2008 PRESS RELEASES

March 7, 2008
VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES RECEIVES AWARD FROM THE NATIONAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
Contact: Elaine J. Lidholm, 804.786.7686

On February 25, 2008, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) received the Outstanding Supporting Organization Award from the National Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council at their annual Leadership Forum. Butch Nottingham accepted the award on the Agency’s behalf. Nottingham, a life-long resident of Virginia’s Eastern Shore, is a marketing specialist for VDACS.  Accompanying him was his supervisor, Kent Lewis, Director of Sales and Market Development in VDACS' Richmond office.

Nottingham was cited numerous times in the award for coordinating projects and programs with the Eastern Shore RC&D Council. Judges praised Nottingham's work on the Northampton County Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program, an agricultural plastic waste recycling initiative and an Eastern Shore agritourism brochure. 

Nottingham was involved in an effort to help Northampton County develop a PDR) program and helped the PDR committee to develop guidance for the county level program. He also provided key support and contacts for the Agricultural Plastic Recycling project, enabling RC&D to obtain a grant from USDA Rural Development to find a solution to the tons of waste plastic generated from tomato cultivation each year. This was a collaborative effort among industry, the Eastern Shore RD&C, Virginia Cooperative Extension and VDACS.

Nottingham assisted a series of retail farmers markets with becoming operational and managing a coupon program for senior citizens to purchase fresh produce. Dovetailing with this effort and through his encouragement, RC&D helped to produce, publish and distribute a guide to locally-grown produce, seafood and wine. Nottingham set up the first meetings for the project, and then secured funding from his agency to print 10,000 copies of the guide.

The RC&D noted that Butch Nottingham “helps connect the people in the community who can find resolution of problems and build projects that enhance the quality of life for everyone in the community, not just one group.”

To learn more about these projects, contact the Virginia Eastern Shore RC&D office at 757.787.2786.