Maryland and Delaware Supervisor Retreat (Dover, Delaware) July 13-15, 2010

The NASS Maryland and Delaware Field Office held a very productive Supervisory “Retreat” on July 13-15, 2010 in Dover, Delaware. Maryland FO Director Barbara Rater and Delaware FO Director Chris Cadwallader opened the session and introduced NASDA’s NASS Program Director Charlie Ingram to the group.  There were 5 NASDA Supervisors who participated in the workshop and they oversee more than 30 enumerators. Lisa Jackson, Ag Statistician and NASDA Coordinator in the Maryland FO did a great job of coordinating and leading the sessions.

• NASDA Field Supervisors participating in the retreat included: (l-r) Carolyn Ganoe, John Wilson, Gertrude Cox, and Alma Kukucka
• Barbara Rater (NASS Maryland Field Office Director), Charlie Ingram (NASDA), and Chris Cadwallader (NASS Delaware Field Office Director) emphasized the importance of a team approach to getting the job done!

Those participating in the retreat included: NASDA Field Supervisors John Wilson, Carolyn Ganoe, Gertrude Cox, and Alma Kukucka, Office Supervisor Bonet Taylor, and NASS Office LAN Technician Mary Frances Lutzio.  Some of the topics discussed at the retreat were:  lessons from the June Survey, improving survey response rates, hiring, training, quality control, and enhancing communications between NASDA and NASS.

• NASDA’s Supervisors in Maryland and Delaware: (l-r) Alma Kukucka, Bonet Taylor, John Wilson, Carolyn Ganoe, and Gertrude Cox.
• The NASS Maryland Field Office Team included (l-r) Mary Frances Lutzio, FO Director Barbara Rater, and NASDA Coordinator Lisa Jackson

During the session on July 13, Delaware FO Director Chris Cadwallader provided some background on the agricultural industries in Maryland and Delaware. Poultry is a major industry in both states-- over 3 billion pounds of chicken broilers are produced on the Delmarva Peninsula each year. Both states rank in the top tier in the U.S. in the average number of equine per county. In fact, Delaware is the only state to have one commercial racetrack per county. There is a diverse selection of agricultural products grown in this region—the moderate climate and long growing season allows farmers to be diverse while harvesting as many as three crops per season. Greenhouse, turf and nursery products are some of Maryland’s most valuable crop products, and Delaware is a major supplier of vegetables.

• Delaware FO Director Chris Cadwallader, Maryland FO Director Barbara Rater, and NASDA’s NASS Program Director Charlie Ingram

NASDA supervisors and enumerators in the Delmarva Peninsula have several unique challenges in conducting NASS survey work. There are many large poultry operations and the number of mid-size farms is shrinking. In addition, Delaware and Maryland have a high percentage of their farmland preserved and enrolled in the Agricultural Lands Preservation Program. NASDA’s supervisors and enumerators also conduct monitoring for this program.

The NASS and NASDA team have many reasons to be proud of their excellent work. They had a 79% completion rate on the recent Census of Horticulture Specialties (Floriculture Survey).  During the retreat, Lisa Jackson presented the NASDA Supervisors with awards for this accomplishment.

• Mary Frances Lutzio and Carolyn Ganoe enjoy the group dinner at the Supervisor Retreat
• Lisa Jackson and Bonet Taylor enjoy the group dinner at the Supervisor Retreat