In the fall of 2016, Hurricane Matthew hit eastern North Carolina, causing widespread flooding and record-breaking storm surge. More hurricanes followed in 2017 and 2018, each impacting eastern North Carolina and its agricultural producers with high winds, storm surges, and flooding that damaged crops and livestock operations and washed out roads.

In response, the Duplin County Soil & Water Conservation District’s (SWCD) workload increased as they partnered with the county and state to support disaster recovery programs. Faced with increased workload pressure, and not wanting to fall behind helping producers get conservation on the ground, the district knew they needed some extra help.

That help came from NACD’s Outreach & Technical Assistance Grant Program. Funded by an agreement between NRCS and NACD, the program provides grant funding for conservation districts across the country to hire staff where additional capacity is needed to improve customer service and reduce workload pressure.

In Duplin County, agriculture is an essential part of the community, and many of the county’s roads were unusable following the disastrous weather. These events directly impacted producers and their families’ livelihoods. Many producers couldn’t reach their farms, hog houses, or poultry houses. The TA grant-funded employee helped the Duplin County SWCD reach more of the local community, connecting families with support and conservation technical assistance to restore their operations and build resilience through conservation. This reinforced trust and confidence in the district and made a direct impact on the county, as they worked together to recover as a community.

That teamwork is the ethos of the Duplin County SWCD. The district helps producers plan and implement conservation best management practices (BMPs) on their land. “That’s what we do here. That’s a teamwork effort by the whole office to help producers put the BMPs on the ground,” said Duplin County SWCD Department Head Billy Ivey. The TA employee helped the district reach more producers and cooperators, whether through answering phone calls or making site visits: “It’s a bigger team; you can cover more farms in a day,” explained Ivey.

After the first year with this grant, the Duplin County SWCD continued to apply for TA grants to fund employees. Over the years, five TA-funded employees were able to fill gaps in projects and the office. As a result, Duplin County SWCD was able to reach more of the community, put more boots on the ground, and better meet the needs of producers. While the Duplin County SWCD has always had a strong connection to local producers, these employees helped strengthen the trust in that relationship and invite more people into that community. With their help, the conservation district was able to address resource concerns, certify, or benefit 5,340 acres over the course of the grants.

Managing these employees and grants also gave the district the confidence and skills to apply for and manage other grants. A major success for the Duplin County SWCD was securing funding from the state’s Streamflow Rehabilitative Assistance Program (StRAP) to implement projects throughout the county to reduce flooding by improving waterway drainage. With the TA grant-funded employee focused on conservation technical assistance and programs, other district employees could focus on StRAP. Duplin has used more StRAP money than any other district in the state to help mitigate future flood damage and build community resilience for future weather events.

As with any great team, Duplin County SWCD invested as much into these TA grant-funded employees as the employees gave to the district. While employed at the district, the employees received extensive training and practical experience in a variety of capacities. It can sometimes be difficult to break into conservation. These jobs allowed these individuals to get their foot in the door and learn on the job.

Following their year at the conservation district, the TA grant-funded employees continued to support conservation in Duplin County and beyond. Each employee found permanent roles, one with Duplin County SWCD and others with partners, including NRCS, the Farm Service Agency (FSA), and the state agency for agriculture. These positions allowed Duplin County SWCD to build a skilled team in the area for years to come and help individuals build their own careers. With a strong team now in place, they no longer need the extra support the TA grants provided in the past.

“The grant, it helps you help yourself,” said Duplin County SWCD Chair Franklin Williams. “It’s actually getting conservation put on the ground. It is actually directly impacting producers. And, the grant recipients are able to get a foot in the door, able to get some on-the-job training, and able to turn a job into a career.”

Ivey agreed with Williams and added, “It’s a win-win. It goes right back out to your producers, your cooperators because they benefit from it too; they’re hugely benefiting from it. It’s just a win-win.”