SVA17-001 Model State Program

Virginia’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program continues to emphasize peer-to-peer learning and training around soil health, cover cropping systems, and farm-to-table connections to find and build common ground around key sustainable agriculture principles and practices. The Virginia SARE Advisory Committee realizes Virginia has made significant progress in promoting and raising awareness around soil health and cover cropping but Virginia SARE still needs to focus on train-the-trainer experiences and building the capacity of trainers more intensively and extensively. The goal would be to encourage innovative partnerships and expand the educational outreach of key sustainable agriculture principles through ongoing training around common themes. In 2017 – 2018, Virginia SARE provided professional development training related to soil health and cover cropping systems for Extension educators, USDA professionals, and mentor farmer-leaders by providing travel scholarships and conference registration support to the 2017 Virginia Farm to Table Conference, the 2018 Virginia Association for Biological Farming Conference, and the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Conference.   

Virginia participants received 24 hours of professional development related to soil health and cover crops. New networks and relationships were strengthened through conversations at the conference workshops. Similarly, Virginia SARE helped to shape the Voices from the Field and Practical Applications of Soil Health tracks offered at the 2017 Virginia Farm-to-Table Conference and provided educational support so 42 educators and practitioners could learn from featured speakers such as Dr. Robin 'Buz' Kloot of the University of South Carolina's School of Public Health who shared Five Big Soil Ideas in 60 Minutes and Questioning the Organic/ Conventional Dichotomy. Additionally, people learned from mentor farmers Danny Boyer of the Blue Ridge Plateau Initiative, J.P. Pall of Glade Road Growing, and Amanda and Buck Holsinger of Holsinger Homeplace Farms.

Virginia SARE exhibited at the December 2017 Farm to Table Conference. Over 100 attendees visited the exhibit and took SARE jump drives full of the SARE resource books and bulletins home. The SARE publications were discussed and were of great interest to producers in attendance. Eighty copies of SARE publication, Building Soils for Better Crops, were provided to Virginia Cooperative Extension Agents, NRSC agents, and other trainers in attendance as their primary reference on soil health.

Another key training venue for educators and champions of soil health and cover cropping systems was the Virginia Association for Biological Farming’s 2018 Annual Conference and the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Conference. Six agents and the SARE Program Assistant attended the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Conference. Four were sponsored by SARE. Virginia SARE recognizes a need to bring research-based education to the forefront in sustainable agriculture programs offered across Virginia. Many of our farmers are vegetable and small fruit producers and are struggling to put together the right combination of tools to grow a quality crop. Researchers at this conference share organic production tools that aid in producing a quality product. Next year, we hope to encourage more producers to attend this conference. The thought is to pair an agent with a producer and provide a scholarship to defray the registration cost. Participants learned about soil health and organic production of fruits and vegetables under high and low tunnel situations.

Virginia has two land-grant universities, Virginia Tech and Virginia State with faculty and students that work on sustainable agriculture education and related projects through Virginia Cooperative Extension. We also have numerous partnering organizations that offer educational programming in areas related to sustainable agriculture and environmental quality. At times, it seems that the right-hand does not know what the left is doing and our reach to farmers across the State seems limited. The Virginia SARE Advisory Committee has made a concerted effort to improve communication and raise awareness of ongoing sustainable agriculture-related research activities and educational events across Virginia. The Advisory Committee suggested a calendar be created to promote and reflect agriculture programming across the State offered by Virginia SARE or in partnership with Virginia Cooperative Extension and its partners. A Google calendar of programs was created and is sent weekly to Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agents, and county office administrative assistants across the State, as well as shared on the Virginia SARE Facebook page. Virginia State University maintains an agriculture calendar and the information is also posted on the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Calendar that appears on the CALS Homepage. Below is a sample of the events shared electronically through Google groups and social media sites.

Virginia SARE also communicated with recent grant recipients to see how we can assist in promoting their research and educational events. Virginia Tech and Virginia State University also want to make sure their faculty and students are aware of existing grant opportunities through SARE and are actively pursuing applicable grant programs. The Universities also want to ensure Virginia farmers and communities are actively engaged in potential grant programs as well and the opportunities are being leveraged when possible.  

To cultivate conversations about health, wealth, sustainability, and equity in the food system through better farm to table connections, the 2017 Virginia Farm to Table Conference featured speakers Diane Imrie, director of nutrition services, University of Vermont Medical Center; Jack and Anne Lazor, of Butterworks Farm; Elnian Gilbert, of ZingTrain and Zingerman’s Community of Businesses; Shorlette Ammons, of North Carolina State University’s Center for Environmental Farming Systems; Tim Woods, of the University of Kentucky; Andrew Mefferd, of Growing for Market and author of the Greenhouse and Hoophouse Handbook; Robin ‘Buz’ Kloot, of the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health; and other panelists. The two-day conference was attended by 205 people on Day 1 and 190 on Day 2. The conference provided interdisciplinary food system-related training to 42 Extension and USDA-NRCS professionals and 56 representatives from non-profit organizations and state agencies. Participants were able to attend five different concurrent tracks where the topics covered ranged from technical and experiential tips for sustainable agriculture production and market development to inspiring stories of regional cooperation for food justice and equity. The educational event provided three hours of in-depth training on market readiness to 12 Extension educators, USDA personnel, lending officers, and farmer mentor-leaders at the Virginia Farm-to-Table Conference. For people interested farm-to-hospital initiatives, Diane Imrie of the University of Vermont Health System provided 3-hours of training and sharing of her experience. 

As an example, Elnian Gilbert, of Zingtrain and Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, offered multiple sessions on visioning and the art of giving great service for hospitality, community, and agricultural service providers. Relevant across industries, these sessions discussed the importance of better serving customers, clients, and colleagues by incorporating the art of giving great service principles into the culture of the organization. Several USDA-NRCS personnel shared how insightful the visioning and customer service principles on a personal and professional level and how they plan to incorporate the training into their work environment.

Gaining leverage and retaining a position in intermediated market channels such as restaurants, specialty retail stores, and grocery stores continues to be a challenge for Virginia's small and mid-sized farms and food entrepreneurs, Tim Woods of the University of Kentucky specifically provided instruction on ways to enhance market readiness and growing your niche in the marketplace.

Shorlette Ammons of North Carolina's Center for Environmental Farming Systems shared her work experience in addressing equity and racial justice in the food system and how to engage diverse audiences and peoples of color as part of food system planning training. Andrew Mefferd of Growing for Market and author of the Greenhouse and Hoophouse Handbook provided three hours of training on season extension and greenhouse production at the conference and additional 6 hours as part of a post-conference community workshop for farmers to go deeper on the topic. Other conference instruction included discussion on the Future of the Agricultural Workforce, Fostering Hope Together, Scaling Up, and Online and Electronic Resources.

Another key component of the professional development training was on farm-to-school and farm-to-university initiatives to work at organizational and behavioral change at an institutional level. As part of this effort, Virginia SARE partnered with Harrisonburg City Public Schools to have their Mobile Cafe available for a tour in the late afternoon and evening.

In January 2018, the Virginia Association for Biological Farming (VABF) put on the 19^th annual Virginia Biological Farming Conference at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia.  Participation for the winter gathering totaled nearly 400 attendees with 46 exhibitors and staff as well as our 14 conference sponsors and was a huge success.  Pre-conference workshops were extremely popular this year, with 82 attendees spread between the 5 sessions offered.

Virginia SARE manned an exhibit at the Virginia Biological Farming Association’s Annual Conference in January. Over a two-day period, the SARE exhibit was visited by over 200 people. SARE resources were shared with farmers and with those who work with farmers. The exhibit started conversations about soil health and farmer/public education about soil and water. A large percentage of the producers visiting the booth were in their twenties and thirties. As part of this conference, Cyndi Marston Virginia SARE's Education Support Specialist and State Program Assistant spent a day with women producers and heard them express the need for an educational setting apart from men to be taught topics like basic farm mechanics, tractor safety, trailer hauling, cattle working, etc. SARE shared these insights and sentiments with Extension agents and a Women in Agriculture Gathering that was held in March.