Cormier has
also taken charge of information and application collection as well as
reporting Earth Team hours to NRCS for Shenandoah RC&D volunteers. In
fact, she was instrumental in the Council being named “Outstanding RC&D”
in 2008.
Cormier loves to learn and is not afraid to try new things. From
mastering new software to participating in Council workshops, she
readily demonstrates her commitment to developing leadership skills and
increasing her conservation knowledge. She serves as the Council’s
official photographer, posting project and event photos for a variety of
audiences. Cormier is actively involved in outreach as well, offering
support to the Waynesboro Farmers Market project last year and
suggestions to enhance the Buy Fresh, Buy Local food guide.
“Lorraine is an exemplary program assistant
because she is so involved in the local community,” says Kathy Holm,
Shenandoah RC&D Coordinator. “She is always willing to lend a hand on
Council projects or administrative activities and never really claims
credit for herself.”
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