It's the time of year when we experience chillier months and longer nights. In nature, winter is a time to rest and wait for the eruption of life and color that comes with spring. For many people, winter can be a time of high stress. The pressure of holidays with travel or family tension, a never-ending parade of germs coming home with your kids from school and feelings of loneliness are all too common experiences. This winter season, VSU-Virginia Cooperative Extension is introducing a locally-grown idea for a DIY wellness activity to combat stress and take an intentional moment to slow down.

In 2024, Dr. Theresa Nartea, the Extension Specialist for Marketing and Agribusiness at VSU-VCE, began a new agri-therapy program named VSU Floralpy®, inspired by the words "floral" and "therapy." Dr. Nartea launched this fresh approach at VSU's Randolph Farm with the goal of improving the integrated well-being of the community. Participants learned how being immersed in a field of fragrant flowers and herbs enhances well-being. Dr. Nartea said, "I noticed during field days how participants would walk into the blooming flower fields, and instantly their faces lit up. They would touch the leaves and smell the flowers; you could instantly see people relax and smile just being one with nature." During several VSU field days, participants could cut their own flowers and herbs to make a personal bouquet to take home. This Floralpy® process of creating a personal aromatic bouquet straight out of nature instead of a store is a fun way to reduce stress. "I believe making your own wellness bouquet is a form of focused meditation," says Dr. Nartea. Local growers also learned about the possibility of adding this valuable activity to their on-farm offerings.

Collaborative partnerships are a cornerstone of Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) at Virginia State University (VSU)’s mission to help people put scientific knowledge to work through learning experiences that their well-being. In 2024, VSU is proud to celebrate successful collaborations across programming areas in community development, 4H, human nutrition and health and food, ag systems and agroforestry.

VSU’s Associate Specialist of Community Development Ms. Novita Epps collaborates with the Concerned Citizens of Ettrick, one of VSU’s surrounding communities. This group is dedicated to addressing local issues, and promoting the cultural, spiritual, economic, educational, physical and social well-being of the Ettrick community.

At Virginia State University (VSU), the College of Agriculture is committed to the integrated well-being of communities, and agricultural innovation and sustainability. The natural intersection of these is at a farmer’s market, where local producers and the community come together to celebrate and strengthen local food systems. This November, VSU and the Virginia Farmers Market Association (VAFMA) partnered to host the first Mid-Atlantic Farmers Market Conference in Richmond, Virginia, to bring farmers, market managers, agriculture policy makers and community partners together to share passion and ideas for small and local farms, increasing food access, healthy communities and farmers markets.

For over 30 years, Sheree Press and Bernadette “Bee” Darrow have run a program aimed at preventing child abuse and neglect. February of 2025 will mark 15 years of their program, Family Focus, coming under the umbrella of Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) thanks in part to some out-of-the-box thinking from Virginia State University (VSU)’s Special Assistant to the Associate Administrator Doris Heath, who at the time was a local extension agent familiar with Family Focus. Previously, the program was a part of the Virginia Mental Health System’s Prevention services  when funding issues forced a temporary closure of the program. After years of struggling to grow and applying for grants acting as financial band-aids for their critical work, Press and Darrow are driving program growth to expand their impact. “We’re at the moment of growth for the first time in 14 years,” says Darrow. “We joined the VCE Human Development Team and the VSU Extension Program Team during the pandemic. We’ve been uplifted and elevated as people and a program more in the last four years than ever.”

The goal of establishing these institutions was to develop practical solutions to problems, as the approach to university level education in America continued to evolve from a narrow liberal arts education towards the diverse fields available today. At the time, these institutions were for white male students. It wasn’t until 1882 that the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute, now called Virginia State University (VSU), was founded for the purpose of providing higher education opportunities for African Americans.

First thing in the morning, you can find Rachel Lawmaster caring for rabbits and working with greenhouse plants. The rest of her day might include more farm work, office work, or hosting a weekly program at the Petersburg Boys and Girls Club to introduce students to agriculture (her favorite day of the week). Lawmaster is Virginia State University (VSU)'s Program Assistant for the Urban Agriculture program, and she combines passion, commitment and a broad array of outreach efforts to impact her community positively.

When Second Baptist Church (SBC) in Richmond, Virginia, grappled with the issue of stormwater runoff from its extensive roof, it collaborated with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to develop an efficient solution. But with the challenge of managing the collected water emerging, specialists from Virginia State University's Cooperative Extension (VSU-VCE) and assistants from the Small Farm Outreach Program (SFOP) saw an opportunity: start an urban garden.

Virginia Cooperative Extension's Small Farm Outreach Program (SFOP), housed under Virginia State University College of Agriculture, secured close to $4 million in grants and sub-awards to tackle food insecurity. The initiative will connect urban farmers with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) representatives and resources.

As the Commonwealth of Virginia welcomes increasing numbers of residents of diverse ethnicities, the Hispanic population in particular continues to soar—and so do their needs for Extension services.

This population now comprises nearly 11% of the state's total population, a significant increase from 8% a decade ago. Of this population, there are those who want to start their own farm enterprises. To assist them, the Small Farm Outreach Program (SFOP), part of the Virginia Cooperative Extension program at Virginia State University, relies heavily on Leonel Castillo, its Hispanic outreach coordinator.

“It’s one of my greatest highlights for all the years I’ve been in agriculture,” said Summers, who has been in agriculture her entire life.

Born and raised on her family’s farm in Guilford County, N.C., a recognized Century Farm that has been in her family since 1878, she learned the value of working the land at an early age—along with its challenges—from a long line of tobacco farmers.

Small Farm Outreach Program, part of Virginia State University College of Agriculture and Virginia Cooperative Extension empowers small-scale, limited-resource, socially disadvantaged, minority and veteran farmers and ranchers to own, operate and sustain their independent enterprises through education, information and assistance. SFOP serves Virginia and parts of Maryland and North Carolina. It is making a big impact, especially on small-scale black farmers.