West Texas Program Success Told at National RC&D Conference

Women in Denim

Two local women, Jaime Brorman and County Extension Agent Dawn Watson, recently presented the "Women in Denim Success Story" during the 2006 National Association of Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Councils meeting held in Savannah, Georgia.

The Women in Denim 1st Annual Women in Agriculture Conference was hosted in Hereford, Texas on November 15, 2005 by the Texas Partnership for Farm Family Health and Safety, Inc. based in Deaf Smith County. The conference was planned "by women, for women" who live in agricultural surroundings. Approximately 92 people attended the conference which featured keynote speakers, breakout sessions, exhibitors and vendors. Topics covered included farm safety, health, farm programs, education, farmer’s markets, entrepreneurship and community development.

Brorman serves as Texas Partnership for Farm Family Health and Safety Chairperson and Watson is the Texas Cooperative Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences programming in Deaf Smith County.

Co-hosts of last year's conference included Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas Department of Agriculture, High Plains RC&D Council, West Texas A&M School of Nursing, Panhandle Dairywomen, Ogallala Commons, Heifer International, and Casa Del Llano.

RC&D is a unique program of USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and its purpose is to encourage and improve the capability of volunteer local elected and civic leaders in 375 designated RC&D Council Areas throughout the nation to plan and carry out projects for resource conservation and community development. Each Council Area is led by local volunteers councils and enables people to work together to plan and carry out activities that will make their area a better place to live. Each Council is assisted in carrying out these activities by a USDA-NRCS Coordinator. The High Plains RC&D Council, headquartered in Friona, covers the western 15 counties in the Texas Panhandle. Thomas Reed serves as Coordinator.

Approximately 1200 volunteer Council members, Council Coordinators, and legislators attended this year’s National RC&D Convention. Held every three years, the Convention provides Council training sessions so that members may serve their local area citizens and organizations more effectively and showcases successful Council projects. The Women in Denim 1st Annual Agricultural Conference was one of the projects chosen to highlight RC&D partnership with other organizations and to serve as a teaching model for other RC&D areas who may wish to organize a conference geared toward women in agriculture.

Funding for travel to Savannah for Brorman and Watson was provided by the Southwest Center for Agriculture, Education and Injury Prevention and the West Texas A&M University Division of Nursing.

All programs and services of the RC&D Councils are offered on a non-discriminatory basis, without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital or family status, disability or political beliefs.

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