Florida NRCS Outreach Update FY 2007 #1 October - March

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Focus on Florida

By Ann Bowens, State Outreach Liaison

Florida NRCS has been very fortunate to 

produce a winner each year since the inception of the National Organization of 

Professional Black NRCS Employee’s Small 

Farmers Award contest. This past year, we 

were fortunate to have not just one but 2 

winners from our state, Mr. Richard Hardy, 

Area 1: 3rd Place, and the Gwinn Brothers, 

Area 2: National Small Farmer Group 

award. 

It is time to seek out good prospects 

for the 2007 National Organization of 

Professional Black NRCS Employees 

Small Scale Farmer Award and the 

National Black Small Scale Farmer 

Group/Organization Awards.

Ann Bowens is currently recruiting 

Florida nominees for this year’s 

award. If you have a producer/group 

and/or organization that you would 

like to nominate, please contact her at 

(352)-338-9516. 

Florida Ag in the Classroom’s “Ag 

Literacy Day”

By Jackie Bailey, Highlands SWCD

Highlands Soil and Water Conservation District 

(HSWCD) participated in Ag Literacy Day sponsored by Florida Ag in the Classroom, Inc. (FAITC), 

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer 

Services (FDACS) and Monsanto. The District’s 

goal was to visit eight classrooms. Clell Ford and 

Erin McCarta read to elementary students around 

the county and talked about the importance of 

Florida agriculture. This year’s selected book was 

“Oh Say Can You Seed?”, by Bonnie Worth, an educational story about flowering plants. 

In the photo 

Clell Ford, Highlands County Lakes 

Manager, is reading to the children 

at Heartland Christian School in 

Sebring, Florida.

Ag Literacy Day was established to help teachers and students gain a better understanding of 

Florida agriculture and to educate Florida’s future 

leaders about the significance of our food and 

fiber system. 

National Small Farmer Group Award: Gwinn Brothers Farm, 

(l-r) Chris Menhennett, DC, Live Oak; Darnell & wife Lucille, 

Sally and husband Robert.

3rd Place : Richard Hardy, Producer and Brian McGraw, DC, 

Blountstown.
Florida NRCS Outreach Update FY 2007 #1 October - March 

PMC in Spanish

by Mimi Williams, PMC Specialist

Participation in 

green industry trade 

shows is one of the 

ways the Brooksville Plant Materials Center staff informs 

the public about the conservation plant 

releases developed at the center. To 

better serve our Hispanic clientele, the 

Plant Materials Center had one of its 

main informational brochures translated into Spanish. This brochure 

describes the goals and objectives of the 

Plant Materials Center and lists some of the important 

conservation plants developed at the center, including:

•	 Flora Sun girasol ornamental, (Helianthus debilis)

•	 Sharp y Flageo yerba de sal, (Spartina patens)

•	 Chapingo teosinte mexicano, (Zea mexicana)

•	 Brooksville 67 maní silvestre perenne (Arachis 

glabrata var. hagenbeckii)

•	 Brooksville 68 maní silvestre perenne (Arachis 

glabrata)

•	 Floral Passion sierra de estellas, (Liatris elegans).

In the future, the PMC would like to have more of our 

technical literature, translated into Spanish. 

Any NRCS staff who would like to receive copies of this 

brochure or who would be interested in assisting the PMC 

in translating their material into Spanish, please contact:

Janet Grabowski, PMC Manager, 352.796.9600, 

janet.grabowski@fl.usda.gov

National Publications Available 

for Spanish Outreach

By Gail Hendricks, VIS

For those employees who have Hispanic 

clients in their area you should check out the 

following link to NRCS Spanish 

publications:

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/espanol/

index.html

This link gives 

you a list of our 

national publications available in 

Spanish. You 

may print individual PDF publications or make 

note of the name 

of the brochure 

and search for it 

on Landcare, then 

order through them. 

It pays to plan ahead, so take some time 

now to explore this information and order 

brochures for future meetings and outreach 

opportunities.

Three Rivers RC&D and Blackwater SWCD Working Together 

By Ann Bowens, State Outreach Liaison

Some 30 years ago, the Soil Conservation Service (now NRCS) worked in front of Ms. 

Jacklin Bells home on the Pond Creek Watershed project. Ms. Bells remembered the 

excellent job that SCS performed so when a recent storm brought flooding conditions 

into her home, she contacted Steve Duncan, District Conservationist at the Milton Field 

Office to see what could be done to prevent water from coming into her house.

Steve got John Harper, Three Rivers RC&D Coordinator involved. They determined that the storm had caused damaged to the gutters on her home and as a result water was running down the wall and into her den and kitchen. Also, 

the backyard was in need of some grading and sloping to divert the water away from the house. Three Rivers RC&D 

paid to have the gutters replaced and Blackwater SWCD is providing assistance on grading the slope of the yard.

John Harper and Ann Bowens 

discuss flooding with Ms. Bells.
Florida NRCS Outreach Update FY 2007 #1 October - March 

Since the organization of local conservation districts 

in the 1930’s, people have volunteered their time and 

talent to assist the USDA’s Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS) in getting conservation on 

the land. Through the decades, volunteering has 

remained an important part of America’s conservation 

movement. With an ever-declining federal workforce, 

volunteers will be needed to help NRCS successfully 

meet customers’ needs and carry out its mission. 

Thank Your Volunteer Coordinators

Florida’s Earth Team Committee:

•	 Darryl Williams, State Volunteer Coordinator/Area 

I Representative

•	 Jill Dobbs, Area II Representative

•	 Ken Lackmann, Area III Representative

•	 Deborah Lee, Area IV Representative

•	 Bob Stobaugh, Volunteer Committee Advisor

•	 Beverly Jamerson, assists the State Volunteer 

Coordinator with administrative duties.

Committee Duties:

The State Volunteer Coordinator is to: 

•	 Coordinate Earth Team activities and assist 

coordinators for other NRCS entities where 

offices are located within the State boundary;

•	 Coordinate State volunteer activities with the 

volunteer liaison and/or National Volunteer 

Coordinator as appropriate;

•	 Prepare recommendations to the State 

Conservationist for Earth Team activities;

•	 Prepare records for the State Conservationist 

(e.g., business plans, budget request, etc.) for 

Earth Team activities as necessary for all offices 

within State boundary;

•	 Maintain and submit necessary reports relating 

to Earth Team activities to the National Volunteer 

“We at the NRCS are proud of the dedicated 

volunteers and employees who have committed their time and talents to conserving and 

protecting soil, water and wildlife for their 

community and everyone in it. We hope that 

National Volunteer Week motivates others to 

volunteer their time and talent to help NRCS 

and its mission as we continue ‘Helping People 

Help the Land”. 

Niles Glasgow, STC

Earth Team Volunteer Coordinators

by Darryl Williams, State Volunteer Coordinator

Coordinator for all offices within State boundary;

•	 Recommend and implement volunteer and 

volunteer supervisor training; and

•	 Coordinate State volunteer recognition program 

and promote national recognition program.

Area Representatives:

Each Area Representative is to work with the offices 

within their area to help carry out the function of 

Florida’s volunteer goals, oversight and recommendation from the State Volunteer Coordinator and the State 

Conservationist. 

Recognition is funded by the State Conservationist 

for volunteers who contribute a significant amount of 

time to the mission of NRCS. NRCS personnel can 

request, through their Area Representative, items that 

can be used to recognize a volunteer for their effort. 

Area Representative’s contact the State Volunteer 

Coordinator to secure recognition items such as shirts, 

pens, caps, and lunch coolers etc., NO MONETARY 

AWARDS CAN BE GIVEN.

Additional information on the Earth Team 

Volunteer program is available online at:

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov.
Florida NRCS Outreach Update FY 2007 #1 October - March 

Highlands SWCD Joins Career Day at 

South Florida Community College

by Jackie Bailey, Highlands SWCD

Jennifer Abbey, Soil Conservationist, and Erin McCarta, 

Lakes Management Assistant, represented Highlands Soil 

and Water Conservation District at the annual “College and 

Career Connection” Career Fair on February 1, 2007 at South 

Florida Community College. The goal of the Career Fair was 

for students to explore career opportunities. 

Over 1,200 students from DeSoto, Hardee and Highlands 

counties participated in the event. Students from Avon Park, 

Lake Placid and Sebring High Schools; as well as students 

from private schools and South Florida Community College 

were eager to visit the booth displays of over two hundred 

professionals, representing hundreds of occupations. Natural 

Resources Conservation Service and Highlands County career 

opportunity information was given to the students as they 

visited our booth.

Equestrian Programs Event in Ocala

by Gail Hendricks, VIS

On November 29th, at the Marion County Extension 

Service Agricultural Center Auditorium in Ocala, the public 

had a chance to ask questions and receive information from 

several organizations and agencies in the Ocala area, including NRCS. Marion County Clean Farms Initiative, Marion Soil 

& Water Conservation District, Florida Dept. of Agriculture & 

Consumer Services, UF/IFAS Extension Agents, Natural 

Resources Conservation Service, and Farm Service Agency 

employees and members were on hand to talk about cost 

share programs available to help the equestrian community. 

Florida Farm Bureau Legislative 

Day in Tallahassee

By Darryl Williams, DC, Crestview

The Florida Farm Bureau sponsors a Legislative 

Appreciation Day celebration each year in 

Tallahassee. The goal is to inform and educate our 

Legislative leaders on the importance of agriculture within the state. An evening function is organized with county Farm Bureau offices setting up 

displays showcasing various agriculture products 

that are grown within their county. 

USDA NRCS has participated with a display 

over the years. This year, emphasis was centered 

on Farm Bill programs and the Earth Team 

Volunteer program. We are there to educate, 

inform and to recruit Earth Team volunteers. •

The 9th Annual APIO Training Conference 

will be held in Miami-Dade County, August 20 - 

24, 2007. Florida NRCS employees will be volunteering their help and support. We welcome 

APIO to Florida and hope they have an informative and successful conference.
Florida NRCS Outreach Update FY 2007 #1 October - March 

For more information on Outreach, contact :

Ann Bowens, State Outreach Liaison

P.O. Box 141510

Gainesville, FL 32614

352-338-9516

ann.bowens@fl.usda.gov

Outreach Editor:

Gail Hendricks

Public Affairs Staff

352-338-9560

gail.hendricks@fl.usda.gov

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination 

in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national 

origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, 

familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic 

information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an 

individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. 

(Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with 

disabilities who require alternative means for communication of 

program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should 

contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To 

file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of 

Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 

20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

CRESTVIEW and Three Rivers RC&D are 

“SHARING AND CARING”

By Darryl Williams, DC, Crestview

The Yellow River SWCD, NRCS Earth Team Volunteers, 

USDA Crestview Service Center and the Three Rivers 

RC&D Council are working together to provide adequate 

housing for the Crestview Sharing & Caring, Inc. Sharing 

and Caring of Okaloosa County was incorporated in the 

1980’s as a non-profit entity serving as a food distribution agency for transients, homeless and the poor in 

Okaloosa County. It is staffed totally by volunteers and 

has a very limited operating budget based on community and church monetary, food, and clothing donations 

and a small annual funding from the United Way Agency. 

Sharing and Caring is serving an ever increasing population in the Crestview area due to many factors. The recent 

hurricanes resulted in many people relocating to this 

area from Louisiana and Mississippi and cost of gas and 

rent has escalated, which has further stressed families of 

the working poor. Many of these families do not qualify 

for food stamps due to the fact that they are working, yet 

they do not have enough money to provide sufficient 

food for their families. Sharing and Caring assists by providing supplemental food supplies for families who run 

short of money. 

One very pressing need is a better 

facility. At the moment, they are operating out of a mobile home which is 

20 years old and in very poor condition. The building is becoming 

increasingly unsafe for both the volunteer workers as well as their clients. 

The storage area for food supply is 

inadequate for the amount of need 

they are currently seeing. It can be difficult to accommodate large food drive donations which 

are so necessary to their mission. If they had the space to 

accommodate a refrigerator and freezer, they would be 

able to take advantage of donations of garden produce 

and frozen goods. 

The current Crestview Sharing & Caring facility is 

located on city owned property The City Council fully 

supports the new building project and will agree to a 

long term lease of the site if Sharing & Caring can raise 

the necessary funding for construction. They will also 

provide necessary site work and the demolition of the 

existing mobile home structure once the new building is 

in place. We have an engineer from the local community 

who has volunteered his time and talent to provide 

building design. The Okaloosa County School District is 

very interested in the possibility of the Okaloosa Applied 

Technology (Vo-Tech school) providing interior framing 

and finish of the pre-engineered metal building 

package. 

We have established a steering committee to work 

towards planning and raising funds within the community in the effort to obtain a new facility. The steering 

committee is made up of four local pastors, an engineer, 

a representative from the City Administrator’s office, a 

reporter with the local newspaper and an Outreach 

Coordinator from the local USDA Rural 

Development office.

The Crestview Service Center will 

continue to work with our agency 

partners to help find funding for this 

much needed community organization. If anyone has experience with 

helping an organization such as this 

one, please give me a call. Any help 

will be greatly appreciated.