Application deadline: April 30, 2008

If you're sending your application by US Mail, it must be postmarked by April 30

Worksheet/Outline for 1000 word Summary

Project Title

Choose a title that fits your subject as it is now and/or where it might lead you and others in the future.

Topic area

Pick a topic related to the agriculture, ecology, or economy of Grayson County. For help, refer to the Suggested Topics List and the video (Land Stewardship Fair: What Is Your Vision of the Future?) on our website homepage.

Problem to Be Explored

Present your problem as an open-ended question such as “How can we make locally raised and processed beef more profitable for local farmers?” or “How can we develop a profitable local business growing and selling ginseng?” The more specific your topic is, the better. Be sure you can find publications or experts to help you with information.

Proposed Solution to The Problem

Describe your specific approach to the problem you have chosen. For example, proposed solutions to the local beef question might be working with local grocery stores to promote and sell local beef, or establishing high-end markets for specialty cuts, or setting up a direct-marketing website on the Internet. (These are all initiatives that Grayson LandCare is actually working on. You are encouraged to look for new ideas that might work.) Be sure your solution is practical and feasible for Grayson County. Be as specific as possible in describing what you would do to make your idea work.

Your project will be judged in part on how well it addresses the Triple Bottom Line:

• Increasing the income and economic well-being of the citizens of the county
• In a way that is environmentally sound and sustainable
• And socially beneficial to the community.

Support For Your Solution

To convince the judges that your solution would really work, you are encouraged to use:

• Academic research on your topic (see Resource List). For example, you may want to reference articles from the Virginia Tech’s LandCare Center website.
• Field research you do yourself, such as personal observation and talking with professionals, experts, and members of the local community. If you are not sure who might be able to give you information on a topic, please contact LandCare (email Ruth Ross at ross@ls.net) and we will try to put you in touch with someone who is knowledgeable in the area you have chosen.
• Experiments/testing such as demonstrations or activities to show that your proposed solution could work in conditions existing in Grayson County. For example, you could gather economic data on the county, survey a sample of the local population, monitor existing cattle operations in the county, etc., OR look at what has been done in areas outside Grayson County and discuss how those approaches might work here.