16th Anniversary Farmers and Landowners Conference
September 22-24, 2022
Virtually
Register at https://www.minoritylandowner.com/conference
Farmers
and Landowners Conference that begins tomorrow. Attendees may attend one, two
or all three days. Same day registration is accepted. View the attached agenda.
Some scholarships are still
available. Use this link to register: https://www.minoritylandowner.com/conference
Sponsored by The Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center
www.alcorn.edu/policycenter
Sponsored by The Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center
www.alcorn.edu/policycenter
Agenda
September 22, 2022
12:00 noon – 4:00 pm eastern time
Focus on the Farm
12:00 noon Virtual Logistics
Melessa Carlson, Zoom Producer
12:05 pm Conference Welcome
Victor L. Harris, ML Publisher and Editor
12:15 pm Farm Financial Assistance and Management
Joshua Coleman, State Outreach Coordinator
USDA Farm Service Agency – Texas
USDA Farm Service Agency State Outreach Coordinator Joshua Coleman describes a variety of farm loan programs that can help you start and grow your agricultural operation. These loans include acquisition loans, operating loans, and youth loans.
1:15 pm Farm Technical Assistance
Veronica O’Donnell, Resource Team Leader
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service – Texas
In this rebroadcast of a previous presentation, NRCS Resource Team Leader Veronica O'Donnell explains the technical assistance and financial assistance programs available to farmers and landowners. These include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program. She also discusses how NRCS can help farmers create a plan, and she provides guidance on program eligibility requirements. Through this rebroadcast we demonstrate the abundance of information that is available online to farmers, ranchers, landowners and those interested in becoming farmers. It’s all ready to access at a time and place that is convenient to them.
2:15 pm Getting Started: A Minority Landowner’s Guide to Forest Management
Dr. David Mercker, University of Tennessee Extension Forester
Dr. David Mercker has worked as a professional forester for 37 years, including 13 years in private consulting and 24 years in his current role as Extension Forester with the University of Tennessee. He was chosen as the 2020 National Extension Forester of the Year. In his presentation “A Minority Landowner’s Guide to Forest Management” he’ll discuss:
• What is a Professional Forester and where to find one
• Knowing your forest – the need to identify stands
• Managing your forest as it develops
• Proper steps in selling timber
• Follow Best Management Practices (BMPs)
• Tax Considerations
3:15 pm If I Could Just..... Open Floor Farmer Roundtable
Victor L. Harris – MLM
Where is that space you go to when you reflect on the future of your farming operation? That place when you are alone in your thoughts and you think to yourself, “If I could just….” Is it right before you crawl out of bed in the morning? Right before you fall asleep? A drive down a long road? Or a favorite sitting spot on the farm? In farming and in life we all have those “If I could just…” thought exercises.
If you could just…… then you could keep your head above water or take your operation to the next level. Make a profit. Get a few more acres productive. Finally make some money on those trees. Finance some new equipment. Or repair some that is old. Or figure out that pest problem.
In this session we will open the floor to a Farmer Roundtable where you’re invited to share your “If I could just…” Between our panelists, resource professionals, and your other farmer participants, maybe we can help you find a solution. Or, at least, point you in the right direction.
4:00 pm Close of Day 1
September 23, 2022
12:00 noon – 4:00 pm eastern time
Focus on the Farmer
12:00 noon Virtual Logistics
Barbara Potter, Zoom Producer
12:05 pm Conference Welcome
Victor L. Harris, ML Publisher and Editor
12:15 pm Farm Stress and Agriculture Suicide Prevention
Don McMoran, Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Faculty, County Director, Washington State University Skagit County Extension
The purpose of the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) Program is to establish a network that connects individuals who are engaged in farming, ranching, and other agriculture-related occupations to stress assistance programs. The establishment of a network that assists farmers and ranchers in time of stress can offer a conduit to improving behavioral health awareness, literacy, and outcomes for agricultural producers, workers and their families.
1:15 pm The Sand County Foundation Land Ethic Mentorship Program for Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers
Heidi Peterson, Ph.D., Vice President of Agricultural Research & Conservation Nikki D'Adamo-Damery, Conservation Outreach and Equity Director
Are you a beginning farmer or rancher who would benefit from a conservation mentor? The Land Ethic Mentorship is a free opportunity for historically underserved farmers and ranchers who would like access to a conservation mentor to help answer questions about land management. Sand County Foundation’s Leopold Conservation Award recipients serve as program mentors and look forward to helping participants navigate state and federal agricultural conservation programs.
2:15 pm Meet Minority Landowner Magazine’s National Farmers of the Year
Each year Minority Landowner Magazine recognizes farmers, ranchers and forest landowners across the country who are doing great work representing agriculture in their local communities. In this session we introduce you to their stories from our annual Farmers of the Year Issue.
3:15 pm Q&A
4:00 pm Close of Day 2
September 24, 2022
12:00 noon – 4:00 pm eastern time
Focus on the Future
12:00 noon Virtual Logistics
Barbara Potter, Zoom Producer
12:05 pm Conference Welcome
Victor L. Harris, ML Publisher and Editor
12:15 pm Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center, Policy Center Overview
Eloris Speight, Director
The Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center was authorized in the 2014 Farm Bill and is located in Mississippi at Alcorn State University, an 1890 University. It is a national center with a strategic focus in the 18 states with 1890 land-grant universities. It was created to be a voice for socially disadvantaged farmers and to ensure there is data driven information available.
Its mission is to “Conduct research, analyze policy, and make recommendations seeking to achieve equitable and economic integration of USDA programs and policies for socially disadvantaged farmers, ranchers, communities and rural landowners.”
12:45 pm Student Panel, Perspectives on Agriculture
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), Hub of Prosperity Farm
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley recently established its Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) chapter. Meet agriculture students who are more than students they’re also farmers. We open the conversation to what it’s like being an ag student today. They’ll share what they see as the future of agriculture; challenges now and in the future; careers; environmental; economics; and take questions from conference participants.
1:45 pm Characteristics of Socially Disadvantaged and New/Beginning Farmers and Ranchers in the 2017 Census of Agriculture
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)
America’s farmers and ranchers will soon have the opportunity to be represented in the nation’s only comprehensive and impartial agriculture data for every state, county and territory. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will mail the 2022 Census of Agriculture to millions of agriculture producers across the 50 states and Puerto Rico beginning in November. In this session we’ll review socially disadvantaged and new/beginning farmers and ranchers demographics from the previous Census, in preparation for the new Census.
2:45 pm Standing on a Lot of Love: Planning for Intergenerational Ownership of Land
Mavis Gragg, Co-founder, HeirShares
Mavis Gragg is a seasoned attorney and conservation professional with nearly two decades of experience in real estate, conflict resolution, estate planning, and probate. She focused her work on family land retention after she and her siblings lost much of their family wealth. She knew that she could develop resources to help other families avoid that kind of loss.
3:45 pm Q&A
4:00 pm Conference Closing Remarks
