Annual Report 2023 2024

Blue Ridge Soil & Water Conservation District 2023-2024 Annual Report Franklin, Henry, Roanoke Counties & the City of Roanoke

(540) 352-3312 www.brswcd.org

July 1, 2023 — June 30, 2024 Volume 36, Issue 1 1297 State Street, Rocky Mount, VA 24151

C & F Farms Receives Clean Water Farm Award

The Blue Ridge SWCD is proud to announce C & F Farms as the Roanoke Grand Basin Clean Water Farm Award winner. C & F Farms has shown an outstanding commitment to conservation and water quality and has installed and continues to implement several conservation practices. This is a small family farm that was started in 1948 by Emory Cox. Original ly, they were a diverse farm consisting of row crops, vegetables, and various types of livestock. Over time, the farm has moved to accommodate the mod ern market and concentrates more heavily on livestock production. C & F Farms focuses on how they raise their livestock. They have a small farm market and sell direct to consumers at local farmers markets and online through their website. Their farm is constantly adapting to adopt beneficial ideas and practices for their livestock and the environment. Currently, C & F farms houses 75 head of cattle and 30 hogs. They are pastured in 115 acres and have access to water troughs in every field. The farm

Left to right: Jared Frye, Debbie Frye and Michael Tabor (Sr. Cons. Specialist)

also utilizes 60 acres of hay land that also occasionally gets grazed depending on the time of the year. Essentially, C & F Farms has 116 Animal Units on 115 acres with additional grazing being available to the livestock. All their fields look very healthy and are rotationally grazed at a very consistent rate. They move their cattle into a new pad dock every day. Along with the cattle, the hogs are rotationally grazed to minimize the impact they would have on the fields. They have a rotational grazing plan through NRCS and are currently working on stocking rates and en hancements to improve field recovery. This practice seems to work very well for the farm, and they are able to keep their land in a very healthy state. In addition to their rotational grazing, they have worked with the Blue Ridge SWCD to exclude all surface water from their fields and install waterers in each paddock. There was over 6,600 feet of stream bank excluded in this single project, and it created roughly 8.5 acres of buffer area. In addition to the typical waterers, two portable waterers were installed on skids to help with rotating the cattle through paddocks while also appeasing the Blue Ridge Parkway. A conservation plan was created and set in place alongside a prescribed grazing plan. They are also a part of NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program where they work to enhance their best management practices through different soil tests such as Active Carbon Measurements, Soil Respiration, and Auto-Clave Extractable Protein Tests. C & F also work to stay on top of brush and broadleaf weed management and even plant annual cover crops when bare soil starts to show itself. They utilize strip grazing where applicable and implement bale grazing in their fields. Along with their conservation practices, C & F Farms is very active in their community with outreach and education being a focal point. They work with the local community college to bring students out for tours in Octo ber. Likewise, they allow the Roanoke SPCA to bring their summer camp kids in and show them the ins and outs of the farm. C & F Farms was also a featured stop on the Blue Ridge SWCD’s Annual Farm Tour. They are also hosting the Roanoke Foodshed Network, partnered with Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Beginning Farmer & Rancher Coalition Program, VT Center for Food Systems & Community Transformation, LEAP, and the VABF for a tour of the farm. They are always willing to participate in many educational outreach opportunities in their area. In conclusion, C & F Farms has been an early adopter of conservation practices and deserves to be recog nized for their hard work and dedication. They are continuously looking for ways to improve their practices and are always welcoming to new ideas and innovations. As the agricultural industry grows and develops, C & F Farms will be right alongside supporting its community and environment.

Environmental Education Outreach

“Can You Build a Snowman” Contest The Blue Ridge SWCD en tered the 2023 “Can You Build A Snow man” contest

The 2023-2024 Virginia Dominion Energy Envirothon program blazed the trail for the Envirothon program which is for students to test and further their knowledge on aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife and the current issue “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future”. Byron Minson, the Virginia Dominion Energy Envirothon Coordinator, worked with Soil & Water Conservation District’s staff to provide them support and resources for the in-person Envirothon pro gram. The Area V Envirothon was hosted by the Blue Ridge and Patrick SWCDs and held on April 18, 2024 at Ferrum College. The following teams advanced to the state competition: Halifax County High School (Halifax SWCD) — 1st Place, Franklin County High School (Blue Ridge SWCD) — 2nd Place and Cumberland High School (Peter Francisco SWCD —3rd Place. The Envirothon’s state competition was held at Rad ford University on May 19-20, 2024 where teams competed to test their knowledge in Aquatics, Forestry, Soils, Wildlife and the Current Issue. Here is a list of the 2023-2024 State Envirothon list of winners: 1st Place overall: Jamestown High School (Colonial SWCD), 2nd Place overall: Louisa High School (Thomas Jefferson SWCD) and 3rd Place overall: Eastern View High School (Culpeper SWCD). The 2024 NCF Envirothon (National) was held on July 28-August 3, 2024 . Virginia, represented by Jamestown High School and placed 16th overall and placed 1st in Forestry in the 2024 NCF-Envirothon competi tion in Geneva, New York . Interested in forming an Envirothon team in Franklin, Henry & Roanoke Counties or the City of Roanoke? Contact Kathy Smith, Program Manager/Education Coordinator at (540) 352-3314.

through the Frank lin County Parks and Recreation Department and was awarded first place overall in the “non - profit” category. “Mr. Conser vation’s” body was constructed out of a 55 gallon food grade pickle bar rel. The body was drilled with holes in the shape of snowflakes. A light was placed inside the barrel that illu minated the snowflakes at night. His head was made out of chicken wire, felt, and yarn pompoms. His hat was constructed out of the barrel’s lid and lid ring. This is a way to create a way our district was able to reuse/recycle bar rels that are used in our Rain Barrel/ Compost Workshops.

2023-2024 Farm Tour (Roanoke City and Roanoke County) Our guests visited several locations in Roanoke designed to highlight different initia tives currently being implemented. Stops included: Boone Tractor : Joe Boone, the President of Boone Tractor begun his career in what was a family owned and operated dealership. In 1984, the birth of Boone Tractor began as a modest tin building in Bedford, VA where Woodford Brothers & equipment once was. Fishburn Mansion: Built in 1907, This mansion is a historic home in the Mountain View neighborhood. VDOF’s Denny McCarthy, showcased the Roanoke City Urban Forestry Program and the Roanoke Tree Stewards Volunteer Program. C & F Farms: C & F Farms is a small family farm in the Bonsack area of Roanoke County. The first parcels of land that now make up the home farm for C & F Farms were purchased in 1948 by Emory Cox. The farm started out rais ing a variety of things from row crops, vegetable crops, as well as different types of livestock. Over time as the markets changed the farm moved away from crops and began concentrating more on livestock production. Rockydale Quarries: Headquartered in Roanoke County, provides a wide variety of aggregate lime, and bio-mix soils to serve the needs of many industries, including construction, agriculture, and residential since 1932. Blue Cow Ice Cream: One of the highlights of each Annual Farm Tour is to make a special stop at a local ice cream store. This year, Blue Cow Ice Cream was featured. Owned and operated by Emily Goff, Blue Cow Ice Cream went out of their way to serve our Farm Tour guests a unique variety of delicious homemade ice cream treats! This year’s Farm Tour would not have been possible without the support and generosity of our sponsors: Angle Hard ware, Bank of Botetourt, Berger Farm, Dale & Daniel Angle, DeShazo Oil Company, Exchange Milling Company, Four Oaks Farms LLC, Harvester Performance Center, Ippy’s Restaurant & Lounge, Land and Farm LLC, Melvin’s Farm to Fork, New Dawn Acres, Rockingham Co-Op (Wirtz), Rocky Mount Lifestyle Health Center, Seven Oaks Landscapes & Hardscapes, Shelton & Alderson Insurance Agency, The Growing Place, White Horse Farm and Windy Gap Apiary.

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Blue Ridge Soil and Water Conservation District

Volume 36, Issue 1

Blue Ridge SWCD Watershed Updates

Watershed Dam Accomplishments

Virginia Conservation Assistance Program The Virginia Association of Conservation Districts has been awarded a Virginia Environmental Endowment Com munity Conservation Program Grant, eligible to Blue Ridge, Mountain Castles, Pittsylvania, and Skyline Soil & Water Conser vation Districts. This grant provides funds that are used to accelerate the implementation of the Virginia Conservation Assis tance Program in the region. The Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) is an urban cost-share program that provides financial incentives and technical and educational assistance to property owners installing eligible Best Management Practices (BMPs) in Virginia’s participating Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs). These practices can be installed in areas of your yard where problems like erosion, poor drainage, or poor vegetation occur. Qualified sites shall be used for residential, commercial, or recreational purposes with a proposed practice that addresses a need. Pictured below are before and after of a VCAP Rain Garden that was installed in Roanoke County to reduce soil erosion and runoff. While the VACS BMP program gets most of the attention, one of the important jobs of the District is the maintenance of ten watershed dams that provide protection for life and property. With two in Franklin County and eight in Henry County, it can consume a lot of time keeping an eye on them. This year our District was able to install all ten dams with remote flow monitors. Two additional watershed dams have been placed on the rehabilita tion list (Walker-2A and Finney #3) both located in Henry County. Two engineering firms (Schnabel and Freese & Nichols) have been selected to enter negotiations to provide Engi neering Services for their rehabilitation. The design for the rehabilitation of Leatherwood #5 is complete and now is quickly headed to the construction phase.

Before installation

After installation

2023-2024 Conservation Accomplishments

Nutrient Management Plans Written….

(VDOF) Forest Practices:

Cropland/Hay Land Cons. Practices Planned- 4,780.48 acres

Forest Stewardship Management Plans – 6

Riparian Buffers…….. 123.69 acres

Forest Stewardship Certifications — 1

Cropland Practices Applied…… 3,979.59 acres

Tree Planting Projects (Hardwood & Pine) - 59 Projects (2119) acres

Grazing Practices Applied: ….. 584.07acres

Riparian Buffer Tax Credits — 2

Stream bank protected ……. 8.62 miles

Pre-Harvest Plans — 3

Animal Waste Practice…...1

Projects that received Cost Share Funding — 97 Projects (2410 acres) Invasive Species Control Projects — 4 Prescribed Burns — 9 Wildlife Suppressed — 21 Total number of logging sites inspected – 145

The Blue Ridge SWCD District Board meets on the fourth Monday of each month in Rocky Mount, Virginia at 5:00 p.m. Meetings are open to the public. Contact the district office to find out the location of the next meeting. All programs and services of the Blue Ridge Soil and Water Conservation District are offered on a non discriminatory basis, without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, marital status, or handicap.

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Blue Ridge Soil & Water Conservation District

Volume 36, Issue 1

2023 – 2024 Awards and Recognition

Blue Ridge SWCD BMP Forestry Award Recognition

Dan Quinn, owner and operator of Jack’s Creek Farm located in Franklin Coun ty Virginia was awarded the district’s 2023 -2024 BMP Forestry Award. Mr. Quinn has harvested a low grade hardwood/pine stand and reforested it in loblolly pine. He has planted a small field in loblolly pine. He has manually cut down (with a chainsaw) unde sirable trees that are competing with the oaks in 140 acres of hardwood forest. Quinn

has manually felled several acres of young Virginia pine stands to allow the oaks in the understory to grow and create a new oak stand. He has planted several fields in native warm season grass es, clover, and soybean to benefit a variety of wildlife species. He has planted close to 500 fruit and nut trees across the entire

property. His passion and dedication to improving his property for wildlife habitat is unparalleled. Quinn has completed more timber stand improvement work in oak stands in the history of this award. His passion and dedica tion to improving his property for wildlife habitat is highly commendable. Dan Quinn is to be highly commended for his hard work and dedication. Dan Quinn pictured on the left accepting his 2023-2024 BMP Forestry Award from Kevin Keith (Area Forester).

Franklin County High School Senior Receives Awards

Brayden Hoffman was awarded the 2024 Leo Painter Scholarship ($1,000) from the Blue Ridge Soil & Water Conservation District and the recipient of the 2024 Wilkie W. Chaffin Area V Scholarship Award ($1,000) from the VASWCD Educational Foundation. Bryden is a 2024 graduate from Franklin County High School. His interests include promoting leadership in the conservation and natural resources field, with an emphasis in political science. Brayden has been very involved in the following: FCHS Science Club President, served as Committee Lead of the Evergreen Envi ronmental Committee, Director of the Earth Day Expo since 2022, VA Youth Delegate for the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment, Sophomore Class SCA Social Media Communications Manager/Lead Fund raiser, Roanoke Valley Governor’s School Liaison, SCA Executive Board President (2024), 2023 Homecoming planning along with executing a series of faculty and staff appreciation efforts, Spirit Club Deputy, and assisting the Burnt Chimney Elementary School PTO. When Brayden is not at school he is playing soccer and volunteering at FCHS with welcoming new students and transfer students to high school.

2023 Youth Conservation Camp Kaiden Young, Jacob

Bowman Receives Scholarship to Attend YCLI Eugene Bowman was accepted in the 2023-2024 Youth Conservation Leadership Institute through the

Young and Matthew Bradley each received a full scholar ship to attend the 2023 VASWCD Youth Conserva tion Camp (YCC) on the

VASWCD Education Foundation rep resenting the Blue Ridge Soil & Water Conservation District. His project was entitled “Farm to Home”. Bowman

campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. This is an out

Pictured left to right: Kaiden Young, Jacob Young and Matthew Bradley

enjoys working on the family dairy farm (Blackwater Bend Dairy). This farm practices conservation in many ways, believing and practicing natural resource stewardship of the land that has been entrusted to them. Soil health, cover crops, using no-till methods, rotational grazing, plant diver sity, livestock nutrition (maximizing production, cow health and reducing carbon emissions) and implementing manure injection are just some of the ways best management prac tices have been used.

door, hands-on camp where students learn about Virginis’s natural resources from conservation pro fessionals and faculty from Virginia Tech. YCC is open to all Virginia High School students currently enrolled in grades 9-12. To learn more about how to apply, reach out to your local Soil & Water Conser vation District..

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Blue Ridge Soil & Water Conservation District

Volume 36, Issue 1

2023-2024 Education Outreach

Small Farm Spring Forum

Environmental Education Outreach Nearly 1,800 K-12 students and

The Blue Ridge SWCD partnered with Virgin ia Cooperative Extension, NRCS and Virginia State University to host the Small Farm Spring Forum. A variety of professionals, from farmers to state agencies, met to match agricultural interest with service provid ing agencies by implementing the “whole farm ap proach” incorporating requirements and “how to’s”. This event was held at the Lazy Acres Angus in Rocky Mount, VA. With approximately 35 attendees, producers provided testimonials about their experiences with SWCD programs and how participation in the VACS program has benefited their operations. Special guests speakers included Kevin Keith (VDOF), Cassidy Dillon (NRCS), the Martins (HC), Abby Pierson (DCR), Summer Pate (New Dawn Acres), Brent Noell (VSU), Daniel Austin (Green Sprig Ag), Cynthia Martel (VCE), Trey Washburn (FSA) Michael Tabor (Sr. Conservation Specialist), Sam Chappell (Conservation Technician) and Kathy Smith (Program Manager/Education Coordinator). This event was publicized via the district’s website, a post card mailer that was sent to local beef and dairy farmers and posted on the Blue Ridge SWCD & VCE’s Facebook pages. Funding for this Small Farm Fall Forum came from a variety of sources, namely: DCR, local county governments, corporate sponsorships, donations (for door prize drawings) and from federal and state grants.

adults participated in a wide variety of envi ronmental education outreach activities throughout this fiscal year. A list of activi ties include: Dirt Babies, Food for America Day, 4- H School Gardening Project (“See Them Sprout”), Rain Barrel Workshops, A

Day in the Woods at Waid Recreation Complex, Tumbler-style Compost Work shop, Conservation Tic-Tac-Toe, Mean ingful Watershed Environmental Educa tion at Benjamin Franklin Middle School just to name a few. Do you need assistance planning your classroom activi ties? Here is a list of just some of the S.O.L. based classroom ac tivities the Blue Ridge Soil & Water Conservation District has to offer: Enviroscape (a model of a community watershed identifying point and nonpoint source pollution), Ground Water Model (interactive classroom tool that is designed to show the flow of 2023 BFMS MWEE at Powder Mill Creek

water and toxins through differing gra dients), Benthic Bugs & Bioassessment where students sample water from buckets equipped with beads and other various office supplies representing macroinvertebrates. This simulated watershed activity prepares students for real life water quality observations cov ering Science and Math for Middle School students. Nearly all activities are free of charge. “To - Go Kits” can be checked out or classroom visits can be sched uled.

2023 Day In The Woods

If you wish to assist our district by conserving paper, send us an e-mail requesting current newsletters, Annual Reports and flyers be sent to you via e-mail replacing the mailing of a hard copy. Please send E-mail inquiries to: Ksmith@brswcd.org.

Mission Statement : “The Mission of the Blue Ridge Soil and Water Conservation District is to promote Conservation of our natural Resources.”

Vision Statement: “The Blue Ridge Soil and Water Conservation District, as an elected autonomous body, will strive to coordi nate the natural resource interests to achieve our mission by educating and providing technical assistance to the citizens withi n.”

District Staff B. Renee Fulcher , Admin. Financial Assistant

Board of Directors

Roger B. Holnback , Chairman, Roanoke Co.

Byron Brooks, Director-At-Large, Franklin Co.

Kathy B. Smith , Program Manager/Edu. Coordinator and FOIA Officer (person to whom the public can direct requests for public records in compliance with the provisions of §2.2-3704.2C)

J. Hubert Bowman , Vice Chairman, Franklin Co.

Freeda Cathcart, City of Roanoke

Nicholas H Beasley, (Treasurer), Roanoke Co.

Daphne W. Jamison, Franklin Co.

R. Darryl Holland, (Secretary), Henry Co.

Cynthia Martel, VCE-Franklin Co.

Michael L. Tabor , Sr. Conservation Specialist Samuel A. Chappell , Conservation Technician.

Andrew Barker, Henry Co.

Summer Pate, Associate Director

Sarah Baumgardner, City of Roanoke

Tanya Young, Associate Director

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Blue Ridge Soil and Water Conservation District

Volume 36, Issue 1

Blue Ridge Soil and Water Conservation District 1297 State Street Rocky Mount, VA 24151

B ULK R ATE US P OSTAGE P AID P ERMIT N O . 53

Agencies Assisting the Blue Ridge SWCD

Blue Ridge Land Conservancy City of Roanoke Dan River Basin Association

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Department of Conservation and Recreation

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Division of Soil and Water Conservation

U.S. Forest Service

Farm Services Agency

Virginia Association of Soil & Water

Ferrum College

Conservation Districts

Franklin County

Virginia Cooperative Extension Service

Franklin County Master Gardeners

Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality

Henry County

Virginia Dept. of Forestry

Henry County Master Gardeners

Virginia Dept. of Wildlife Resources

Natural Resources Conservation Service

Virginia Department of Transportation

Roanoke County

Virginia State University

Roanoke Valley-Allegheny Regional Commission

Virginia Soil & Water Conservation Board

Smith Mountain Lake Association

West Piedmont Planning District

Smith Mountain Lake Policy Advisory Board

Western Virginia Water Authority

Monarch Butterfly caterpillars at Graves Mountain Lodge

District Programs The Blue Ridge Soil & Water Conservation District sets priorities and objectives that are defined in a strategic plan. An annual plan of work is completed by forming committees such as Budget, Soil Stewardship, Youth, Annual Report, Conservation Awards, Annual Tour, Newsletter, Scholarship, Personnel, and other committees as needed. The Board of Directors encourages land users to adopt Best Management Practices such as conservation tillage in their farm plans. This District works from a budget to effectively manage funds, facilities and equipment. The Blue Ridge SWCD supports the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board, and the National Association of Conservation Districts. The directors attend area, state, and national meetings. The Commonwealth of Virginia supports the Blue Ridge Soil and Water Conservation District through financial and administrative assistance provided by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Funding for the programs outlined in this report comes from a variety of sources, namely: DCR, local county governments, corpo rate sponsorship and donations. Other funding comes from a variety of sources, mainly federal and state grants.