Caroline County 2023 Situation Analysis Report
ID
VCE-596-18NP (VCE-1175-18NP)
Summary of community issues and Extension office response
| Priority Issue | Planned Unit Response |
|---|---|
| Building capacity for farm to school programming (92.3%) | Farm-to-School programming, Collaboration with ANR and 4-H, Working with local farmers |
| Building healthy families (92.3%) | 4-H Clubs, 4-H Camp, Parenting courses |
| Promoting agricultural and environmental literacy among youth (84.6%) | 4-H Clubs, 4-H Camp, In-School programming |
| Strengthening the local food system (84.6%) | ANR, Farm-to-School, Working with local farmers |
| Addressing hunger issues (77%) | ANR, Farm-to-School, Working with local organizations |
Introduction
A situational analysis was conducted to identify critical characteristics defining Caroline County and its community’s main issues. Extension’s educational programing efforts should address the community’s high-priority needs; therefore, it is crucial first step to understand community needs. To aid local units in determining their communities’ priority issues and needs, Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) facilitates a locally driven, in-depth situational analysis every five years.
In 2023, the Caroline County Extension Office adopted a state-level survey to collect unit-level information and input. The office modified the survey to collect information regarding the unit where the respondent lived or worked. Our survey was intended to collect data from individuals who live and/or work in Caroline County. This survey was shared through social media, email listservs, flyers posted in community spaces, and direct emails to stakeholders, engaged community members, volunteers, and parents of youth participating in 4-H youth programs.
The Caroline County Extension Office will utilize the data collected through this survey, the unit profile, and the VCE Data Commons to plan, execute, and evaluate future Extension programming.
Unit Profile
Caroline County is 527.4 square miles and is located north of Richmond and south of Fredericksburg. The county is bordered by the Rappahannock River, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Hanover, King William, King George, King & Queen, and Essex Counties. Interstate 95 runs through the county providing some urban areas in the rural county. Caroline County houses Fort Walker that is located on 301. The county is also home to Secretariat and the Meadow Event Park.
Demographics
The estimated population as of July of 2023, was 32,640, an increase of 5.7% since the last census was taken in 2020. The current racial makeup of the count is 67.7% white, 26.4% black or African American, 7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% Asian, and 3.7% two or more races. (U.S. Census, 2023)
Education
There are three elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, two alternative learning center, and one private school. In the 2023-2024 school year, 4,564 students were enrolled throughout the five public schools (School Quality, 2023). Approximately, 50% of the county population has any postsecondary education (VCE Data Commons, 2023).
Agriculture & Forestry
According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, there were 214 farms in Caroline, a 4% decrease from 2017. The average size of each farm was 281 acres, making 60,121 acres of Caroline in agricultural use. Agriculture (crops and livestock) brought in $32,709,000 in the county. Top crop commodities by number of planted acres include soybeans, corn, wheat, forage (hay/haylage), and vegetables. The top livestock inventory includes cattle and calves, layers, sheep and lambs, horses and ponies, goats, and hogs and pigs. The top three crops by sales are grains, vegetables, and other crops and hay. The top three livestock products by sales are cattle and calves, other animals and animal products, and poultry and eggs.
The total number of recorded producers in Caroline County was 379, 66% males and 34% females. Of th3 379 producers, 31.9% were 65 or older, 58.3% fell in the 35-64 age category, and 9.8% were under the age of 35. The producers in Caroline County are primarily white (89.4%), but there are also 4% black or African American and 6% more than one race. There were 160 new or beginning farmers (USDA, 2022).
Health Summary
According to County Health Rankings, Caroline is ranked 63rd out of 133 ranked counties in Virginia. Caroline County is above the state of Virginia in the following categories; adult smoking (18%), adult obesity (39%), food environment index (9.1), physical inactivity (23%), excessive drinking (18%), and teen births (23) (County Health Rankings, 2023). As of 2021, 2,060 individuals in Caroline County struggled with food insecurity (Feeding America, 2021).
Community and Resident Perspectives
Results of the data collected by the Caroline County survey was sorted by highest level effort. Table 2 lists all issues in the survey ranked in order from highest to lowest.
| Issue | Moderate Effort | High Effort | Very High Effort | Percentage Total of High & Very High Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building capacity for farm to school programming | 1 | 7 | 5 | 92.3% |
| Building healthy families | 1 | 10 | 2 | 92.3% |
| Promoting agricultural & environmental literacy among youth | 0 | 7 | 4 | 84.6% |
| Strengthening the local food system | 2 | 8 | 3 | 84.6% |
| Addressing hunger issues | 1 | 5 | 5 | 77% |
| Getting more adults involved in mentoring youth | 3 | 7 | 3 | 76.9% |
| Preserving foods for home use | 4 | 6 | 3 | 69.3% |
| Reducing misuse & overuse of pesticides & fertilizers | 5 | 3 | 5 | 61.6% |
| Helping youth develop leadership, citizenship, & other life skills | 4 | 5 | 3 | 61.6% |
| Promoting alternative agriculture | 5 | 6 | 2 | 61.6% |
| Teaching youth good money habits | 0 | 6 | 2 | 61.6% |
| Teaching beginning farming practices to new landowners | 5 | 7 | 1 | 61.5% |
| Strengthening parenting skills | 1 | 7 | 1 | 61.5% |
| Teaching people to manage their money | 0 | 8 | 0 | 61.5% |
| Promoting scientific literacy among youth | 3 | 4 | 3 | 53.9% |
| Protecting water quality | 6 | 6 | 1 | 53.9% |
| Assisting farmers & forest landowners in production & profitability | 6 | 6 | 1 | 53.9% |
| Controlling invasive pests (plants, animals, insects) | 6 | 6 | 1 | 53.9% |
| Supporting residents’ home horticulture practice through education | 5 | 6 | 1 | 53.9% |
| Helping consumers make healthy food choices | 4 | 6 | 1 | 53.9% |
| Addressing before & after school challenges | 1 | 6 | 1 | 53.9% |
| Strengthening workforce readiness | 4 | 2 | 3 | 38.5% |
| Helping Virginians become more energy efficient | 5 | 4 | 1 | 38.5% |
| Reducing obesity | 6 | 4 | 0 | 30.8% |
| Helping communities be better prepared for & respond to natural disasters | 8 | 3 | 1 | 30.8% |
| Providing physical fitness education | 6 | 1 | 1 | 15.4% |
Some of the written responses that were received when asked “what they would like to see from the Caroline County’s VCE Office and how can we make a greater impact in the community” are quoted below:
- “Appropriate staffing needs to be put in place to address the issues impacting families”,
- “I’d like to see VCE be more vocal about the impacts on these natural resources and our farmland during discussions regarding the development of our county. It would also be great to see more resources for homeschoolers as we have a large community of homeschooling families in the county,” and
- “It would be great to see an increase in local 4-H activity to improve and expand business, agriculture production, and successful leadership learning opportunities for youth interested in agriculture.”
Community Issues
Based on the responses gathered by the Caroline County office, the priority issues selected were building capacity for farm to school programming, building healthy families, promoting agricultural and environmental literacy among youth, strengthening the local food system, and addressing hunger issues.
Future Programming to Address Community Issue
Issue: Building capacity for farm to school programming
The 4-H program will work with schools to create school gardens and garden clubs. This can also be incorporated into future Agriculture in the Classroom lessons brought into schools. The Caroline County extension office, currently does not have an ANR agent, there should be one starting in the middle of 2024. Potential programming for this position could be to collaborate with the 4-H Agent to work with local farmers to create a farm-to-school program. This program could connect local farmers with schools for vendor purposes.
Issue: Building healthy families
The Family Consumer Science (FCS) Agent works with teen moms by offering a “Teen Parenting Course” and a “Grandparents Raising Grandchildren” program. This helps build healthy families. The 4-H Agent helps build healthy families by offering club programs and activities to give families things to do together. 4-H provides a space where families can come together and give each other support. The 4-H Agent attends grandparents’ night at the elementary schools to provide resources and activities to grandparents that are raising their grandchildren.
Issue: Promoting agricultural and environmental literacy among youth
The Caroline County 4-H program collaborates with other local organizations and agencies to offer a 4th Grade Ag Day for all fourth-grade students enrolled in public schools. This gives the youth a wide overview of agriculture. The 4-H agent does an embryology project each year that reaches all second-grade students enrolled in public school. The 4-H Youth Development Agent is working on incorporating Agriculture in Classroom curriculum to reach each grade level. The office has acquired the pacing guides used throughout the county to match curriculum with the SOLs being taught throughout the school year.
Issue: Strengthening the local food system
The Caroline County extension office, currently does not have an ANR agent, there should be one starting in the middle of 2024. This Agent will be responsible for annual pesticide recertification and contributing to the Five County Agriculture Conference. A few potential ways the ANR agent can help strengthen the local food system is by offering classes to farmers to explore new revenue options, educational programs for farmers/producers, field days, and seminars on identified issues (i.e., pest management, food safety, new technology, etc.). The entire office can help with this issue by incorporating the “Buy Local” campaign in current and future programs.
Issue: Addressing hunger issues
The Caroline County extension office, currently does not have an ANR agent, there should be one starting in the middle of 2024. Potential programs offered by the agent could be educational programs for homeowners to grow their own garden, collaborating with the farmer’s market, and working with schools and local farmers to offer a farm-to-school program. The 4-H Agent can work with youth involved in livestock projects to offer meat from their animals. The office can collaborate with other local organizations and agencies to help meet this need by being a pick-up site for the food bank.
References
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/carolinecountyvirginia/PST045223
https://schoolquality.virginia.gov/divisions/caroline-county-public-schools#desktopTabs-3
https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/health-data/virginia/caroline?year=2023
https://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2021/overall/virginia/county/caroline
Visit Virginia Cooperative Extension: ext.vt.edu
Virginia Cooperative Extension materials are available for public use, reprint, or citation without further permission, provided the use includes credit to the author and to Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, and Virginia State University.
Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments. Its programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or any other basis protected by law.
Publication Date
April 29, 2024
