The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Foundation is announcing 14 sub-awardees of the NASDA Foundation - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Historically Underserved Farmers Cooperative Agreement. Organizations selected to help underserved farmers steward natural resources and improve water quality and habitats to benefit the Gulf of Mexico Watershed ecosystems include:

• Cherokee Historical State Resort Park of Aurora (Kentucky)
• Cowan Community Action Group Inc. (Kentucky)
• Kentucky Agriculture Development Advocacy (Kentucky)
• Simpson County Conservation District (Kentucky)
• Pasa Sustainable Agriculture (Pennsylvania/West Virginia)
• Cumberland River Compact (Tennessee)
• Sullivan County Soil and Water Conservation District (Tennessee)
• The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (Tennessee)
• Holston River Soil and Water Conservation District (Virginia)
• Appalachian Sustainable Development (Virginia)
• Clinch Valley Soil and Water Conservation District (Virginia)
• Evergreen Soil & Water Conservation District (Virginia)
• School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Tech (Virginia)
• West Virginia Conservation Agency (West Virginia)

"These 14 organizations showed distinct and robust potential to help positively impact the Gulf of Mexico watershed and are rooted in the local communities of the surrounding areas," NASDA Foundation Senior Director Chris Jones said. “We look forward to collaborating with EPA and the sub-awardees over the next three-and-a half years to ensure more farmers have access to the tools needed to best steward their land and our shared natural resources.”

The applications were reviewed by a technical advisory team made up of soil and water conservation experts nominated by commissioners, secretaries and directors of agriculture from EPA Ohio-Tennessee Region including David Hanselmann (Ohio), Kurt Mason (Kentucky), Darwin Newton (Tennessee), Ruth Pike (Kentucky) and Alan Walker (North Carolina).

“NASDA Foundation thanks the technical advisory team for laboriously reviewing the applications to select top-of-the-line organizations to work with and elevate underserved farmers and ensure the selection process was effective, balanced and followed EPA guidelines,” Jones said.

Applications for sub-awards were open to organizations in the EPA’s Ohio-Tennessee Region, which comprises Kentucky, Tennessee and parts of Indiana, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

Source: NASDA Foundation