The New Hampshire Ag Professionals Day, put on by the UNH Extension, is an opportunity for ag service providers to network and share resources. The 2024 event took place Sept. 19 at Sanborn Hill Farm and featured 15 speakers ranging from UNH Extension specialists to loan providers.
The meeting focused on building relationships and sharing successful communication methods. Having a good relationship with your clients increases their likelihood to listen and use the information you’re providing them. Cora Rueda, from NH NRCS, explained, “These relationships are invaluable.”
Jeremy DeLisle, a UNH Extension field specialist, believes “relationships take time to develop, and they require attention and intention.”
A strong relationship requires trust. “Your clients need to know you, they need to know you’re willing to talk to them, that you’re willing to be honest with them and that you’re available,” added Steve Crawford, NH state veterinarian.
DeLisle added that when a problem arises, make sure to follow through and provide what you said you would.
When sharing information, make sure it’s easy to find and understand. You can minimize confusion by “meeting the audience where they’re at,” emphasized Rudea, as well as being consistent.
Jesse Wright, a UNH Extension field specialist, prompted discussion by asking, “What is that thing we are missing?” How do service providers connect with farmers to give them the information they need?
DeLisle spoke about a texting software called Slicktext that his team has been using to communicate with clients. Last year, he asked, “Why aren’t we doing this? Everyone texts!” Not only has using this service made communication easier, but it also provides DeLisle with metrics to show how successful his outreach has been.
Texting is even more effective when paired with other communication methods, such as email. Crawford is a strong believer that “multiple contact forms matter.” A great example is sending an email to the client with all the information necessary and following up with a simple text to guide them to their email.
During this event, organizations were able to share their resources and goals with one another. Kali Lucy, from Land for Good, is passionate about educating farmers about their farm succession planning but is having a hard time getting NH farms interested. Lucy decided to try reaching out to the younger generations on the farm, as they may be more willing to plan ahead “because it’s their future that depends on this transition.”
Some of the featured attendees included (L – R) Jeremy DeLisle, UNH Extension field specialist; Kali Lucy, Land for Good; Steve Crawford, NH state veterinarian; and Seth Wilner, UNH Extension field specialist. Photo by Kelsi Devolve
Ag Commissioner Shawn Jasper shared the upcoming budget plan, describing it as “more than challenging.” Due to last year’s weather conditions, there was concern about crop loss in the Granite State, but the Crop Relief Program’s data collection showed that “New Hampshire farms are much more resilient than we realized!”
Jasper is using leftover funding to help increase NH farm resilience and viability, providing finances to UNH Extension, the NH Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, County District offices, the NH Experiment Station and more.
Charlene Andersen, the farm food lender with the NH Community Loan Fund, spoke about supporting farmers moving toward climate resilience practices and energy solutions. Throughout her years in the organization, Andersen has seen extreme weather events put farms out of business when they didn’t have the resources to bounce back.
Wendy Johnecheck, the food safety state specialist with UNH Extension, added, “It doesn’t matter what type of farm you’re working on – [climate resiliency is] important.”
UNH Extension Dairy Specialist Sarah Allen talked about the benefits of precision technology in agriculture. Allen stated, “These types of technologies mean that we are improving our labor… our animal husbandry… animal performance… [and potentially] reducing feed cost.” With the shift to more precision technology, farmers will need to hire trained service providers, and research must continue.
Crawford is currently working on a digital licensing and certification system, hoping to create an electronic way to manage animal health records. Nicole Cardwell, the NHFA project director, is working on putting together a NH Food and Ag Strategic Plan. This plan will have briefs talking about 27 topics, all written by ag professionals. From now until December, each brief will be released online and open for review and comments from the public. Cardwell is hoping professionals will take advantage of the review time to “use their voice to make sure we got the information right.”
Will Hastings, a UNH food and ag field specialist, spoke about a five-year project to increase locally produced food by offering education and training programs. Megan Rivers, the Granite State Graziers coordinator, noted their upcoming farm mixer, taking place Nov. 8 in Plymouth. Get tickets at eventbrite.com/e/farmer-mixer-third-annual-tickets-1000358117057.
Peter Erickson, UNH professor and Extension dairy specialist, shared some student success stories from UNH, followed by Daimon Meeh, the NRCS state grazing specialist, who suggested people check out the Northeast Climate Hub.
After a strong and informative event, there are many resources to check out. Visit extension.unh.edu to register for future events.
by Kelsi Devolve
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