Breakout Session Presentation: TA Grants Help Districts.pptx
•Download as PPTX, PDF•
0 likes•3 views
From the 2022 NACD Annual Meeting. Conservation districts, RC&D councils, state/territory associations and agencies, tribal organizations and others have used NACD Technical Assistance (TA) grants for the last four years to address the needs of the producers and forest owners they serve. Helping their clients is really the only commonality between the different groups that receive funding. During this session we will hear from three TA grant recipients on how they are addressing their local needs with a TA grant.
Recommended
Recommended
More Related Content
Similar to Breakout Session Presentation: TA Grants Help Districts.pptx
Similar to Breakout Session Presentation: TA Grants Help Districts.pptx (20)
More from National Association of Conservation Districts
More from National Association of Conservation Districts (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Breakout Session Presentation: TA Grants Help Districts.pptx
- 1. Cachuma Resource Conservation District NACD TA Grants Help Districts Help their Clients NACD Annual Meeting Feb. 14, 2022
- 2. The service area of the Cachuma Resource Conservation District (CRCD) includes all of Santa Barbara County, including the Channel Islands (1,775,360 acres). It also includes those parts of San Luis Obispo County that are within Santa Maria and Cuyama Valleys (157,380 acres) and a small portion of southwestern Kern County (8,960 acres). Cachuma Resource Conservation District
- 3. Agriculture and Land Use in Santa Barbara County • Top 10 crops in 2020 • Strawberries, Cauliflower, broccoli, nursery products, wine grapes, avocado, leaf lettuce, head lettuce, celery, blackberries • Land Use: • ~715,000 acres are in agriculture • Over 50% of the County is federal land (Los Padres National Forest) • 85% of farms are under 500 acres, 77% are under 180 acres • 17% of land in the County is irrigated acreage, 64% is range Stats from: Santa Barbara County Crop Report, NASS
- 4. NACD Technical Assistance Grant Population of Santa Barbara County: 448,229 (46% of the population is Hispanic) Out of the 2,773 producers in the County, 416 are Hispanic (15% as of 2017) • Since 2013 CRCD did not have the ability to outreach to the Spanish speaking growers in our County • The need was identified within the RCD and with our NRCS partner to provide services to the Spanish speaking growers in our District • No staff: All irrigation and nutrient related work was done though consultants/neighboring RCDs • In 2019, through the NACD TA Grant, CRCD hired our Bilingual Outreach and Water Resources Specialist • Spanish outreach • Irrigation Evaluations • Nutrient Management trainings Stats from: NASS, 2020 Census
- 5. Achievements Aug 2019- Dec 2021 • Irrigation Evaluations Completed: 39 (17 written in Spanish) • Presentations/radio interviews in Spanish: 7 • Irrigation Management and Soil Nitrate Quick Test Trainings (in person and virtual) • Site visits: 200+ • EQIP: 12 applicants & assistance with outreach support for NRCS • Providing resources from partners and on funding opportunities
- 6. Lessons Learned in the Field With this grant we are now able to assist all growers and become one resource stop for all to get assistance. We have heard from many growers that say that we are the only agency that comes to their fields on a regular basis or even a phone call just to check up on how is everything going on with their operation. Connecting with growers is the first step, but gaining trust is key. This can be done by just saying hello with a site field visit or quick phone call letting growers that your available to work with them. Putting the effort in knowing the grower as a client. Once you start gaining the growers trust you become a reliable source for any questions or concerns about their farm operation.
- 7. What we’re hearing from growers “With this pandemic we were struggling financially and you were the only person that came and help us in applying for the different programs that were available.” “In previous years there was no one available to assist us and with the assistance you have provided we were able to apply for different grants and programs available.” “You are always available to assist us and willing to help us with whatever we have questions about, from the simplest to most complicated situations.” “In this time of need, we are grateful for the assistance you guys have provided. If it wasn’t for you guys we would have reduce our operations to half of our acreage, and if we seek other companies or agencies, we have to pay for the services in order to get some help.” “You guys are a good resource of information to have, always helping us with information and really sharing all the resources that are available for us to apply for.”
- 8. Cachuma Resource Conservation District Anna Olsen Executive Director aolsen@rcdsantabarbara.org 805-868-4013
Editor's Notes
- Intro Outline for presentation: 1. Setting of District & County demographics Need for TA Grant Achievements Lessons Learned and what we’re hearing
- Our District is located primarily in Santa Barbara County, on the southern central coast of CA.
- We grow a variety of crops in our county, row crops, orchards, vineyards, rangeland. We have a large portion of our county in National Forest, we also have Vandenberg Space Force Base (lots of Federal land) While we do have the large corporate farms in the county, we also have a lot of small independent farmers on leased land $1.8 billion in total gross production value (not including cannabis, estimated production value of $194 mil)
- Santa Barbara County has a significant Spanish speaking agricultural population. Prior to 2013, we did have Spanish speaking employees on the RCD team, but in 2013 the RCD restructured resulting in the ED as the only employee of the District and then hiring contractors and consultants to help implement projects. During this time the RCD and the NRCS did not have bilingual staff to outreach and provide services to the Spanish speaking community. In 2019 with the NACD TA grant we were able to hire on a Bilingual Outreach and Water Resources Specialist, who actually was previously on staff with the RCD until 2013. The goal of the TA grant is to provide Spanish outreach and irrigation evaluations/management resources and nutrient management trainings.
- We hired Misael in Aug 2019 and here you can see some of the achievements he has accomplished so far. Even with assistance from our neighboring RCDs prior to Misael’s re-hire, we were unable to provide Spanish assistance.
- If you have the ability to hire someone working with the underserved community already, there is trust already developed with that person, therefore we are not coming in from the outside Something as simple as a phone call can help build the trust of a community your RCD may not have engaged with in the past. I realize this takes time and not everyone one has staff able to take this time, but that is what is great about the TA grant. I am a staff of 1 full time employee (me), I do not have time or ability (very poor Spanish skills), but we were leaving whole communities without assistance & the RCD Board understood we were not serving all within our District. So even though the Board was hesitant about hiring more staff, hiring Misael was critical to providing our services to all.
- Here a just a few things of what we have heard from those we’ve now been able to assist.