Carol Waters champions small commercial producers and says she believes they deserve greater recognition in their communities. They may be small, but their impact on local food systems and their communities is immeasurable.
“The producers I work with are part of their community and are farmers in their own right,” Waters said. “They're valuable to the local food system in their regions, they care about the food system in their region, they care about the land and care about the people in their community, which is why they grow food.”
Waters is a commercial fruit and vegetable production extension educator for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, based in Weeping Water. She has a statewide appointment, responsible for serving Nebraska commercial producers of all sizes by offering advice, diagnosing problems and proposing solutions.
Waters has worked in extension for 23 years. She started as a county agent for horticulture at the University of Kentucky, then worked as a regional and county director for Iowa State University for 10 years before joining Nebraska Extension in 2022. However, she did not discover that she wanted to work in extension until graduate school.
Waters earned a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Northwest Missouri State University and a master’s degree in woody ornamental horticulture and urban forestry from Iowa State University. While studying at Iowa State, Waters became friends with an urban forestry extension specialist who invited her to attend talks with him. After a while, she began speaking at these meetings alongside him, using her expertise in urban forestry.
“I was helping him give presentations and really enjoyed working with adult education and sharing that kind of knowledge,” Waters said. “So graduate school was really where I fell in love with extension work.”
After graduate school, Waters earned a Juris Doctor from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Waters aims to one day use her law background to aid farmers with farm transition issues, but until then, extension education is fulfilling.
Waters specializes in advising fruit and vegetable producers who want to sell their crops. Some of her clients sell at roadside stands and farmers' markets, while others are involved in community-supported agriculture operations or hope to sell to restaurants. No matter the size of the operation, Waters applies the research done in Nebraska’s Department of Agronomy and Horticulture to advise her clients. Occasionally, she collaborates with Sam Wortman and Christian Stephenson for additional input and support.
“Some clients who are just starting out need more reassurance that they're doing the right thing, so I provide that for them,” Waters said. “Others need help diagnosing weed or insect problems, so I work with the spray guides to figure out what would be best for their operation.”
Waters says working with clients from all over Nebraska can be challenging. Often, she must diagnose problems digitally because she cannot travel to every client’s operation. She also must market herself so clients from every corner of the state know they can use her services. Waters participates in the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society Conference and the Great Plains Growers Conference annually and hosts a commercial fruit and vegetables growers podcast called "Nebraska Grows" to network with other educators and connect with clients.
Though it is challenging, Waters finds having a large client base gratifying.
“Each producer has different goals and aspirations, and when you're able to help solve a problem for them or work with them to achieve their goals, that's the rewarding part,” she said.
Waters is an Extension Educator Affiliate in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture. The new program aims to strengthen connections between extension educators and department faculty in research, teaching and extension activities.
