Progress report for SVA24-001
Project Information
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech and the School of Agriculture at Virginia State University are strongly committed to collaborating to strengthen Virginia's SARE Professional Development Program to benefit the quality of life of all Virginians. Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, along with SARE Advisory Committee partner organizations, continue to host and sponsor professional development workshops and programs together to build knowledge and educational capacity for sustainable farming and food businesses across Virginia. Ecological soil management, minimizing soil disturbance, cover cropping, community food systems, regenerative grazing, agroforestry, and overall market diversification continue to be core SARE programming areas, while climate-smart farming, cooperative and alliance-oriented business structures, and farm transition are pressing educational needs. Virginia SARE through professional development programming and resources seeks to expand local and regional food system development opportunities and value chain connections for Virginia farmers, food businesses, and communities. Our statewide SARE programming seeks to equitably serve all of agriculture and the diverse expanse of farmers across Virginia by integrating and emphasizing the community, economic, and ecological components of sustainability and viability in rural and urban settings. The 2024 – 2025 outreach goal is to reach through professional development programming at least 750 educators, farmers, and professionals. Virginia Tech SARE anticipates partnering with Virginia's Association for Biological Farming, Virginia Forage and Grassland Council, Virginia Farm to Table, USDA-NRCS, the Agroforestry Regional Knowledge (ARK) network, and the VSU Small Farm Outreach Programming on Virginia SARE educational programming planned in Virginia.
Virginia Tech anticipates the training objectives for 2024 - 2025 will closely align with the previous year's training objectives. However, funding would support travel scholarships ($12,000), honoraria for resource speakers/consultants ($4,800), and educational supplies ($3200).
To increase knowledge of core soil health principles, ecological soil management, agroforestry, and conservation.
To enhance knowledge of regenerative grazing and integrative livestock management for natural resources conservation, direct market channels, and emerging wholesale marketing opportunities.
To improve understanding of the role of Extension and USDA professionals in sustainable community, local, and regional food systems development, and networking.
Virginia will be hosting the 2024 International Soil Tillage Organization Conference. Dr. Mark Reiter of Virginia Tech has requested funds to enable Extension personnel and farmer leaders to attend the conference if possible. Additionally, interest in agroforestry, silvopasture systems, and urban agriculture is growing among Extension personnel and farmers, so Virginia SARE wants to be strategically supportive to leverage professional development opportunities in these interest areas in 2024 - 2025.
Virginia SARE's audience includes Extension Agents (VCE), VSU'sSmall Farm Outreach Program educators, USDA-Farm Service Agency (FSA), USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and Soil and Water ConservationDistrict personnel, non-government organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs), mentor-farmer leaders, and underserved limited resource farmers, landowners, and community leaders, including African‐Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, women, and persons who have limited access to land, labor, and capital regarding sustainable agriculture practices and Southern Region SARE programs and resources.
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Education
Virginia’s SARE’s educational approach in 2024 – 2025 continued to focus on peer-to-peer learning and mentoring with Extension personnel, USDA conservation professionals, and mentor farmer leaders providing leadership for a train-the-trainer model. Virginia SARE continues to encourage the sharing of expertise and experience through storytelling and demonstration. Water management, soil health, cover cropping, climate resilience, and business planning IQ were topics of particular interest this programming year.
Education & Outreach Initiatives
To provide a holistic values-centered approach to professional development programming and outreach to Extension personnel, USDA professionals, and mentor farmer leaders so they can serve all of agriculture and enhance the resilience and sustainability of Virginia's food and farm system from the soil up.
Virginia’s food and farm system directly impacts the survival and viability of farms and farmland; the economic development of rural and urban communities; the care, restoration, and resilience of ecological resources such as soil, pollinator habitat, streams, and watersheds; community nutrition and food security; and the resilience of communities and the state as a whole. The social, economic, environmental, and health impact of Virginia’s food and farm system continues to be profound. Therefore, the professional development of Extension personnel, USDA professionals, and mentor farmer leaders is critical for enhancing the resilience and sustainability of Virginia's food and farming system for present and future generations. Virginia SARE, with its statewide collaboration and educational network with Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, USDA agency partners, and farmer mentor-leaders as advisors, is well-positioned to provide ongoing educational and professional development programming and leadership to cultivate healthier farms and resilient communities as part of an overall resilient, sustainable, viable food and farm system.
In 2024 - 2025, Virginia SARE provided professional development program funds for Extension and USDA-NRCS personnel and farmer mentor-leaders to attend the 2024 International Soil Tillage Organization Conference organized by Dr, Mark Reiter (n=10), VSU's Small Farm Conference (n = 8), the Virginia Association for Biological Farming Conference (n = 12), Virginia Forage and Grassland Council (VFGC) Winter Workshops, the 2024 Virginia Farm to Table Conference (n = 42), the Mid-Atlantic Vegetable Growers Conference (n =4). Each of these events also provided continuing education credits (CEUs) for conservation and nutrient management planning. Water management, soil health, cover cropping, climate resilience, and business planning IQ were topics of particular interest during the 2024 - 2025 programming year.
The two-day 2024 Virginia Farm to Table Conference was attended by 185 people each day. Professional development speakers included Professor Emeritus Dr. David Kohl, Nicole Masters of Integrity Soils, Mr. Elisha Barnes of Pop Son Farm, Farmer Cee of Green Heffa Farm, and farmer-led panel discussions. Additionally, in the wake of Hurricane Helene and a growing number of climatic events in Virginia, Duane Gill, PhD, Professor of Sociology, Virginia Tech, Liesel Ritchie, PhD, Professor of Sociology, Virginia Tech, and Anne Stewart, PhD, Professor of Clinical and School Psychology, James Madison University, had a facilitated conversation with attendees on the emotional and psychological aspects of family and community disaster resilience.
Similarly, Virginia SARE provided over $4,000 in educational books throughout the year to the SARE audience to build professional capacity across the state related to soil health, cover crop systems, ecological weed management, pollinator habitat, and sustainable business development. Specific PDP resource books included Building Soils for Better Crops, Managing Cover Crops Profitably, A Soil Owner’s Manual by Jon Stika, Managing Weeds on Your Farm: A Guide to Ecological Resources, and Building a Sustainable Business.
The thirty episodes of the 4 The Soil: A Conversation podcast were published and promoted on Virginia SARE's social media channels throughout the 2024 - 2025 program year. Podcast guests included Dr. Stuart Grandy of the University of New Hampshire, Rebekah Slabach of VCE/VT CALS, Dale Strickler of Regenerative Wisdom, Bill Patterson of Virginia USDA-NRCS, Dr. Elizabeth Heilman of Wichita State University, Ray Archuleta of the Soil Health Academy, Dr. Heather Coiner of Little Hat Creek Farm, Madelyn Smith of Common Grain Alliance, Ennis and Phil Carter of Social Impact Studios and the FlipCharts, Nicolas Melas of Mill Song Bakery, Robert Waring of Brandon Farms, Tim Ohlwiler of VCE Fauquier County, Dr. Wayne Teel of James Madison University, Nicole Masters of Integrity Soils, Nate Sloan of Bloom Restaurant and Wine Bar, Maureen McNamara Best of the Local Environmental Agriculture Project (LEAP), Mo McGonagle of the Roanoke Foodshed Network, Rick Clark of Clark Land and Cattle and Farm Green Consulting, and Clarenda "Farmer Cee" Stanley of Green Heffa Farms.
Videos created as part of the Soil for Water project funded by USDA-Southern SARE were also shared with Extension personnel, USDA professionals, and farmer mentor leaders as additional professional development resources.
Overall, eleven Virginia farmers, ranchers, and a retired senior extension agent were interviewed to hear and learn about their regenerative grazing and soil health-building systems. Participants included Michael Sands of Bean Hollow Grassfed Farm, Brent and Anne Wills of Bramble Hollow Farm, Sarah Morton and Ralph Morton of Cattle Run Farm LLC, Guille “Gil” Yearwood of Ellett Valley Beef Company, Becky Szarzynski of Ember Cattle Company, Sally Walker and Jason Pall of Glade Road Growing, Jacob Gilley of Heaven’s Hollow Farm, Buck and Amanda “AJ” Holsinger of Holsinger Farms, Leo Tammi of Shamoka Run Farm, Adam Taylor and Elizabeth Spellman Taylor of Singing Spring Farm, and Jerry Swisher Jr. of Swisher Family Farm. Two community storytelling events were organized in person and online to share the experiences and perspectives of farmers and ranchers to increase and improve soil health, climatic resilience, and drought resistance.
Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia State University’s Small Farm Outreach Program, and Virginia Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) established a jointly full-time funded State Program Assistant position for professional development programming across Virginia and educational support for VSU's Small Farm Outreach Program in the Shenandoah Valley region. Marian Dalke was hired for the Virginia SARE position in the fall of 2024. Marian established a good cross-section of contacts and built a solid foundation for educational programming and outreach. Marian engaged with 137 individual farmers and an additional 355 people while staffing Virginia State University’s Mobile Education Unit at the World of Work event at Shenandoah University (October 11, 2024) and the Farm to Table Conference in Harrisonburg (December 7 -8, 2024). A key focus of Marian’s role is to support historically underserved producers, Marian has prioritized language access in the materials and events, which builds on Marian's strong facilitation and Spanish language skills.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Learning Outcomes
Project Outcomes
Virginia SARE at Virginia Tech and Virginia State University continue to collaborate and coordinate with partner organizations for Virginia’s professional development training opportunities to optimize and leverage resources of time and energy wherever possible. The support and creation of short videos of farmers' testimonials and technical clips of farmers' on-farm practices created as part of the USDA-SARE funded Soil for Water project were helpful for wider professional development program outreach and awareness building. Collaboration with the National Center for Appropriate Technology, the Common Grain Alliance, and outreach to more community-based organizations has continued to grow as Virginia SARE's capacity has grown with the addition of Marian Dalke and Peter Coffey as state program assistants.
Face of SARE
Virginia’s SARE program focused its outreach and promotional efforts at the following events and conferences: the 2024 International Soil Tillage Organization Conference, the VSU Small Farm Conference, the 2024 Virginia Farm to Table Conference, the 2025 Virginia Forage and Grassland Council Annual Winter Conference, the 2025 Virginia Association for Biological Farming Conference, 2025 VANTAGE No-Till Alliance Conference, and Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Annual Winter Conference. Additionally, Virginia aims to regularly update the Southern SARE web page with content from Virginia, and increase its online and social media presence through Facebook, Instagram, and contribute to an electronic newsletter developed by Virginia Tech’s Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation and the Virginia Soil Health Coalition. The addition of Marian Dalke and Peter Coffey as State Program Assistants at Virginia Tech and Virginia State University has greatly increased the outreach capacity of Virginia SARE.