Continuing our CAMP mentor/protégé series, we profile Adam Hatley, Maricopa County Farm Bureau member and owner of [name] and NRCS employee Paul Catalino in this latest article. 

With the launch April 2021 of the Conservation Agricultural Mentoring Program (CAMP), in partnership with Arizona Farm Bureau, The NRCS team has been front and center in enthusiastically driving this unique partnership. While several other states have the CAMP program, Arizona is unique in the partnership effort with Arizona Farm Bureau. 

At the beginning of this 18-month effort, Arizona Farm Bureau and NRCS continue to shine a bright light on this exciting program and the experiences our mentors and protégé are going through. 

The Hatley Catalino partnership will be working together for the next several months, joining forces to provide firsthand experience of the conservation practices and agricultural happenings in the central Arizona area. 

 

From Adam

What’s been the biggest takeaway so far with your meetings over the telephone and/or zoom and/or face-to-face gathering? 

Despite the challenges we have faced because of the pandemic and working conditions we have had a couple of productive phone conversations. I was reminded of the programs the NRCS has that I could perhaps implement in the future. I was able to share with Paul some of the specifics about my farm and we are looking forward to meeting in the future.

Why have you felt this program has been helpful?

I feel it is helpful when I can build a relationship with people in my industry that can help me with future projects.
 

What more do you hope to learn about in your area? 

I hope to learn more about Paul and his experiences on other farms and any ideas he may have to improve my operation.
 

What are you looking forward to in your other meetings/gatherings/learning and sharing sessions?

I’m looking forward to sitting down over lunch with Paul and having face-to-face conversations.
 

From Paul

What’s been the biggest takeaway so far with your meetings over the telephone and/or Zoom and/or face-to-face gathering? 

I would say that the workplace operating conditions required during the Covid pandemic have not been optimal for doing business. The foundation of NRCS services is relationships- in the community, meeting face-to-face with our partners & producers- and the impersonal virtual workplace has made building personal relationships vastly more difficult. 

Why have you felt this program has been helpful? 

To date, the value derived has not reached its full potential, as I am still on maximum telework and have been unable to participate in any in-person activities with my mentor. However, Adam is a positive force & great to talk with, and I am looking forward to learning more from him as the pandemic winds down.

What more do you hope to learn about in your area? 

I would like to learn more from Adam about how farming has changed since he first started and what has stayed the same over the years. I would also like Adam’s perspective on what the best avenue is to encourage innovation and change with producers, whether it be adopting practices like no-till, replacing flood irrigation with more efficient water delivery systems, or reducing the energy consumption of farming operations. For example: What are the primary motivators that drive changes for our producers- is it cost? Is it peer/community influence? Or are there other factors?

What are you looking forward to in your other meetings/gatherings/learning and sharing sessions? 

Getting out of the virtual environment and meeting face-to-face.