What is LandCare?

The Landcare Movement began in 1986 in Australia (www.silc.com.au) when a group of farmers, faced with major environmental and economic challenges, began working with government agencies, university scientists, suppliers of agricultural and forestry technologies, buyers and processors of agricultural and forest products, and banks to solve problems and increase profits in a sustainable manner. The movement has been very successful and has expanded to 12 countries, with over 4,000 Landcare groups participating in community-based natural resource management projects.

How LandCare Came to Grayson County

Several years ago farmers and forest owners in Grayson County began working with the New River Land Trust to find ways to protect land and increase agricultural income. Jim Johnson, Associate Dean of Outreach and Professor of Forestry, and his colleagues at the Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources have provided invaluable technical assistance. It was Dr. Johnson who pointed out that the goals of the Grayson group were very similar to those of the international Landcare Movement. Soon after, we adopted the name Grayson LandCare and became one of the first Landcare groups in the United States. Our goals are to protect the rural character of our county and help local citizens make a living wage on their land in an environmentally sound and sustainable manner.

CONGRESSMAN BOUCHER AND LANDCARE

In an interview on January 31, 2007, Rebecca Coleman, Senior Advisor for Policy and Development to Congressman Rick Boucher, discussed the Congressman’s involvement with Grayson LandCare and prospects the organization offers the county. Congressman Boucher first took an interest in Grayson LandCare early in its inception, as it was attracting the interest of such organizations as the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the USDA. He greatly respects the goals of the organization and its initiative as the first active Landcare program in the United States.

The Conference on Value-Added Beef Farming hosted by Congressman Boucher in July 2006 was an important part of the “educational process.” He saw it as an opportunity for local beef producers to learn about local markets for grass-fed beef, such as Food City, and economic advantages the industry offers Grayson County. The Congressman hosts 3 to 4 conferences each year on various topics and plans to host a number of other agricultural conferences in the future. The Congressman is very pleased about the $23,000 USDA grant awarded to Grayson LandCare to research the feasibility of locating a meat processing facility in the county and the potential local retail market. He believes local facilities are “critical” to our beef industry here in Southwest Virginia.

The Congressman feels Grayson LandCare’s most significant achievements so far have been to “bring the issue of preservation of agricultural land to the forefront,” providing education and communication and facilitating public relations on agricultural issues. Although Grayson LandCare has “the challenge of continuing to get the word out,” the Congressman is very hopeful about Grayson LandCare’s livestock initiative, the plans of the Blue Ridge Forestry Cooperative, and the organization’s mission of public education. When asked if Congressman Boucher plans to work with Grayson LandCare in the future, Ms Coleman answered with a resounding “absolutely.” Congressman Boucher’s office is here for Grayson LandCare “to the degree we’re needed.” Congressman Boucher stresses that Grayson County’s “strong farming tradition” is a “historical cultural feature” and an “integral part of the county.” “Farm dollars support the county” and provide revenues to local industries and “the county as a whole.” He believes that Grayson LandCare will help increase “beef and forestry income.”

by Emma Ross, Grayson LandCare Intern, Jan 2007

 

What Is Grayson LandCare?

Grayson LandCare is a locally organized group of farmers, landowners, and residents concerned about economic and environmental problems in Grayson County and southwest Virginia. Grayson County has historically been a rural agricultural community based on small-town values and the unique cultural identity of our beautiful Appalachian landscape. Unfortunately, rising land prices, higher property taxes, and competition from corporate farming threaten to overcome family farms, fragment our country landscape, and destroy our rural way of life.

Grayson LandCare addresses these challenges with a triple-bottom-line. Our goals are to increase the incomes of our citizens, involve the community and improve community services, protect the natural resources on which we depend for food, water, and air.

Others share our concern. Grayson LandCare was initially organized by citizens of Grayson County with guidance from the New River Land Trust and supported by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Since then it has gained stature and influence both nationally and internationally. Virginia Tech, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and many other individuals and agencies have responded enthusiastically to our collaborative efforts to find solutions for the benefit of the entire community.

We welcome farmers, landowners, and anyone who wants to make our community economically stronger while preserving our rural way of life. Grayson LandCare generally meets the third Thursday of every month at 7 pm in the courtroom of the 1908 Courthouse. Meetings are open to the public.

A Word from our Vice President:

When I was growing up in Grayson County, I went to a small church with a congregation of 50 in which 10 men supported their families farming. At that church today, only 25 years later, nobody makes a living farming. The common goal that brings us together in the LandCare movement is a desire to increase the income Grayson County farmers and forest owners can make so that they can continue to work their land and make a living doing it. What I especially like about the LandCare movement is that the ideas and control are local.

I dream of a day in the near future when cattle and other livestock are born, raised, slaughtered, and marketed right here in Grayson County with technical assistance from the agricultural specialists at Virginia Tech. These cattle will be processed in a state-of-the-art, USDA-certified local slaughter facility designed by experts on humane animal treatment at Virginia Tech that will provide jobs and economic opportunities for our citizens. I dream of a day when local timber is harvested in a sustainable way that ensures future timber crops for our children and marketed in a manner that maximizes profits for local landowners. Here in Grayson County we have lots of things going for us to make this dream a reality: a pristine mountain area in which to raise and promote livestock; some of the best water in the world; quality cattle being raised here by people with a strong commitment to the land; and a location 500 miles from a third of the U.S. population.

I am confident that the farmers of Grayson County, with the help of Virginia Tech’s scientific and marketing expertise, can make our dream a reality. — Gary Mitchell

Grayson LandCare Board of Directors 2006-2007:

Join us for our next meeting at the 1908 Courthouse in Independence on February 15 at 7 pm.

  • Chair: Danny Boyer
  • Secretary: Ruth Ross
  • Valarie Cowden
  • Charlotte Hanes
  • Joe Hash
  • Kevin Kirk
  • Gary Mitchell
  • Mary Lily Nuckolls
  • Tom Smith
  • Richard Sutherland
  • Facilitator: Jerry Moles, PhD, Consulting Director of Land Stewardship, New River Land Trust

Join us for our next meeting at the 1908 Courthouse in Independence on February 15 at 7 pm.

Accomplishments to Date:

LandCare Center: The LandCare Center was formed in 2006 in order to facilitate the development of LandCare groups, coordinate networks between people, develop training programs, and serve as a source of technical expertise. The LandCare Center is currently administered by Virginia Tech with support from state and national partners including Virginia Cooperative Extension and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as well as other local and regional organizations such as the New River Land Trust and Grayson LandCare. To learn more about landcare, please contact David Robertson, Director of The LandCare Center at landcare@vt.edu or 434-610-0491. Or, visit The LandCare Center’s website at www.landcarecenter.org

Incorporation: Grayson LandCare is in the process of incorporating as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Bylaws of the corporation and the names of our Board of Directors can be accessed at www.graysonlandcare.org. Any interested person can become a member of LandCare by signing the membership role and endorsing the mission statement. Members are able to suggest proposals to the Board of Directors and vote on the annual election of officers. If you are interested in becoming a new member, please contact one of our officers or attend our regular monthly meeting.

Livestock:

  • Participation in the Conference on Value-Added Beef (July 24, 2006) hosted by Congressman Rick Boucher, which discussed the possibilities of locally raised grass-fed beef and cooperation with Food City for its marketing.
  • With the assistance of the LandCare Center and the support of the USDA, Grayson LandCare is conducting feasibility studies for value-added livestock enterprises (grass-fed beef).
  • Receipt of a $23,000 grant from the USDA to explore the feasibility of establishing a local meat-processing facility.
  • Discussion with Mike Lorenz, head of Lorenz Meat, concerning the possible location of a processing facility in Grayson County.

Forestry

  • Formation of the Blue Ridge Forest Cooperative, a member-owned business, which helps its members practice profitable, sustainable forestry.
  • The Blue Ridge Forest Cooperative will begin selling certified sustainable forest products in 2007.
  • Creation of demonstration patches of non-timber forest products (ginseng, bloodroot, cohosh), highly profitable agricultural opportunities for forest land owners.
  • Working with Virginia Department of Forestry and the US Forest Service on non-timber forest products.
  • Participating in a network of forestry service providers in the New River Valley organized by New River Highlands RC&D Council and Virginia Cooperative Extension.
  • Providing leadership to the Forestry Committee of the New River Watershed Roundtable.
  • Worked with Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program to offer a short course on forest management for forest landowners in the local area.
  • Partnering with Virginia Tech faculty in the Departments of Forestry and Wood Science and Forest Products to develop proposals for applied research on timber stand improvement, positive impact harvesting, value-added processing, and high-value marketing enterprises.

Water Quality

  • Initiation of an economic feasibility study for land management in the New River Basin.
  • Submission of a proposal to protect water quality and quantity in the New River Basin.
  • Collaborated with The LandCare Center, Virginia Water Center, Conservation Management Institute, and Department of Forestry at Virginia Tech to submit over $4 million in proposals requesting support from the EPA and USDA in 2006-7.

Public Awareness

      Report on Grayson LandCare by Jerry Moles at the International Landcare Conference in Melbourne (October 2006)
      Presentations on Grayson LandCare by Jerry Moles in such counties as Montgomery, Bedford, and Halifax
      Hosted two LandCare Study Tours in June and December of 2006 for USDA officials from Washington, DC.

Regional Initiatives: Our successes have inspired other communities, including Catawba Valley, to form their own grassroots LandCare groups to better evaluate and solve problems in their economy, community, and environment. To learn more about these regional initiatives and other opportunities to participate in landcare, please contact The LandCare Center at landcare@vt.edu.