Saturday, April 1, 2023
No Result
View All Result
SUBSCRIBE
The Chimney Rock Chronicle
58 °f
Broadway
46 ° Sun
53 ° Mon
61 ° Tue
66 ° Wed
57 ° Thu
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Pickup Locations
  • Columns
    • All
    • Book Notes
    • Eating Well in the Real World
    • Fishing with Mike
    • From the Potting Shed
    • Fulks Run Follies
    • Gobbler Sports
    • Handy with Randy
    • Headlines from Plains Museum
    • Hiking With Ray
    • Local Business
    • Local Legends
    • Musings from the Woodpile
    • Personal & Professional Development
    • Randy's Ramblings
    • Reflections from a Fuller Life
    • Sarah's Recipes
    • The Gospel Vault
    • The View From Here
    • The Wandering Wilkins
    • When This You See
    HEADLINES From Plains District Memorial Museum

    Highlights From Plains District Memorial Museum

    Ptarmigan Hunting in Alaska

    Ptarmigan Hunting in Alaska

    The Wandering Wilkins

    The Wandering Wilkins

    When This You See

    Hiking with Ray

    Hiking with Ray

    Photograph of Ronnie Fulk

    Fulks Run Follies

    Sarah’s Recipies

    Sarah’s Recipies

    Gobbler Sports

    BHS Athletics Puts a Bow on a Wildly Successful Winter Season

    Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

    Bass Fishing With Mike

    Photograph of Wes Dove

    Which is More Important? The Issue or the Relationship?

    Handy With Randy

    Handy with Randy

    Understanding the Holy Spirit – Part 4

    What God Is Like

    The Spencers, 1983: (Standing, L to R) Barbara Spencer, J.B. Spencer, Wade Spencer. (Seated, L to R) Geniece Spencer Ingold, Kevin Spencer, Tammy Spencer (Kevin’s wife)

    Gospel Vault

    Book Notes

    Book Notes

    From the Potting Shed – December 2021

    From The Potting Shed

    Trending Tags

    • Entertainment
      • All
      • Festivals
      • Kids Activites
      • Music
      • Off Broadway Players
      • Sports
      • Upcoming Events
      Ptarmigan Hunting in Alaska

      Ptarmigan Hunting in Alaska

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Rounding the Bases

      Rounding the Bases

      Gobbler Sports

      BHS Athletics Puts a Bow on a Wildly Successful Winter Season

      Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

      Bass Fishing With Mike

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Rounding the Bases

      Rounding the Bases

      baseball field

      2023 BHS Baseball and Softball Preview

      Pedaling West

      Local Author to Speak at New Market Library

      • Off Broadway Players
    • History
      • All
      • Bev's Historic Notes
      Cullers Run School in Hardy County, West Virginia

      Cullers Run School in Hardy County, West Virginia

      The Chimney Rock VFW Celebrates 75 Years of Service

      The Chimney Rock VFW Celebrates 75 Years of Service

      HEADLINES From Plains District Memorial Museum

      Highlights from the Plains District Memorial Museum

      Bad Roads

      Revolutionary War Service

      Mattress Shopping

      Retta’s Column

      HEADLINES From Plains District Memorial Museum

      Headlines from PLAINS DISTRICT MEMORIAL MUSEUM

      The Miller Family of the Genoa Area

      The Miller Family of the Genoa Area

      The Lantz Family

      The Lantz Family

      Timberville Historic Notes

      Timberville Historic Notes

    • Our Sponsors
      • Advertising
    • Home
      • About Us
      • Pickup Locations
    • Columns
      • All
      • Book Notes
      • Eating Well in the Real World
      • Fishing with Mike
      • From the Potting Shed
      • Fulks Run Follies
      • Gobbler Sports
      • Handy with Randy
      • Headlines from Plains Museum
      • Hiking With Ray
      • Local Business
      • Local Legends
      • Musings from the Woodpile
      • Personal & Professional Development
      • Randy's Ramblings
      • Reflections from a Fuller Life
      • Sarah's Recipes
      • The Gospel Vault
      • The View From Here
      • The Wandering Wilkins
      • When This You See
      HEADLINES From Plains District Memorial Museum

      Highlights From Plains District Memorial Museum

      Ptarmigan Hunting in Alaska

      Ptarmigan Hunting in Alaska

      The Wandering Wilkins

      The Wandering Wilkins

      When This You See

      Hiking with Ray

      Hiking with Ray

      Photograph of Ronnie Fulk

      Fulks Run Follies

      Sarah’s Recipies

      Sarah’s Recipies

      Gobbler Sports

      BHS Athletics Puts a Bow on a Wildly Successful Winter Season

      Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

      Bass Fishing With Mike

      Photograph of Wes Dove

      Which is More Important? The Issue or the Relationship?

      Handy With Randy

      Handy with Randy

      Understanding the Holy Spirit – Part 4

      What God Is Like

      The Spencers, 1983: (Standing, L to R) Barbara Spencer, J.B. Spencer, Wade Spencer. (Seated, L to R) Geniece Spencer Ingold, Kevin Spencer, Tammy Spencer (Kevin’s wife)

      Gospel Vault

      Book Notes

      Book Notes

      From the Potting Shed – December 2021

      From The Potting Shed

      Trending Tags

      • Entertainment
        • All
        • Festivals
        • Kids Activites
        • Music
        • Off Broadway Players
        • Sports
        • Upcoming Events
        Ptarmigan Hunting in Alaska

        Ptarmigan Hunting in Alaska

        Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

        Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

        Rounding the Bases

        Rounding the Bases

        Gobbler Sports

        BHS Athletics Puts a Bow on a Wildly Successful Winter Season

        Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

        Bass Fishing With Mike

        Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

        Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

        Rounding the Bases

        Rounding the Bases

        baseball field

        2023 BHS Baseball and Softball Preview

        Pedaling West

        Local Author to Speak at New Market Library

        • Off Broadway Players
      • History
        • All
        • Bev's Historic Notes
        Cullers Run School in Hardy County, West Virginia

        Cullers Run School in Hardy County, West Virginia

        The Chimney Rock VFW Celebrates 75 Years of Service

        The Chimney Rock VFW Celebrates 75 Years of Service

        HEADLINES From Plains District Memorial Museum

        Highlights from the Plains District Memorial Museum

        Bad Roads

        Revolutionary War Service

        Mattress Shopping

        Retta’s Column

        HEADLINES From Plains District Memorial Museum

        Headlines from PLAINS DISTRICT MEMORIAL MUSEUM

        The Miller Family of the Genoa Area

        The Miller Family of the Genoa Area

        The Lantz Family

        The Lantz Family

        Timberville Historic Notes

        Timberville Historic Notes

      • Our Sponsors
        • Advertising
      No Result
      View All Result
      The Chimney Rock Chronicle
      Subscribe
      Thank you to our Sponsors! Thank you to our Sponsors! Thank you to our Sponsors!
      Home News

      Funding For Farmers

      By Kevin Tate

      Tammy Cullers by Tammy Cullers
      November 6, 2022
      in Community, News
      Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
      www.shenandoahalliance.org

      Do you or someone you know grow crops, raise livestock, or own land? Have you been considering changing your production methods, updating your management, or making improvements to your property? If so, the time to act is now!

      This year, your local Soil and Water Conservation District and Natural Resources Conservation Service have record levels of funding to provide technical and financial assistance to Virginia farmers. Recent changes in the programs and applications also mean that today’s assistance is far more flexible and better able to meet the needs of landowners and farmers than ever before. If you were turned away, or turned off, from working with your local conservation service providers in the past, things have changed, and you should try again.

      Funding and guidance are available for planting trees, installing permanent and temporary fencing, planting cover crops, adopting rotational grazing, improving pastures, managing animal waste, drilling wells, designing and installing livestock watering systems, building stream crossings, reinforcing high-use areas, and much, much more.

      We have all heard about the need to adopt agricultural practices that improve the water quality locally in our streams and rivers and further downstream in the Chesapeake Bay. Valley farmers have been tasked with providing that critical benefit for years. And it is true that much of the assistance available to farmers is aimed at reducing runoff and soil erosion from farms.

      However, it has been less often discussed that many of the same practices that improve water quality can also improve the quality of soils and pastures and provide other benefits that directly impact a farm’s productivity.

      As one example, picture a farm that is grazed in the ‘conventional’ manner. On this farm the cattle are allowed unlimited access to all areas of the pasture and any creeks or streams that flow through the property. The pastures on this farm remain very short most of the year, and when not actively feeding, the cattle can be found in just a few of their favorite spots, most likely under some shade trees and near the creek. When the grass has no break from hungry cows to recuperate, it becomes weaker, susceptible to drought, and easily flooded by heavy rains. When cows spend most of their time in their favorite areas, they compact the soil and the nutrients from their manure are either sucked up by tree roots or washed away downstream.

      Now picture that same pasture with some new fencing that divides it into several smaller pastures and prevents or limits the cattle’s access to the streams (which in some cases can be funded up to 100% by the local Conservation District). Now the cattle will not be able to spend all their time in the same areas and their manure will be better distributed across the farm, providing important nutrients for growing grasses. While the cattle are feeding in one pasture, vegetation in the other pastures can fully develop leaves above ground and roots below. More plant material means that when it rains more water will be stored in the soil, rather than pooling above ground or running off into the creek, and the pastures will better withstand extreme weather. These benefits lead to healthier pastures and therefore healthier cows while also ensuring that cleaner water flows off the farm.

      The Soil and Water Conservation District and Natural Resources Conservation Service provide funding and technical support for these practices and others that pertain to dairy, poultry, hay, small ruminant, and fruit and vegetable producers. They also coordinate with other providers of technical support like the Virginia Department of Forestry, the Farm Service Agency, and local nonprofit organizations that offer complimentary assistance for farmers. So, if your local conservation office programs still don’t work for you and your land despite this year’s record funding and flexibility, they can work with partners to find solutions to your unique needs.

      By Kevin Tate, Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley. Kevin manages the Shenandoah Valley Conservation Collaborative, a partnership of nonprofit organizations and state and federal agencies working together with farmers and landowners to conserve productive land and clean water. Ktate@shenadoahalliance.org


      Photo caption: This farm in Page County has worked with SWCD and NRCS to install many improvements including the tree planting you see here. Photo by Chris Anderson.

      If you live in Rockingham County your local conservation office is at 1934 Deyerle Ave in Harrisonburg and can be reached at 540.534.3105
      If you live in Shenandoah County, your local conservation office is at 722A E Queen St in Strasburg and can be reached at 540.465.2424

      Tammy Cullers

      Tammy Cullers

      Tammy Fulk Cullers is a Jill-of-all-trades and hopes to (one day) master one. She is a middle school English teacher by day and a mystery writer by night. She also morphs into a newspaper publisher the last week of every month. You’ll find her playing the piano at Broadway Baptist Church, volunteering at the Plains District Memorial Museum, haunting the Village Library, and occasionally acting on stage with the Off Broadway Players. She loves words, cats, woodstoves, and books. Her future goals include learning to do cryptic crossword puzzles, owning a bookstore, and (eventually) becoming Jane Marple.

      Next Post
      tammy-cullers

      Dear Friends

      Popular Articles

      • Shenandoah Rail Trail meeting. Broadway

        The Shenandoah Rail Trail

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • Fat Boyz BBQ & More

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • Cullers Run School in Hardy County, West Virginia

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • The Old Inn At Mauzy

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • Sarah’s Recipes

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • Do I Feel Threatened?

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • Gone, But Not Forgotten

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • Ruritan Club Update: Focusing on Our Furry Friends

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • Handy With Randy

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • Rounding the Bases

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • About Us
      • Advertising
      • Contact
      • Pick Up Locations

      © 2021 The Chimney Rock Chronicle - Website & E-Commerce by Bare Web Design, Broadway Va.

      No Result
      View All Result
      • Home
      • Columns
      • Entertainment
        • Festivals
        • Kids Activites
        • Music
      • History
      • Sports
        • Thank you to our Sponsors!
        • Advertising

      © 2021 The Chimney Rock Chronicle - Website & E-Commerce by Bare Web Design, Broadway Va.