Monday, January 28

SU Ag Leadership Class participant doubles crop yield from knowledge gained

Mr. Ware, left gives a tour of his farms 

Baton Rouge, LA, Jan. 28, 2013-Louisiana Small Farmer Boatner Ware of Richland Parish farms about 400 acres of wheat, which he double crops with soybeans, on some of the richest soil Louisiana has to offer.

Ware has attended trainings and classes offered by the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center on and off for years. But, it wasn’t until he enrolled in the Louisiana Small Farmer Agricultural Leadership Institute that the trainings paid off in a big way.

He cites a particular training that has had a major impact on him, his business and his family. At that training, the leadership class participants had a round table discussion with the leaders of the United States Department of Agriculture agencies in Louisiana, namely, the Farm Services Agency, Rural Development and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. At this meeting, Ware learned about the Environment Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) offered through NRCS.  He once visited the local NRCS office many years ago and was told that the agency had no programs that he could benefit from, so he never returned. NRCS: Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Mr. Ware is one of a few African American farmers in his parish. He saw the improvements that were being made on the larger farms, but just assumed that those farmers were having improvements made to their land. He had no idea that there were government programs assisting with land improvements.  As a result of hearing about EQIP during the leadership class, he visited the office and enrolled in the EQIP program.

Several practices were employed on his farm. Through the EQIP program, more than over half of his 400 acre farm was precision leveled. This one practice increased his wheat yield two-fold and his income by $100,000 annually. 

Another benefit of the Small Farmer Agricultural Leadership Institute that Mr. Ware said he received was an increase in self-confidence and motivation. During these training sessions, he realized that he wasn’t just a minority farmer, or an ordinary farmer. He indeed was just a very good farmer and that was something to be proud of.

The Louisiana Small Farmer Agricultural Leadership Institute was funded through the Outreach and Assistance of Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (2501) program. Dawn Mellion-Patin, Ph.D., MBA, Agricultural Specialist, serves project director and can be reached at 225-771-3532.

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Contact:
Bridget Udoh
(225) 771-5714

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