The Raymond family from l. Steven, Lisa Jones-Raymond, and Douglas Raymond

NRCS National Small Farm of Year Award
 

The NRCS 2003 National Small Farm of Year Award was recently awarded to Lisa and Doug Raymond’s Dogwood Farm, in Sherwood Maryland. The Raymond family -- Lisa Jones-Raymond, Douglas Raymond, and son Steven -- recently traveled to St. Louis, Missouri where they were honored as the Grand National Winner of the 2003 Small Farm of the Year by the NRCS Professional Black Employees Organization at their annual meeting. The Raymonds are innovative farm managers whose ability to diversify their farm operations and willingness to embrace new technologies provide an excellent example of a family working to sustain their small farm as an operating, profitable venture. What makes the Raymond farm unique is their willingness to diversify from typical local crop production of corn, wheat, and soybeans to producing gourmet lettuces and vegetables for their roadside stands and for sale to restaurants helping to spread out their seasonal production and allowing them the opportunity to produce seedlings in their greenhouse.
Your contact is Carol Hollingsworth, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 443-482-2902, or carol.hollingsworth@md.usda.gov.