My work focuses on efforts that help improve the economic and environmental sustainability of farms on the Delmarva Peninsula and Mid-Atlantic Region, including Soil Health and 4R Nutrient Stewardship projects. I provide coordination support for education & outreach efforts, building partnerships. Occasionally, as part of a larger project, I also develop websites, create logos and other graphics and write grant proposals.
You can also visit my channels on YouTube and SoundCloud.
Delaware Cover Crop Network
The Delaware Cover Crop Network is an effort of the Delaware Soil Health Partnership through the University of Delaware and Delaware State University Cooperative Extension, with funding from Northeast SARE Program. The Cover Crop Network provides four sites throughout the state where visitors can see different cover crop species and mixes, at different seeding rates and planting dates. The sites are intended to be a complement to cover crop and soil health field days- here, visitors can follow along to see view the plots through the fall and winter and into the next spring and even evaluate the impact that the cover crop has on the following crop in 2018.
Support for this project includes the development and maintenance of the DECC Network website where visitors can find the sites and view photos of the cover crops online.
Delaware Poultry Construction Guide
The Delaware Poultry Construction Guide was a project funded through the Sussex Conservation District to assist developers by providing a poultry construction guide, partner links and resources to help prospective poultry farmers through the state and federal requirements for building new poultry houses. The purpose of the project was to list all of the relevant rules and links in a single location, providing a “one-stop-shop” for resources that will help to make the building process easier and improve compliance.
The project also features new and soon-to-be Sussex County poultry farmers and their perspectives on the building process.
Support for this project included:
- Working with agency, business and Conservation District partners to identify a comprehensive list and workflow of rules and regulations pertaining to poultry house construction
- Working with the Sussex Conservation District and farmers to develop the “Featured Growers” portion of the project
- Developing outreach materials for the project
- Developing a website to serve as an information clearinghouse
Delaware-Maryland 4R Alliance
The Delaware-Maryland 4R Alliance is a collaboration between agribusinesses, government agencies, conservation groups and scientists working together to ensure that every nutrient application on Delmarva is consistent with the 4Rs- the right nutrient sources, applied at the right rate, at the right time, in the right place. Founded by The Nature Conservancy and the Delaware-Maryland Agribusiness Association, DM4RA supports the increased implementation of 4R practices, to benefit the economic, environmental and social well-being of our region and our farmers.
Support for DM4RA (2016 – 2019) included:
- Helping to coordinate on-farm demonstration projects and produce outreach materials to describe the benefits of advanced nutrient management practices.
- Developing a website for the Mid-Atlantic 4R Nutrient Stewardship Association, an umbrella organization which also serves the Pennsylvania 4R Alliance
- Working to build partnerships and structure during the first two years of the partnership and helping to coordinate early outreach efforts