This document discusses engaging women landowners in conservation efforts through the use of learning circles. It provides background on women as non-operating landowners and outlines the Women Caring for the Land program which uses peer-to-peer learning circles to educate women landowners on conservation practices. Data is presented showing that 50-70% of women who attend these learning circles report taking conservation actions afterwards, such as speaking to their farmer about practices or implementing new conservation practices on their land. The success of these learning circles in several Midwestern states is discussed. The document concludes by advocating for expanding these efforts nationally to further empower women landowners to adopt conservation practices.
Women own nearly half of Iowa's farmland but are underrepresented in conservation decision making. The author conducted a study with 72 women farmland owners through learning circles and 73 participants through field days to understand barriers and opportunities regarding wetlands conservation. Key findings include gender barriers constraining conservation action, water quality concerns opening opportunities, and the importance of alternative social networks for women landowners. The implications are that addressing gender barriers, supporting new social networks, and leveraging water quality issues could help increase women's involvement in conservation.
PIM Webinar conducted by Cheryl Doss (U of Oxford), Agnes Quisumbing (International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)) and Ruth Meinzen-Dick (IFPRI). More at http://bit.ly/GenderinAgMythsWebinar
This document discusses an outreach plan to promote conservation practices among farmers in the Lower Fox River Watershed. The plan includes field days targeting different audiences, as well as placing signs on fields of farmers implementing conservation practices to encourage social norms around water quality protection. A social impact study will evaluate the effects of the outreach efforts, including interviews with farmers and a social network analysis. Issues in the watershed include high levels of total phosphorus and suspended solids that conservation agriculture aims to help address.
The document summarizes a gender workshop led by Cheryl Simmons from USDA in Pakistan. It discusses how including a gender perspective can make agriculture research and soil fertility programs more effective. Participants were introduced to tools for gender analysis and learned about gender concepts like gender mainstreaming. They also had field visits where different groups identified challenges to agricultural productivity, showing how perspectives can vary by gender. The workshop aimed to more fully recognize women's important role in Pakistan's agriculture sector, where three-fourths of women work.
This document analyzes the effectiveness of farmer networks in Indiana at influencing nitrogen management practices. It summarizes research on two networks involving 250 and 30 farmers respectively. It finds that network farmers are generally younger, more educated and have larger farms than non-network farmers. While network farmers perform more conservation practices, they are primarily motivated by economic factors rather than water quality. The research also found limited evidence that network farmers influence practices of those outside the networks. To be more effective, it suggests networks should focus on reaching farmers needing the most change, through more inclusive and frequent interactions.
Women in Ag, Educational Series in Farm ManagementKim Larson
This document summarizes a six-session educational series for women in farm management. Each session is five hours and covers a different topic, such as agricultural advocacy, FSA/NRCS programs, ag marketing, financial management, lease law, family communication, and farm succession. Participants represented over 13,000 acres of cropland and commented that the program was informative and empowering. They learned about communication, financial tools, lease arrangements, and more. Participants said the program would help them make better management decisions and get more involved in decision making.
This document describes Project Healthy Grandparents, a program run by Georgia State University that provides case management and other services to grandparents raising grandchildren. It notes that 22% of the metro Atlanta population and 23% of the US population is made up of grandparents raising grandchildren. The program serves hundreds of families and thousands of children through social work support, parenting classes, and legal assistance. It aims to help grandparents overcome challenges like financial stress, lack of legal status with grandchildren, and health issues.
Women own nearly half of Iowa's farmland but are underrepresented in conservation decision making. The author conducted a study with 72 women farmland owners through learning circles and 73 participants through field days to understand barriers and opportunities regarding wetlands conservation. Key findings include gender barriers constraining conservation action, water quality concerns opening opportunities, and the importance of alternative social networks for women landowners. The implications are that addressing gender barriers, supporting new social networks, and leveraging water quality issues could help increase women's involvement in conservation.
PIM Webinar conducted by Cheryl Doss (U of Oxford), Agnes Quisumbing (International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)) and Ruth Meinzen-Dick (IFPRI). More at http://bit.ly/GenderinAgMythsWebinar
This document discusses an outreach plan to promote conservation practices among farmers in the Lower Fox River Watershed. The plan includes field days targeting different audiences, as well as placing signs on fields of farmers implementing conservation practices to encourage social norms around water quality protection. A social impact study will evaluate the effects of the outreach efforts, including interviews with farmers and a social network analysis. Issues in the watershed include high levels of total phosphorus and suspended solids that conservation agriculture aims to help address.
The document summarizes a gender workshop led by Cheryl Simmons from USDA in Pakistan. It discusses how including a gender perspective can make agriculture research and soil fertility programs more effective. Participants were introduced to tools for gender analysis and learned about gender concepts like gender mainstreaming. They also had field visits where different groups identified challenges to agricultural productivity, showing how perspectives can vary by gender. The workshop aimed to more fully recognize women's important role in Pakistan's agriculture sector, where three-fourths of women work.
This document analyzes the effectiveness of farmer networks in Indiana at influencing nitrogen management practices. It summarizes research on two networks involving 250 and 30 farmers respectively. It finds that network farmers are generally younger, more educated and have larger farms than non-network farmers. While network farmers perform more conservation practices, they are primarily motivated by economic factors rather than water quality. The research also found limited evidence that network farmers influence practices of those outside the networks. To be more effective, it suggests networks should focus on reaching farmers needing the most change, through more inclusive and frequent interactions.
Women in Ag, Educational Series in Farm ManagementKim Larson
This document summarizes a six-session educational series for women in farm management. Each session is five hours and covers a different topic, such as agricultural advocacy, FSA/NRCS programs, ag marketing, financial management, lease law, family communication, and farm succession. Participants represented over 13,000 acres of cropland and commented that the program was informative and empowering. They learned about communication, financial tools, lease arrangements, and more. Participants said the program would help them make better management decisions and get more involved in decision making.
This document describes Project Healthy Grandparents, a program run by Georgia State University that provides case management and other services to grandparents raising grandchildren. It notes that 22% of the metro Atlanta population and 23% of the US population is made up of grandparents raising grandchildren. The program serves hundreds of families and thousands of children through social work support, parenting classes, and legal assistance. It aims to help grandparents overcome challenges like financial stress, lack of legal status with grandchildren, and health issues.
Lindsay Dane Miller's resume summarizes her education and work experience. She attended MacMurray College, where she played soccer and volunteered in the community. She completed an internship at Illinois EPA where she learned office skills. Miller earned a graduate degree from University of Illinois Springfield and took courses in subjects like chemistry, zoology, and ecology. Her summer job at Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area involved various conservation and wildlife projects.
The document provides an overview of the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-profit founded in 1977 in Kenya by Wangari Maathai. It began as a tree planting initiative aimed at empowering women and combating deforestation and soil erosion. Over time, it expanded its mission to include advocacy, climate change mitigation, and sustainable livelihood programs. The Movement has planted over 51 million trees across Kenya and formed a pan-African network. It works at the grassroots and international levels to promote environmental conservation and empower communities, especially women.
This document summarizes research on connecting women non-operating landowners (NOLs) to conservation practices and their tenant farmers. It finds that women make up 37% of agricultural landlords and many NOLs, including women, care about conservation and their land. A survey of NOLs found they trust their tenant farmers and are open to changing lease terms to facilitate conservation. The document outlines efforts in Indiana to engage urban women NOLs in conservation discussions through the Women for the Land program, including training facilitators, holding workshops near urban centers, and using visual and hands-on activities to deliver accessible conservation messages.
1. The document describes a study that investigated the relationship between gender and environmental attitudes in the village of Mahendrapur, Dehradun, India.
2. A survey was conducted of 20 households using a 7 question questionnaire, with 10 male and 10 female respondents of varying ages.
3. The results were analyzed to compare the environmental attitudes of males and females in the village, with the hypothesis that males would have a more developed environmental value system due to differences in traditional work roles between genders.
Minnesota State University, MankatoCornerstone A Collection.docxARIV4
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Cornerstone: A Collection of
Scholarly and Creative Works for
Minnesota State University,
Mankato
Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects
2013
Leadership and the Implementation of Culture
Change in Long-Term Care
Alexandra Natasha Garklavs
Minnesota State University - Mankato
Follow this and additional works at: http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds
Part of the Gerontology Commons
This APP is brought to you for free and open access by Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University,
Mankato. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects by an authorized administrator of Cornerstone: A
Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Recommended Citation
Garklavs, Alexandra Natasha, "Leadership and the Implementation of Culture Change in Long-Term Care" (2013). Theses,
Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects. Paper 1.
http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu?utm_source=cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu%2Fetds%2F1&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu?utm_source=cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu%2Fetds%2F1&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
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http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/1?utm_source=cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu%2Fetds%2F1&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
LEADERSHIP AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CULTURE CHANGE
IN LONG-TERM CARE
By
Alexandra Garklavs
An Alternate Plan Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
Master of Science
In
Gerontology
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota
May 2013
2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This project is dedicated to a number of individuals, without whom I could not have
completed this. I would first like to thank my family for their unending support; Mom, you have
always believed in me, giving me support and encouragement. I couldn’t have gotten here
without you! Kate, I can’t thank you enough for all of your support, advice, and good hum ...
Kathy Sykes presented on EPA's Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards program. She discussed how smart growth approaches like mixed-use development, affordable housing, and transportation options can promote active aging. The program awarded 21 communities that took collaborative, cross-sector approaches to address aging needs through community design. Common themes among winners were strong partnerships, addressing affordability and accessibility, and prioritizing independent living. Sykes concluded that lasting change requires leadership and multiple stakeholders working together towards shared goals of health and participation for all ages.
Kathy Sykes presented on EPA's Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards program. She discussed how smart growth approaches like mixed-use development, affordable housing, and transportation options can promote active aging. The awards program received over 20 applications and selected winners that demonstrated strong partnerships and lasting policy changes. Examples included affordable senior housing, walking trails, and programs to address health and social isolation. Sykes concluded that making communities age-friendly requires leadership and collaboration across many stakeholders.
Women's participation in communal forests: experience from Nicaragua's indige...CIFOR-ICRAF
In this CIFOR-hosted session of the 2014 IUFRO World Congress, experts examined the implications of forest and land tenure reforms in Nicaragua and elsewhere (in Asia, Africa and Latin America) with emphasis on local institutions, governance, livelihoods, and gender dynamics.
This document summarizes a pilot program that engaged rural community members in Pakistan in evidence generation and discussion to inform local policies. Over 800 individuals participated in initial Community Circles. 37 participants were then selected as mentees to conduct research on prioritized issues. Key findings from the research were then shared back in the communities to facilitate discussion on causes and solutions. Next steps proposed expanding the open forum approach and having mentees independently lead Community Circles to share research findings in their areas. The goal is to bridge the gap between evidence, policies and communities to better reflect local contexts and priorities.
Understanding rural women's empowerment: A qualitative case study of the UN...ILRI
Presented by Annet A. Mulema, Brenda Boonabaana, Susan Kaaria, Likimyelesh Nigussie, Liza Debevec and Mihret Alemu at the Gender Agriculture and Assets Project Phase 2 (GAAP2) Webinar on Qualitative Methods to Understand Rural Women’s Empowerment in Ethiopia, 21 March 2018
On March 2, 2017, Stephanie Leder, Gitta Shrestha and Andrew Reckers of IWMI Nepal presented the participatory gender training manual that was developed by their team under WLE and was trialed in Nepal.
Gardens for Learning: Creating and Sustaining Your School Garden
`
For more information, Please see websites below:
`
Organic Edible Schoolyards & Gardening with Children
http://scribd.com/doc/239851214
`
Double Food Production from your School Garden with Organic Tech
http://scribd.com/doc/239851079
`
Free School Gardening Art Posters
http://scribd.com/doc/239851159`
`
Companion Planting Increases Food Production from School Gardens
http://scribd.com/doc/239851159
`
Healthy Foods Dramatically Improves Student Academic Success
http://scribd.com/doc/239851348
`
City Chickens for your Organic School Garden
http://scribd.com/doc/239850440
`
Simple Square Foot Gardening for Schools - Teacher Guide
http://scribd.com/doc/239851110
Community-Based Solutions for Environmental & Economic Justice - Magnuson Hea...Z2P
The document summarizes the 4th annual Community-Based Solutions for Environmental & Economic Justice conference organized by the Community Coalition for Environmental Justice. The one-day conference was held on May 7th, 2005 at the University of Washington and included keynote speeches, workshops, and presentations on topics related to indigenous peoples, rural and urban communities, youth, globalization, and brownfields. The conference provided an opportunity for environmental justice activists and indigenous groups in the Northwest to network and discuss tools for creating environmental justice in their communities.
Participant Melissa DeSa of Florida Certified Organic Growers and Consumers, Inc. shared this summary of the conference she put together for her community. It highlights the garden tours, speaker highlights and general information about the conference for those unable to attend. Share it around and thanks Melissa!
NGOs play an important role in environmental protection in developing countries. They create awareness about environmental issues, facilitate stakeholder participation, conduct community assessments, and protect natural resources. In India, NGOs generate data on natural resources, analyze environmental quality, transfer information, and help villages with environmental projects. Some major Indian NGOs working in this area include the Centre for Environmental Education, Centre for Science and Environment, Kalpavriksh, and World Wide Fund for Nature.
Many children living with a family member other than their birth parent are there because of drug and alcohol misuse by the parents.
The Families Together project aims to develop interventions that build resilience in families and thus improve the protective factors in the lives of vulnerable young people.
More details on the project here: http://www.mentoruk.org.uk/families-together-kinship-carers-project/
Using Gardening to Teach Life Skills to Jail InmatesElisaMendelsohn
Over the past decade, a gardening program was established between a county jail, extension services, and botanical gardens to teach inmates life skills through hands-on gardening. Over 200 inmates have participated, learning skills like planting, nutrition, and cooperation. Nearly 20,000 pounds of produce have been donated to food pantries, providing over 3,000 hours of community services. For many inmates, the garden serves as a safe space for reflection and restoration, helping to nurture feelings of self-worth and success to facilitate rehabilitation and reduce recidivism.
2013 Piedmont Come to the Table Program With Speaker ResourcesRAFI-USA
This document provides the program details for the 2013 Piedmont NC Come to the Table Conference held in Greensboro, North Carolina. The conference featured multiple breakout sessions on topics related to food insecurity, supporting local farmers and food accessibility, addressing racism in the food system, community gardening, youth engagement, and opportunities for immigrant farmers. Keynote speakers included Malik Yakini of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network and Haile Johnston of Common Market Philadelphia. The conference was organized by the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA and supported by the North Carolina Council of Churches and The Duke Endowment.
This document summarizes a presentation about using process models to help build trust and understanding when implementing edge of field conservation practices. It discusses how process models can help various stakeholders like conservation professionals, landowners, cities, and contractors understand the time and resources required. It provides examples of process models created for constructed wetlands, saturated buffers, and bioreactors. The presentation discusses the goals of helping more stakeholders and expanding the models, as well as thanking collaborators on the project.
This document discusses the challenges of meeting nitrogen reduction goals in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. It notes that meeting the nutrient reduction goals will be a massive effort that requires a mix of practices across Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois, including wetlands, drainage treatment, and stacked practices. However, there are also many challenges to implementing the necessary practices, including economics, human/social factors, delivery challenges, risk management, climate change, and the need for further research. The document emphasizes that understanding the large scale of the challenge is needed to make progress toward the nutrient reduction goals.
More Related Content
Similar to Opening Acres to Conservation: Women Landowners
Lindsay Dane Miller's resume summarizes her education and work experience. She attended MacMurray College, where she played soccer and volunteered in the community. She completed an internship at Illinois EPA where she learned office skills. Miller earned a graduate degree from University of Illinois Springfield and took courses in subjects like chemistry, zoology, and ecology. Her summer job at Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area involved various conservation and wildlife projects.
The document provides an overview of the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-profit founded in 1977 in Kenya by Wangari Maathai. It began as a tree planting initiative aimed at empowering women and combating deforestation and soil erosion. Over time, it expanded its mission to include advocacy, climate change mitigation, and sustainable livelihood programs. The Movement has planted over 51 million trees across Kenya and formed a pan-African network. It works at the grassroots and international levels to promote environmental conservation and empower communities, especially women.
This document summarizes research on connecting women non-operating landowners (NOLs) to conservation practices and their tenant farmers. It finds that women make up 37% of agricultural landlords and many NOLs, including women, care about conservation and their land. A survey of NOLs found they trust their tenant farmers and are open to changing lease terms to facilitate conservation. The document outlines efforts in Indiana to engage urban women NOLs in conservation discussions through the Women for the Land program, including training facilitators, holding workshops near urban centers, and using visual and hands-on activities to deliver accessible conservation messages.
1. The document describes a study that investigated the relationship between gender and environmental attitudes in the village of Mahendrapur, Dehradun, India.
2. A survey was conducted of 20 households using a 7 question questionnaire, with 10 male and 10 female respondents of varying ages.
3. The results were analyzed to compare the environmental attitudes of males and females in the village, with the hypothesis that males would have a more developed environmental value system due to differences in traditional work roles between genders.
Minnesota State University, MankatoCornerstone A Collection.docxARIV4
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Cornerstone: A Collection of
Scholarly and Creative Works for
Minnesota State University,
Mankato
Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects
2013
Leadership and the Implementation of Culture
Change in Long-Term Care
Alexandra Natasha Garklavs
Minnesota State University - Mankato
Follow this and additional works at: http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds
Part of the Gerontology Commons
This APP is brought to you for free and open access by Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University,
Mankato. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects by an authorized administrator of Cornerstone: A
Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Recommended Citation
Garklavs, Alexandra Natasha, "Leadership and the Implementation of Culture Change in Long-Term Care" (2013). Theses,
Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects. Paper 1.
http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu?utm_source=cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu%2Fetds%2F1&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu?utm_source=cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu%2Fetds%2F1&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu?utm_source=cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu%2Fetds%2F1&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu?utm_source=cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu%2Fetds%2F1&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu?utm_source=cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu%2Fetds%2F1&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu?utm_source=cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu%2Fetds%2F1&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds?utm_source=cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu%2Fetds%2F1&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds?utm_source=cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu%2Fetds%2F1&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
http://network.bepress.com/hgg/discipline/1276?utm_source=cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu%2Fetds%2F1&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/1?utm_source=cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu%2Fetds%2F1&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
LEADERSHIP AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CULTURE CHANGE
IN LONG-TERM CARE
By
Alexandra Garklavs
An Alternate Plan Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
Master of Science
In
Gerontology
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota
May 2013
2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This project is dedicated to a number of individuals, without whom I could not have
completed this. I would first like to thank my family for their unending support; Mom, you have
always believed in me, giving me support and encouragement. I couldn’t have gotten here
without you! Kate, I can’t thank you enough for all of your support, advice, and good hum ...
Kathy Sykes presented on EPA's Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards program. She discussed how smart growth approaches like mixed-use development, affordable housing, and transportation options can promote active aging. The program awarded 21 communities that took collaborative, cross-sector approaches to address aging needs through community design. Common themes among winners were strong partnerships, addressing affordability and accessibility, and prioritizing independent living. Sykes concluded that lasting change requires leadership and multiple stakeholders working together towards shared goals of health and participation for all ages.
Kathy Sykes presented on EPA's Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards program. She discussed how smart growth approaches like mixed-use development, affordable housing, and transportation options can promote active aging. The awards program received over 20 applications and selected winners that demonstrated strong partnerships and lasting policy changes. Examples included affordable senior housing, walking trails, and programs to address health and social isolation. Sykes concluded that making communities age-friendly requires leadership and collaboration across many stakeholders.
Women's participation in communal forests: experience from Nicaragua's indige...CIFOR-ICRAF
In this CIFOR-hosted session of the 2014 IUFRO World Congress, experts examined the implications of forest and land tenure reforms in Nicaragua and elsewhere (in Asia, Africa and Latin America) with emphasis on local institutions, governance, livelihoods, and gender dynamics.
This document summarizes a pilot program that engaged rural community members in Pakistan in evidence generation and discussion to inform local policies. Over 800 individuals participated in initial Community Circles. 37 participants were then selected as mentees to conduct research on prioritized issues. Key findings from the research were then shared back in the communities to facilitate discussion on causes and solutions. Next steps proposed expanding the open forum approach and having mentees independently lead Community Circles to share research findings in their areas. The goal is to bridge the gap between evidence, policies and communities to better reflect local contexts and priorities.
Understanding rural women's empowerment: A qualitative case study of the UN...ILRI
Presented by Annet A. Mulema, Brenda Boonabaana, Susan Kaaria, Likimyelesh Nigussie, Liza Debevec and Mihret Alemu at the Gender Agriculture and Assets Project Phase 2 (GAAP2) Webinar on Qualitative Methods to Understand Rural Women’s Empowerment in Ethiopia, 21 March 2018
On March 2, 2017, Stephanie Leder, Gitta Shrestha and Andrew Reckers of IWMI Nepal presented the participatory gender training manual that was developed by their team under WLE and was trialed in Nepal.
Gardens for Learning: Creating and Sustaining Your School Garden
`
For more information, Please see websites below:
`
Organic Edible Schoolyards & Gardening with Children
http://scribd.com/doc/239851214
`
Double Food Production from your School Garden with Organic Tech
http://scribd.com/doc/239851079
`
Free School Gardening Art Posters
http://scribd.com/doc/239851159`
`
Companion Planting Increases Food Production from School Gardens
http://scribd.com/doc/239851159
`
Healthy Foods Dramatically Improves Student Academic Success
http://scribd.com/doc/239851348
`
City Chickens for your Organic School Garden
http://scribd.com/doc/239850440
`
Simple Square Foot Gardening for Schools - Teacher Guide
http://scribd.com/doc/239851110
Community-Based Solutions for Environmental & Economic Justice - Magnuson Hea...Z2P
The document summarizes the 4th annual Community-Based Solutions for Environmental & Economic Justice conference organized by the Community Coalition for Environmental Justice. The one-day conference was held on May 7th, 2005 at the University of Washington and included keynote speeches, workshops, and presentations on topics related to indigenous peoples, rural and urban communities, youth, globalization, and brownfields. The conference provided an opportunity for environmental justice activists and indigenous groups in the Northwest to network and discuss tools for creating environmental justice in their communities.
Participant Melissa DeSa of Florida Certified Organic Growers and Consumers, Inc. shared this summary of the conference she put together for her community. It highlights the garden tours, speaker highlights and general information about the conference for those unable to attend. Share it around and thanks Melissa!
NGOs play an important role in environmental protection in developing countries. They create awareness about environmental issues, facilitate stakeholder participation, conduct community assessments, and protect natural resources. In India, NGOs generate data on natural resources, analyze environmental quality, transfer information, and help villages with environmental projects. Some major Indian NGOs working in this area include the Centre for Environmental Education, Centre for Science and Environment, Kalpavriksh, and World Wide Fund for Nature.
Many children living with a family member other than their birth parent are there because of drug and alcohol misuse by the parents.
The Families Together project aims to develop interventions that build resilience in families and thus improve the protective factors in the lives of vulnerable young people.
More details on the project here: http://www.mentoruk.org.uk/families-together-kinship-carers-project/
Using Gardening to Teach Life Skills to Jail InmatesElisaMendelsohn
Over the past decade, a gardening program was established between a county jail, extension services, and botanical gardens to teach inmates life skills through hands-on gardening. Over 200 inmates have participated, learning skills like planting, nutrition, and cooperation. Nearly 20,000 pounds of produce have been donated to food pantries, providing over 3,000 hours of community services. For many inmates, the garden serves as a safe space for reflection and restoration, helping to nurture feelings of self-worth and success to facilitate rehabilitation and reduce recidivism.
2013 Piedmont Come to the Table Program With Speaker ResourcesRAFI-USA
This document provides the program details for the 2013 Piedmont NC Come to the Table Conference held in Greensboro, North Carolina. The conference featured multiple breakout sessions on topics related to food insecurity, supporting local farmers and food accessibility, addressing racism in the food system, community gardening, youth engagement, and opportunities for immigrant farmers. Keynote speakers included Malik Yakini of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network and Haile Johnston of Common Market Philadelphia. The conference was organized by the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA and supported by the North Carolina Council of Churches and The Duke Endowment.
Similar to Opening Acres to Conservation: Women Landowners (20)
This document summarizes a presentation about using process models to help build trust and understanding when implementing edge of field conservation practices. It discusses how process models can help various stakeholders like conservation professionals, landowners, cities, and contractors understand the time and resources required. It provides examples of process models created for constructed wetlands, saturated buffers, and bioreactors. The presentation discusses the goals of helping more stakeholders and expanding the models, as well as thanking collaborators on the project.
This document discusses the challenges of meeting nitrogen reduction goals in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. It notes that meeting the nutrient reduction goals will be a massive effort that requires a mix of practices across Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois, including wetlands, drainage treatment, and stacked practices. However, there are also many challenges to implementing the necessary practices, including economics, human/social factors, delivery challenges, risk management, climate change, and the need for further research. The document emphasizes that understanding the large scale of the challenge is needed to make progress toward the nutrient reduction goals.
The document summarizes a meta-analysis that compared the nitrate removal performance of different substrates used in denitrifying bioreactors. It found that wood media had the highest nitrate removal rate (NRR) and percentage (NRE), followed by mulch media, nutshell-based media, and inorganic media. However, when considering cost-effectiveness, woodchip and corn cob were the most economical natural organic carbon substrates. Overall, the analysis suggests that mulch media is the optimal material for nitrate removal due to its low cost and potential to overcome deficiencies in other media types.
The document summarizes an investigation into phosphorus transport dynamics in subsurface drainage using high-frequency measurements. Key findings include:
1) TRP concentration had a dynamic pattern that was strongly influenced by drainage discharge levels, highlighting the need for high-resolution sampling.
2) Event flows contributed 78% of the total TRP load despite comprising only 50% of total flow.
3) Flow-proportional sampling strategies provided more accurate TRP load estimates than time-proportional strategies and were more cost-effective. Targeting high flow periods is important for reducing phosphorus loss.
This document summarizes a study that evaluated a procedure for prioritizing maintenance of agricultural drainage ditches. The study measured the critical shear stress of soils using a cohesive strength meter to assess their susceptibility to erosion. Soils with higher root densities and those treated with mixed lime showed higher critical shear stresses, meaning they were less susceptible to erosion. Measurements of pressure on the soil surface during testing were mostly lower than estimates from other studies. The procedure effectively identified the relative erosion resistance of different soils, aiding prioritization of drainage ditch maintenance needs.
ISG worked with Blue Earth County to digitize and modernize their drainage data. They georeferenced existing plans, digitized drainage features, attributed data to the digitized features, and created a geodatabase to house the updated drainage data. This project consolidated Blue Earth County's drainage records, improved data accuracy, and established a process for ISG and the County to regularly update the drainage data going forward. The updated digital records will benefit Blue Earth County, ISG, other engineering firms, and the public.
This document summarizes the results of Latvia's long-term Agricultural Runoff Monitoring programme, which aims to document nutrient concentrations and losses at different spatial and temporal scales. The monitoring covers groundwater, experimental drainage plots, subsurface drainage fields, small catchments, and small/medium rivers at 23 sites. Results show discharge and nutrient concentration data varying by location, scale of monitoring, and between years with flooding or drought. Nutrient levels differed between the Berze and Mellupite monitoring sites and across groundwater, drainage plots, and catchment scales. The programme provides long-term data on agricultural nonpoint source pollution across Latvia.
This document summarizes an applied research and demonstration project evaluating soil and water management practices in undulating soils in southwestern Manitoba. The project aims to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and salt export while improving drought resiliency. Preliminary results show tile drainage is lowering water tables most in lower landscape positions, with soil moisture responding rapidly in drained areas. Tile flow rates increase with decreasing elevation. Water quality measurements also show higher salt concentrations in lower positions. Next steps include water quality treatment analysis, long-term monitoring, modeling, knowledge transfer and reporting.
This document summarizes a coordinated research network studying the impacts of 4R nutrient stewardship practices on crop yields, soil health, and nutrient losses across sites in North America. The network included 8 research sites across 6 states/provinces from 2017-2020. Treatments included different fertilizer application timings, placements, sources, and rates. Standardized data collection allowed comparisons across sites. Preliminary findings showed 4R and advanced 4R practices improved nutrient use efficiency and reduced nitrogen losses while maintaining crop yields. Nitrous oxide emissions and nitrate leaching losses decreased under improved nutrient management, though impacts varied between sites and years. Ongoing research aims to further quantify environmental benefits and optimize fertilizer practices.
The document summarizes research on managing drainage water in the Holland Marsh region of Ontario to improve water quality and agricultural productivity. Key points:
- The Holland Marsh is an important vegetable growing region on organic soils, but drainage into Lake Simcoe contributes excess nutrients.
- A study evaluated controlling water tables with controlled drainage to reduce pumping and nutrient loads in drainage water. Modeling and monitoring found it effective for water conservation but more limited for nutrient reductions.
- Soil phosphorus pools, particularly aluminum and iron-bound phosphorus, were found to influence phosphorus levels in drainage water more than drainage management alone. Fertilizer applications exceeded crop needs, accumulating legacy phosphorus in soils over time.
This document summarizes a study comparing the effects of conventional ditch drainage (FD) and shallow furrow drainage with tile (SD) on crop yields and water quality in eastern North Carolina. Preliminary results found that SD led to a 68% reduction in drainage volume, 80% less nitrate export, and higher average soybean (+9.1%) and corn (+3.7%) yields compared to FD. SD also requires less land area than FD, has lower maintenance needs, and shows potential to improve water quality and agricultural productivity with more efficient drainage management. The research aims to further quantify these impacts of SD drainage design.
1) DRAINMOD simulations were conducted for a field in Harrow, Ontario with an asymmetrical drainage system to determine the best approach to simulate drain outflow. 2) Four approaches using different drain spacings were tested: 3.8m, 5.06m, 7.6m, and 15.2m. 3) The mean absolute error and root mean square error for each approach were acceptable, indicating drain spacing had little impact on outflow simulation, though it did impact soil moisture parameters.
This document discusses how the choice of pipe material influences drain spacing and system cost. It finds that pipe with more rows of perforations, such as an 8-row regular perforated pipe, has a higher effective radius than a 4-row pipe, allowing for wider drain spacing. Experiments show that a sock-wrapped pipe has the highest drain inflow of the pipes tested, both with and without drain sedimentation present. The key takeaways are that the number of perforation rows and slot length most impact effective radius and drain flow, and a sock-wrapped pipe performs best in terms of drain inflow and spacing.
This document summarizes research conducted by the Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) on the installation of corrugated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) agricultural drainage pipe. It describes field testing of 30-inch HDPE dual-wall pipe installed at a test site in Ohio, including instrumentation to monitor strain and deflection. Finite element modeling was also used to analyze trench configurations. The research aims to update industry guidance documents to optimize pipe installation practices and trench designs. PPI members also work to increase the use of recycled HDPE and PP materials in pipe production.
The document discusses Ohio's H2Ohio water quality initiative and its funding of conservation practices including two-stage ditches. It launched in 2019 with $172 million to reduce phosphorus runoff from farms using best management practices like wetlands, buffers, and two-stage ditches. A $5 million grant program was announced to fund two-stage ditch projects based on design guidelines. The document provides details on the grant application process, design requirements using regional curves, and goals to fund 20 projects for 30 miles of ditches at $30 per foot on average.
This document provides information on edge-of-field conservation practices and a panel discussion on drainage ditches. It summarizes various practices for nutrient, soil, and sediment removal including vegetated buffers, grassed waterways, prairie strips, wetlands, bioreactors, and controlled drainage. Cost effectiveness data is given for each. The key elements of an edge-of-field roadmap are outlined as building the economic case, increasing implementation capacity, and elevating a culture of conservation. A sample conservation planning scenario shows identified sites for practices treating over 9,000 acres of land. The document concludes with information on connecting with The Nature Conservancy's Ohio agriculture programs.
This document discusses the implementation and maintenance of two-stage ditches. Two-stage ditches incorporate a floodplain area to increase flow capacity while slowing velocities. They allow for channel vegetation, improve sediment settling, and provide water quality benefits. Challenges include obtaining land access, communication with landowners, permitting, and planting/erosion control. Case studies of implemented two-stage ditch projects in Lucas County demonstrate post-construction conditions and results, including improved drainage and yields for agriculture.
This document summarizes research on conservation channel design and sediment capture in two-stage ditches. It finds that self-forming channels accumulated more sediment, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus over time compared to traditional ditches. Sediment analysis showed higher nutrient levels than surrounding soils. A case study site captured over 500 kg of phosphorus over 9 years that could be harvested and reused as fertilizer, offsetting nutrient costs for farmers. The document concludes sediment trapping in two-stage ditches can improve water quality while providing a locally sourced, cost-effective fertilizer resource.
Farmers, drainage contractors, researchers, and conservation authorities collaborated on a drainage innovation project at Huronview in Clinton, Ontario. They worked together on the design, installation, and monitoring of new drainage practices to improve water quality and sustainability while maintaining agricultural productivity. A demonstration day was held in June 2019 to share results with stakeholders. The project aimed to foster cooperation across sectors and balance priorities around drainage, research, environmental protection, and social acceptance.
This document summarizes a study on the impact of drainage water recycling (DWR) on nutrient and sediment losses from agricultural fields in eastern North Carolina. The study found that storing drainage water in an on-farm reservoir for supplemental irrigation (DWR) significantly reduced nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment concentrations and loads compared to a non-irrigated control field. Specifically, DWR reduced total nitrogen concentration by 40% and load by 47%. It also reduced total phosphorus concentration by 21% and load by 30%. Sediment concentration was reduced by 86% and load by 87%. The hydraulic retention time in the reservoir was found to be the major factor influencing nutrient and sediment removal efficiency.
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3. Women non-operating landowners
Non-operating landowner (NOL)
• Woman non-operating landowner (WNOL)
Operating landowner/Owner-operator
• Operator = Farmer
Scenarios for rented land –
• Farmer farms only the land s/he owns
• Farmer does not own land – rents all
• Farmer farms “home ground” plus rents land
• Farmer farms “home ground”, farms rented land AND
rents land out to other farmers!
So who owns the rented land?
8. Slicing the pie further…
Women/Men?
Nationally (48 states):
• 37% of all principal landlords are
women
• They owned 10% of ag lands (25% of
rented lands)
• Women tend to be older
Iowa*:
• 47% of farmland owned/co-owned by
women
• 61% of the rented land owned/co-
owned by women
• Women tend to be older
*2007 Farmland ownership & Tenure in Iowa
Non-operator landowners
Nearly 301 million acres of U.S.
land—about a third of the nation's
land in farms—are now farmed or
co-farmed by women
9. Why focus on women NOLs?
• Women own a lot of land that is rented out (more than
their male counterparts)
• The percentage of women who own land is expected to
increase in the next decade as more women inherit
farmland from spouses & parents (Eells & Adcock 2012, Parsons
et al. 2010)
From Carolyn 2005, Eells et al. 2008, Breghendal & Hoffman
2011, Secchi et al. 2014:
• Women are particularly interested in conservation
• Deeply committed to healthy farmland, healthy farm
families and healthy farm communities
• Under represented in farmland conservation programs
10. Women Caring for the LandSM
• Started by WFAN in 2008
in recognition that
women own or co-own
half the land but aren’t
engaged in conservation
programs.
• The women aren’t
broken, we need to fix the
communication system,
and it’s easy.
16. 50 to 70% act!
“If I’d known it
would be so much
fun I’d have
brought friends.”
“Thank you for explaining it
in a way I can understand.”
“This is great to have
discussions instead of
being “talked at.”
"I've attended several other meetings about this and I really liked how
this one was set up ... There were opportunities to ask questions at
the others but they were mostly just directed to the speaker. Here we
could ask each other and had a discussion ... I learned so much from
the other women."
“When advised that I was going to
women's land owner meetings and had
been to the FSA office, my renter began
to do what he KNEW he should have been
doing all along.”
17. Results from CIG
• Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin 2013-
2016
• 63 meetings, 864 Women Land Owner attendees, after meeting
evaluations 88% return rate
• Attendees/meeting 21
• Women landowner attendees per meeting 14
• 201,691 acres
• Average of 294 acres among women landowner participants across all 7
states.
19. 84% reported increase in confidence
• “I came to learn what I
can so I can contribute
to conversations about
the farm. If you don’t
know, you don’t have a
voice.” Delyne
20. I only knew a little before and learned a little
more today. It’s a process! This was a wonderful
building block and helpful because the rest of the
room wasn’t all old white guys or cocky young
white guys! Wonderful open environment.
Farmington, MN
Field visit was most beneficial. As an employee of FSA
I got to see what established practices look like.
Illinois
It’s real, it happens at all ages
Partners benefit
21. “Were you inspired to take any action after the meeting such as:
visiting with your farmer, business partners, or family members
about what you learned?”
64% said YES, 36% said NO
Table 2. Action(s) Taken as Result of attending Learning
Circle
# of
mentions Percent
Spoke with family member or acquaintance 33 40%
Spoke with farmer 17 20%
Implemented new conservation practice 15 18%
Reached out to conservation staff or organization 10 12%
Hired or fired management or operators or changed lease 4 5%
Enrollment in assistance program 3 4%
Visited land more frequently 1 1%
Total number of actions taken 83 100%
22. “I think the biggest thing was just sharing with him the different
activities and programs, the things that people are doing, I don’t think
that we did anything different, but it was more of an awareness about
some of the opportunities…. but it did prompt me to talk to him about
those things a little bit more because that’s one thing that he’s just
kind of always taken care of, because obviously that’s his area and that
kind of thing, but it did prompt more discussions, and gave me the
tools I needed to ask some questions about why we were doing things
the way we were. But it didn’t necessarily change anything.”
“After I learned about cover crops, I said this is the way to go. And I did
read about it, and they’re saying like in 3 to 5 years that the tide turns
and it becomes very profitable to do that if everything goes according
to plan, and I asked them once, would they be interested in doing
cover crops, and definitely they were not.”
What if we try more than one learning circle?
24. Becky Fletcher, NRCS State Public Affairs Specialist
2017 Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Conference
Indiana’s Success
Women’s Learning Circles
25. Why USDA NRCS Is Involved
Reach out to all of
our underserved
communities,
resulting in trust
and full
participation in all
NRCS programs.
26. Meet Sara Creech
“I love the idea of getting together with women. They are the
movers and the shakers and keep the community strong.”
30. What Have You Been Inspired to Do?
“Soil and water conservation is
important, especially with
decreasing resources. I want to do
everything I can with available
resources to preserve the land.”
Angie Williams, Hendricks County
“I’ve heard about conservation
practices like no till and have been
doubtful, but this workshop has
changed my mind. I’m going to
adopt these practices and use the
available resources to make it
happen.” Martha Avery, Rush and
Henry Counties
31. Take Aways From Women’s Learning Circles
“I have 130 acres of land that has been
in the family since 1863. I was able to
network and find out what others are
doing on their property. Conservation
has always been a part of me, and I’m
working to restore the land to its
natural habitat. It was a great
opportunity to meet others who feel
the same way.” Lou Nash, Tipton
County
“The program offered an opportunity
to learn about woodland management.
We have 47 acres of woodland, and I
learned about the organizations
available to offer help.” Carol Reisert,
Carroll County
“We have 40 acres near South Bend that
is part farm, part woodland and part
wetland. I got information that will help
us restore it to close to what it used to
be. There are a lot of resources out there
if you know how to get to those
resources, and this meeting helped with
that.” Patty Fowler, St. Joseph County
32. “We had an excellent response from the participants at
the Women’s Learning Circles. Several have come by the
office or called for more information. Several have applied
for financial assistance to help put in conservation
practices.” Jerod Chew, District Conservationist
33. “The Women’s Learning Circles resulted in some excellent
new connections and conservation implementation with a
growing group of landowners and land managers.” Brandy
Daggett, District Conservationist
34. “After the learning circle I was invited to spend a few hours out on a
farm owned by two of the women. Prior to the meeting, they didn't
know NRCS existed and now they are thinking about CRP and EQIP.
Both ladies are very excited about soil health and making
improvements on their farm.” Ashley Linville, District Conservationist
35.
36.
37. Questions on the effectiveness of
learning circles?
Part III:
Building a Movement
40. • Indiana’s Program Based on WFAN Methodology
• Steering Committee Made up of all Conservation
Partners, plus AFT and Women Farmers
• Paid State Coordinator (PT)
• 3 Subcommittees – Funding, Marketing, Training
41. Women for the Land – national!
…to empowers women landowners to adopt
environmentally sound farming practices, protect
farmland and improve the viability of their farms
1. Research to better understand landowners and the
barriers they face
2. Learning circles to improve engagement of women
in conservation
3. Technical assistance and policy reform to better
serve their needs
42. Key take homes
• Success is based on well-researched peer-to-peer
model
• This is unlike anything you’ve every done before
• The methodology works and we’re continually
testing and improving the methodology
• Build your support network before you start
• Conservation, conservation, conservation!
• It’s really hard to find this audience – don’t get
discouraged!
43. What is YOUR story?
Jean Eells: 515-2978-0701, jeanceells@gmail.com
Jen Filipiak: 515-868-1331, jfilipiak@farmland.org
Becky Fletcher: 317-295-3225, Rebecca.fletcher@in.usda.gov
Editor's Notes
USDA ag census – only surveys operators!
Dark blue- 60% or more leased (compared to 2007 census where highest category was 50%)
In Iowa, across the state, over 60% rented or leased
Note that the darkest colors fairly well correspond with the areas of intensive crop production
Midwest as a region has the highest amount of land owned by non-operator landlords. But this varies a lot by state (Wisconsin only 32% rented). Illinois is the highest in the contiguous 48.
Lots of variation within states however…
Wisconsin only 32% rented
Darkest areas in Illinois are 66-82% rented
Darkest areas in Iowa are 63-71%
Coupling with non-operator data… The Tenure, Ownership and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL) survey is a study of all agricultural landlords – operators and non-operators – conducted by the USDA Natnl Ag Statistics Service (NASS) in collaboration with the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS). TOTAL is part of the Census of Ag program. NASS released data in August 2015 for calendar year 2014. Only covers contiguous 48 states.
Of the 31%: Individuals = 49%; Partnerships = 19%; Corprations = 11%; Trusts = 18%; Other = 3%
See: Bigelow, Daniel, Allison Borchers, and Todd Hubbs. U.S. Farmland Ownership, Tenure, and Transfer. EIB-161, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, August 2016. Report online at: www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib-economic-information-bulletin/eib161
We know that 39% of agricultural land in the contiguous 48 states is rented – and most of that (31%) is rented by non-operators – or people who do not farm themselves. What do we know about them – are they interested in conservation? Would they use our help? AFT, working with the Women Food and Agriculture Network started looking into gender and found….
Looking at land owned by women vs. men – women are more likely to have more acres rented out.
There’s actually a growing body of social science literature on women and farmland ownership, but it’s based in the Midwest.
Female principle operators receive 6.4% of all government payments, but 14% of principle operators are women. And the average payment amount to female farmers is 36.2% less than other farms receiving assistance.
How did this happen? We are not implying that anyone intentionally discriminates against women, or that men aren’t interested in conservation. What this points out is two things 1- our primary audience has traditionally been male farmers, and usually white male farmers. So all of our messaging, materials and programs are targeted to our primary audience – that’s normal. But our audience is changing and we need to change too. 2- Men are interested in conservation too, of course, but all of this data suggests an opportunity for us to engage a new and growing audience – women who own farmland.
It’s about conservation on the land, how to engage more landowners in taking great care of the land whatever that means and where ever they are. After face-to-face meetings with more than 3200 women we can confirm that the problem isn’t with the women, but how in conservation outreach we’ve made them feel unwelcome, how we’ve excluded them when we didn’t realize that’s what was happening.
It’s the only program in the USA solely focused on conservation for women. Conservation aspects of all agriculture topics, and all types of conservation.
Learning circles entail a day-long meeting with discussion in the morning and a field tour after lunch. The ladies are there for approximately 6 hours of content. Part of the day is reserved for women only.
The format of the learning circles has made all the difference and after face-to-face meetings with more than 3200 women, we can say there are certain aspects that are central to the method.
Meetings are intentionally kept small, no more than 25 women in the room including conservation professionals.
Everyone sits down in a circle, professionals dispersed, no head of the table.
Everyone introduces themselves by telling about their land – we recognize they have expertise to share.
Contemporary conservation is discussed, nothing watered down, but we approach the content differently and facilitate a discussion rather than PowerPoint lecture.
Field tour – less is more, allow for them to handle the equipment, try judging things for themselves, more time for questions.
Yes, they sometimes talk about their feelings!
Annual surveys,
We asked some easy steps to take and some very hard steps for women to take. The NA column reflects that we had some women farmers and some non-landowners in the groups, which is not a bad thing. Add animation – circle the NA (20 % figures)
An increase in confidence is needed for taking action. Remember we said 50 to 70% of women responding to surveys a year after a meeting took an action to improve conservation on their land.
We measured gains in knowledge and there were improvements in all the aspects of soil health information. In written comments about what was most helpful in the meetings we got many responses indicating that the methods we are using are working. We also were told that they felt welcome in our meetings, and clearly some have felt unwelcome in other circumstances. And a happy outcome is that the partners benefit as well.
Sara is a beginning farmer, a small farmer, an organic farmer and a military veteran
She has a powerful story to tell about how she came to farming. She’s located not far outside of Indianapolis on a farm called Blue Yonder where she often hosts military families and others that are interested in learning more about farming.
She has participated in three learning circles and has hosted two tours. Because of the learning circles she has learned about farm bill programs has utilized EQIP to install a high tunnel.
She believes in the power of learning circles so much that she serves on the State’s steering committee for this program.
300 acres of cropland and woodland
Bev is super knowledgeable about conservation stuff already and had utilized EQIP for forestry management practices to remove invasives and planting pollinator habitat
But until she came to her first learning circle she did not truly appreciate her tenant farmer who no-tills her fields. She learned about soil health and now is one of our biggest ambassadors for soil health.
She loved the learning circle concept and has hosted two tours.
Meet Jane Myers
Jan is a Master Gardener who owns 300 acres of cropland, forestland and some pasture. She leases her land to an excellent conservation farmer enrolled in CSP, but she had little knowledge of NRCS programs and other services available. Because of a learning circle she attended she has recently signed a contract to do forestry improvement on 50 acres of woodlands and will also be installing a high tunnel.
Ruth Miller, a widow for the past 4 or 5 years and in her 80’s. She has 70 acres of cropland, some of it on E and F slopes. She has never been involved with her tenant farmer but as a result of attend two Women’s Learning Circles (one focused on soil health, the other touched on conservation leases) decided to get involved.
Ruth found out her tenant had been using conventional tillage on those steep slopes and had planted soybeans for the past four years in a row – the land was in bad shape.
She came in the office and talked to the DC and together they wrote a conservation plan that involves crop rotations and no-till. Her tenant farmer refused to make any changes so she fired him and has bids out for a new farmer.
Ruth says WLC’s gave her information she needed to be confident in talking to her farmer.
National Employment Development Center for NRCS trainings are approved for the future. Women in NRCS and I do them in partnership, we are setting the 2018 schedule.
Jean – make sure to address the certain little things you can’t mess with and maintain quality…
Initial research, pilot meetings, soil health content