Implement Plan of Work for the Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)

Title: Implement Plan of Work for the Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Professional Development Program (PDP) Plan of Work Supporting and Enhancing the Role of SARE in Extension and Other Land Grant University Programs in the South (a continuation of the existing program) July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018 From the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture The goal of Southern SARE’s PDP is to enhance agricultural professionals’ effectiveness in supporting their clientele’s efforts to make farms, rural communities, and perhaps even urban communities more sustainable. SARE’s goal is to reach out to “all of agriculture.” Extension workers and other land grant university faculty, staff and administrators are an essential resource in achieving this goal. By establishing a focused effort on LGU and especially extension personnel, the resources of the Southern Region SARE program can be more effectively utilized in this effort. The Southern Region SARE program Administrative Council has developed a “Model State Program” initiative which describes the desired situation and activities of the SARE State Coordinators. This document essentially defines a large part of the mission of the SARE LGU Coordinator. The term “coordination” is used in a very broad sense in this document, including roles of evaluator, advocate, information broker, mediator and problem solver. Planned Outcomes: 1. Enhanced visibility of and program focus on sustainable agriculture in extension systems and land grant university programs throughout the Southern Region; 2. Expanded sharing of training resources among states, leading to more effective assistance for the farm community (in collaboration with the So. SARE Public Relations Coordinator); 3. More use of the “State Extension Professional Development Program Coordinators - Guidance and Expectations in Sustainable Agriculture” document, with assistance in training and “adoption of best practices”; 2 4. Represent S-SARE PDP as needed at extension and related programs (such as conferences) and increase demand for and use of the products of the Southern Region SARE program, the National SARE program and even interaction between extension workers in various regions; 5. Provide feedback to S-SARE leadership about programs and trends affecting sustainability programs at the state level (such as cover crop initiatives).