While a herd mentality doesn’t do much to foster innovation, the combined brainpower of multiple individuals and organizations can be harnessed to make operations more sustainable and productive. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) regularly teams up with public and private sector partners to champion “out of the box” agricultural approaches through the Conservation Innovation Grant Program.
This year, Virginia NRCS is continuing the nearly 20-year legacy of CIG by funding two new state-level projects that, coincidentally, benefit herds, birds and pollinators. The dual focus of soil health and habitat restoration in the 2022 announcement was designed to engage more partners and landowners in research and demonstrations of technologies, practices and systems. Two core conservation partners stepped up to the challenge with separately funded proposals to test new options for addressing these resource concerns.
Virginia Tech will receive $195,351 to explore the potential production and environmental benefits of incorporating chicory and plantain into the state’s cool season pasture systems. Producers in the Valley Ridge and Piedmont regions of the state will be eligible to participate in the project, which will involve implementing forb seeding treatments in targeted fields to increase pasture diversity. These plots will later be evaluated for soil health and productivity improvements.
The Clifton Institute, Inc., was awarded $200,000 for a collaboration with Virginia State University (VSU) to enhance pollinator habitat restoration by launching a native seed industry in the commonwealth. A native seed coordinator hired with grant funds will oversee collection of wild native seeds and assist with growing seedlings for transplanting in participating farmers’ fields. VSU will help recruit small and underserved producers from the Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions to grow Virginia-ecotype natives as new cropping enterprises.
“Creative problem solving is key to preserving the health and vitality of Virginia agriculture for future generations,” said Dr. Edwin Martinez Martinez, NRCS’ state conservationist for Virginia. “The Virginia Tech project is the latest in a long line of state-level initiatives that support innovation in soil health outreach, research and demonstration and the native seed collaboration will not only expand existing pollinator habitat but also introduce a new cash crop opportunity for small-scale farmers.”
CIGs leverage partner resources to double the agency’s investment in field testing, evaluation and implementation of conservation technologies, practices and systems. To learn more about Virginia activities, contact NRCS CIG Program Coordinator Debbie Bullock at (804) 287-1678 or visit www.va.nrcs.usda.gov/.
