SARE, NGO’S and NRCS to Partner on CSP Outreach this Summer

Working in tandem with NRCS and the Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education (SARE) program, the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) is planning a series of farm tours this summer designed to showcase farmers who have been awarded Conservation Security Program (CSP) contracts in Wisconsin and Illinois.

The on-farm demonstrations and tours – planned for late summer – will give the farmers, many of whom are regarded among the best resource-conserving producers in their region, a chance to share their innovative practices and discuss the role that the CSP program plays on their farms. The tours will be geared toward Extension agents, local conservation staff, farm leaders, and farmers.

“The Conservation Security Program has awarded contracts to many exemplary producers with fascinating practices to show and stories to tell,” said Margaret Krome, the Institute’s policy program director. “It also offers a chance for agency staff to co-learn with new and different producers,” she added.

During the project, Krome and others will evaluate the success of the program with the idea that if the tours are successful, the program could be expanded nation-wide next year.

The farm tours are part of a larger effort by MFAI – a non-profit organization devoted to developing sustainable agriculture and revitalizing farming with research, education, technical assistance and public policy – to give voice to those farmers who have enrolled in the CSP program. As part of this effort, the Institute is preparing a Power Point presentation for NRCS, SARE and other agencies to showcase the positive impact of CSP. The slide show will feature descriptions and photos of the farms of exemplary CSP producers and commentary about the CSP program itself.

The slide show is in early development stages, and the MFAI would like feedback from potential users. Please contact  Jeanne Merrill, Sustainable Agriculture Organizer for the MFAI at 608-239-2161, with your responses to the following questions.

• Would you find such a Power Point Presentation helpful, and would you likely use it?
• In what venues and to what audience might you use it?
• Are you more likely to use it as a complete presentation or take photos and quotes from farmers and ranchers that you could use in your own presentations?
• If you think you would use it in its entirety, how long should it be?
• Are there subjects you especially would want to have covered?