February 25, 2010

County Farm Bureaus raising funds for regional marketing help

WOODSTOCK—Leaders of eight county Farm Bureau organizations in the Shenandoah Valley are considering raising funds to help promote the hiring of a regional agricultural development director—even though tight local government budgets mean it could be another year before someone is hired.

A group of county Farm Bureau delegates met at the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation’s 2009 Annual Convention to discuss the possibilities. They plan to address the ideas with their respective county Farm Bureau boards of directors, according to Philip Shenk, a senior district field services director for Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. “Most of the county Farm Bureaus have already approved a financial contribution toward the effort,” Shenk said. “They’re also looking for other associated agriculture businesses to chip in, or even some very large producers to contribute money—not for the initial base salary of the position, but for seed money for that person to put on seminars and other work-related expenses.”

The idea of a regional ag development staff person has been in the works more than a year and a half and is being spearheaded by the Shenandoah Resource Conservation and Development Council, a community partnership program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The current proposal is to raise $20,000 in private funds with the council contributing $5,000, in hopes of enticing localities to share the balance of the $100,000 annual salary and expenses for a staff person. Augusta, Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah and Warren counties are the localities being asked to consider putting up money for the position.

“Other rural Virginia counties have ag development directors or coordinators, and in those counties farmers really have seen the value of having someone help them develop their businesses,” Shenk said. Because agriculture remains the dominant industry in the Shenandoah Valley, he noted, it only makes sense for local governments to support farmers.

“This not only helps farmers, it also helps broaden the tax base for the whole community.”

While tight local budgets might preclude hiring a regional ag development director this year, “we’re building a foundation for the future,” Shenk said. “We’re encouraging farmers to go ahead and make the funding request to their supervisors with the understanding that budgets are tight, but we’re introducing the idea now to start a two-way conversation.”

Contact Shenk at 540-955-3973 or Norm Hyde, VFBF senior video producer, at 804-290-1146.