10.01.2014 SE HUB TELECONFERENCE NOTES

SE REGIONAL HUB TEAM TELECONFERENCE

October 1, 2014

Present:

/ Lisa Holscher, IASWCD / CCSI
Vickie Smith, Dearborne SWCD
Healther Wirth, Hogan Creek Watershed
Tara Henry, ISDA
Robert Zupancic, NRCS Area Office
Meg Leader, ISDA
Hans Kok, CCSI
Mark Thomas, ISDA
Notes by: / Lisa Holscher

SWCD Outreach

One side effect of the Fayette-Union-Franklin CCSI Field Day on 9/15 was a re-energizing of the SWCD Boards. Especially Fayette and Union.

Targeting Districts

  • Some Districts (like Dearborn/Switzerland) take neighboring/struggling Districts (like Ohio) in hand to help them out.
  • Some Districts (like Fayette/Union) need the plug and chug brochures/registration/planning etc. – These would be the priority … want to make sure they are AWARE of resources available to them.
  • Most Districts / DSSs have identified low-hanging fruit – Districts / and Supervisors. Making Districts AWARE of resources available.
  • Don’t depend on staff to relay information to the Board (They may only have part-time staff.)
  • DSSs could prioritize list of “struggling” Districts, Districts interested in the help. Get input from DCs, Regional Soil Health Teams.
  • Identify Districts Needs
  • Meet with SWCD Board. Get someone involved with CCSI (it doesn’t have to be strictly Lisa, Hans, or Barry) attend SWCD meetings to describe what CCSI can offer as a resource.

CCA Outreach

As part of the CCSI Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG), looking at how to use CCAs as part of research, outreach, and education

  • The past Mentoring program had some, limited success.
  • CCSI is asking everyone in the State (SWCDs, ICP Staff, farmers) if they know of CCAs who are providing ‘mentoring’ / soil health outreach. In the SE, Roger Wenning is a good example of a farmer who is mentoring other farmers.

Issues from “Corporate” – McClain Example

  • Mark McClain, CPS Agronomist (and Tara Henry’s dad) wanted to participate in Mentoring Program, but higher up at CPS didn’t want him to get paid for providing those services. They wanted him to “keep doing what you’re doing”
  • Currently, McClain is on the Henry County SWCD Board of Directors
  • Setting up plots on his own farm
  • Wants to work more with DCs
  • McClain was part of the Forage Council, but got a lot of pushback from Purdue and others – because they had the perception he was there to promote a product. Mark and other CCAs feel there is a similar pushback from gov’t – again a perception that industry is about pushing products, not practices.
  • Note – McClain is retiring in about 5 years. He wants to do something on the side, like presenting / promoting soil health systems

Direct Training with Co-ops, Dealerships

  • 4 years ago, CPS asked Tara H. and a local DC to give presentation at their private CCA meeting. Tara got a lot of questions about how to connect with local SWCDs
  • Look in the future to ‘get on board’ with companies, and help them with their field days, training - get Soil Health Session(s) on the agenda
  • Use Hub Teams to reach out – make Co-ops and Dealerships aware that CCSI / ICP can be a resource.Need to identify what Team Members need as tools – brochures? Talking points?

Identifying CCAs

  • Could probably get DCs to send in names of CCAs they know / know producers have worked with. Ex – White River Co-op has really jumped in on Soil Health
  • Central (SE) – Larry Huffmeyer is on board with Jackson-Jennings Co-op
  • Should try to get one person from each group to talk with Hans

CCA Outreach Teleconference – Tara H. Robert Z. and Hans will set up time for follow-up teleconference

Specialty Crops

Lisa H. gave synopsis on other Regions efforts –

  • NE focusing on tomato growers
  • SW NRCS planning on similar staff training to that done in SE w/ Scott Monroe, Purdue Extension.
  • Probably looking at two-pronged approach:
  • Smaller truck farmers – direct one-on-one
  • Larger growers who sell to packers – use more CCAs
  • “Rodale Team” working on providing resources/who to turn to. Working on setting up “high tunnel round tables” for spring ’15 to define education/outreach needs.

Connecting through Extension

Smaller farmers, truck farmers may utilize Extension resources more often than other ICP agencies, especially when it comes to specialty crops

Need to make more efforts to engage Extension; to make sure that Extension fully understands soil health and what partnership goals are.It would be beneficial for Extension to reach out to ALL educators – see if they can get soil health on agendas for PAC workshops

  • Lori Hoagland, Purdue is really good at talking about soil health / microbiology. She may be helping to fill niche on soil health when it comes to PAC training.
  • SEPAC almost always has Eileen Kladivko or Dave Osborne talking soil health.
  • Feldon (Brad Shelton) in Lawrence County haven’t done much yet.
  • SIPAC (Jason Tower) has been doing work on mob grazing, etc.

PACs are supposed to be strictly research.

  • Usually takes someone to help them stretch outside of their true Purdue appointment
  • Supervisors do not have true Extension appointment. Education is NOT part of PAC supervisors’ jobs.
  • Supervisors primary job is to support research and make sure the farm makes money.

CCSI Annual Meeting Ideas

Summary of data thus far

  • Are we seeing any trends
  • Anecdotal evidence
  • Some kind of feedback on what the data is showing so far.

Maybe one of the Hub Farmers talk about X happened because of this… maybe had a super-big AHA moment they could talk about for 20 minutes.

Economics is a topic that would be good to have/present. Maybe a combination of Ken/Rodney Rulon, Dave Robison, Jim Hoorman?