New England Field Office (Concord, New Hampshire) June 8, 2011 and NEASDA Annual Meeting (Jay, Vermont) June 5-7, 2011
New England Field Office
NASDA’s NASS Program Director Charlie Ingram and Norman Bennett, NASS Director of Eastern Field Operations, visited the NASS New England Field Office in Concord, New Hampshire on June 8.
It was a productive and busy day which included management meetings with the NASS team, led by FO Director Gary Keough and Deputy Ty Kalaus. Charlie also had the opportunity to meet with the NASDA Office Enumerators.
The NASS New England Field Office is responsible for agricultural statistics in the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The NASDA Team includes 2 Office Supervisors and 11 Office/Phone Enumerators. There are 5 Field Supervisors who oversee about 40 Field Enumerators.
NEASDA (Northeastern Association of State Departments of Agriculture) Annual Meeting
Earlier in the week, Charlie Ingram (NASDA’s NASS Program Director), Norman Bennett (NASS Director of Eastern Field Operations), and Gary Keough (Director, NASS New England Field Office), participated in the Northeastern Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NEASDA) Annual Meeting held in Jay, Vermont, on June 5-7, 2011. NEASDA is one of NASDA’s four regional associations and includes the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Ross is the President of NEASDA.
The 2011 NEASDA agenda included discussion on the 2012 Farm Bill and other critical agricultural issues ranging from dairy policy to best practices for improving water quality and marketing state/regional brands. It was a great opportunity to network with NEASDA members and other state and federal policymakers who attended the meeting. Participants also visited local farms which featured a diversified organic dairy, and artisan cheese and maple producers.