Nicole Shuman is a community agriculturalist and educator at Cornerstone Farm at Fairfield Middle School in Henrico County, VA. Nicole shares that education is the first and foremost goal of Cornerstone Farm. As a functioning farm, students and the school community learn what and how food is grown, while also gaining hands-on knowledge and experience growing food for a farmstand cost-effectively. 

Nicole outlined the big picture and how the farm provides additional service learning opportunities and a place to learn about sound nutrition, environmental sustainability, food security, and ways to contribute to the community in tangible ways.

To learn more about Cornerstone Farm and the context of the agricultural learning program at Fairfield Middle School, please visit https://henricogives.org/cornerstone-farm-a-context-for-authentic-learning/

The video Nicole Shuman created about cover crops when Nicole worked as an extension agent with Virginia Cooperative Extension is accessible at https://www.facebook.com/VCEGoochland/videos/cover-crops/576420333030946/  The recent 4 The Soil blog post featuring the Soil for Water video series can be accessed at https://www.4thesoil.org/post/farmers-ranchers-and-creatives-behind-the-soil-for-water-case-studies

To learn about the Virginia Soil Health Coalition and join the Coalition's quarterly meetings, please visit https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/. For questions about soil and water conservation practices and outdoor educational activities for youth, call or visit a USDA Service Center, a Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District office, or your local Virginia Cooperative Extension office. 

As always, we encourage you to join the 4 The Soil movement and share your stories of how you are building soil health on your farm, in your garden, or backyard. Yes, we can all be 4 The Soil.

4 the Soil: A Conversation is made possible with funding support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and The Agua Fund. Other partners include the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Virginia Cooperative Extension; Virginia State University; Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation; and partners of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition.

Disclaimer: Views expressed on this podcast are those of each individual guest.

To download a copy of this, or any other show, visit the website 4thesoil.org. Music used during today’s program is courtesy of the Flip Charts. All rights reserved. 4 the Soil: A Conversation is produced by On the Farm Radio in collaboration with Virginia Tech. The host and co-hosts are Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt.