SWOF Spotlight: Get to Know SWOF's Rosemary Galdamez
Rosemary Galdamez - Historically Underserved Farmer Engagement Coordinator
In each Tune Up newsletter, we profile one farmer, team member, partner, or other SWOF affiliate to better understand their contribution to the program. In this edition, we’re spotlighting SWOF’s own Rosemary Galdamez. Read on to learn a bit more about Rosemary and how she’s working to reach even more farmers through her role as SWOF’s Historically Underserved Farmer Engagement Coordinator.
Rosemary is pictured above at the Iowa Women in Agriculture Annual Conference that took place earlier this month in Ankeny, IA.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what drives your passion for agriculture.
I am from Des Moines, Iowa and returned to the area shortly after graduating from Iowa State University (ISU) last spring. Growing up I didn’t really know a lot about agriculture. While participating in a high school internship program, I learned about some of the efforts taking place to address the environmental concerns with ag and I gained a whole new perspective! I became very interested in water quality efforts and I worked in two water quality research labs during my time at ISU. I have been on the SWOF team for over a year now and I really believe in the work we are doing to support farmers and their communities. Fun fact about me: I am fluent in Spanish, and I really enjoy speaking with Hispanic farmers about SWOF!
What do you do for SWOF in your role as the Historically Underserved Farmer Engagement Coordinator?
In my role, I work to build relationships with different organizations that provide direct support to underserved farming populations throughout the Midwest. Trusted community leaders and organizations are wonderful access points of information. I am also working with a marketing agency to help ensure our program information is accessible and relevant to underserved communities. We are actively working on improvements to our website and several communication pieces. Finally, I meet directly with farmers and help guide them through our enrollment process.
Tell us a bit about why engagement with underserved farmers is a priority at SWOF.
Underserved farmers are demographic groups identified by the USDA that have historically faced challenges when seeking federal assistance for their farms. Farmers from these backgrounds also have lower participation rates in assistance programs because they often aren’t even aware they exist.
At SWOF, we understand it’s not feasible to reach every farmer with one program, but we’ve set a goal of increasing participation of underserved farmers by dedicating 20% of all Midwest Climate-Smart Commodities contracts to these demographic groups.
In your experience working with farmers for SWOF, what do you think sets our program apart from others?
There are a few things that set SWOF apart, but the farmers I have worked directly with most often express appreciation for our program’s flexibility and the upfront payment. SWOF is a program created by farmers for farmers, so we know that mother nature can cause plans to change. We don’t penalize farmers for this. We also know that implementing conservation practices comes with a cost. The upfront payment is meant to assist with this. SWOF also sends a payment estimate prior to contract signing. This allows the farmer to know exactly what compensation they will receive after implementing the conservation practices they have proposed.
Unsure if you are an underserved farmer? Learn more about these demographic groups here via the USDA.