2025 Model State Program - Program Assistant for Virginia State University

Commodities

Practices

Virginia SARE is a collaborative effort between Virginia State University (VSU) and Virginia Tech (VT). SARE at VSU focuses on providing train-the-trainer opportunities for educators in agriculture and natural resources (ANR) who help small-scale farmers, especially the undeserved farmers. VSU SARE in general provides travel scholarships, offers mini-PDP grants, sponsors field days and workshops, organizes sustainable agriculture tours, and provides SARE publications of various formats to educators engaged in sustainable agriculture. In the 2025/26 fiscal year, VSU SARE will offer competitive scholarships for educators to receive sustainable agriculture trainings and mini-PDP grants for applied research and demonstrations, with a focus in the areas of specialty crops production, soil health, urban agriculture, and market diversification. These scholarships will cover event registration and travel expenses. Educators at all levels of expertise may apply for the scholarship towards training that best addresses the needs in their service regions/counties. VSU SARE will consider scholarship applications for both in-state and out-state training including professional tours and visits. Possible training opportunities include, but not limited to, those offered by Virginia Biological Farming Association, Future Harvest, University of Maryland Eastern Shore Small Farm Program, American Forage & Grassland Council, Mid-Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable Convention, SOWTH, and Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. VSU SARE will also sponsor sustainable agriculture field days and workshops taking place on VSU's Randolph Farm and participating farms. The VSU SARE Program Assistant will assist the SARE Coordinator in all activities stated above for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and help with program evaluation and reporting.

The objectives of VSU 2025 Model State Program continue to be the professional development for educators and educational outreach regarding sustainable agricultural practices reflected in Southern Region SARE programs, training programs from partner agencies (e.g., NRCS, FSA, SWCD, Farm Credit), and other planned events by sustainable agriculture organizations.

Much of the efforts will be concentrated on offering scholarships for SARE-defined agricultural educators to attend in-state or out-state training. We plan to offer scholarships to 19 educators with a focus on educational programs around specialty crop production, soil health, urban agriculture, climate smart technologies, and farm-to-table connections in the food systems, which support underserved audiences and increase the knowledge and visibility of SARE's grants and programs.

We plan to sponsor ten educators participating in the 10-week long Urban Ag. Certificate program offered by VSU Extension Specialist, Dr. Leonard Githinji.

We will also offer six mini-grants to extension educators, who will conduct demonstrative and applied research projects addressing practical problems in their service region. Extension educators in counties often lack resources for this kind of project.

Additional effort will be made on engaging mentor farmers in sustainable agriculture practices during the Randolph Farm Day at Virginia State University. Through this effort approximately 75 mentor farmers and 125 regular farmers, including beginning farmers, will be exposed to practices such as high tunnel crop production, sustainable grazing systems, efficient irrigation practices, and SARE programs in Virginia. Many nearby Extension agents and Small Farm Outreach Program Assistants regularly attend the Farm Day. Similar efforts will be made to sponsor VSU's annual ginger workshop and field day for training of 60 agricultural professionals.