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NEWS Lowcountry Kappa Deltas help local charities during pandemic
From staff reports
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South Carolina Farm Bureau hosted a roundtable with United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers, South Carolina Farm Bureau President Harry Ott and Farm Bureau members.
The roundtable, held September 2 in Hampton
From staff reports
Agriculture Technology Campus, a joint venture project between Mastronardi, Clear Water Farms, LiDestri Food and Drink and GEM Opportunity Zone Fund, announced plans Wednesday, Sept. 2, to establish a stateof-the-art 1,000-acre agriculture technology campus in County, gave Farm Bureau members the opportunity to discuss various agricultural topics and hear more about United States Department of Agriculture’s programs.
“We are very fortunate to have someone in Washington like Secretary Perdue,” said SCFB President Harry Ott. “He understands a farmer’s perspective and more importantly he wants Hampton County.
The combined $314 million investment is expected to create more than 1,500 new jobs over the next five years.
The Agriculture Technology Campus will include greenhouses for locally grown, pesticide-free tomatoes, leafy greens, blueber
Lowcountry Kappa Delta Alumnae Chapter members have worked together on three community-service projects during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though they could not hold face-to-face meetings.
Donations from the local Kappa Deltas benefited CAPA (Child Abuse Prevention Association of Beaufort) and Bluffton Self Help.
Teens living in CAPA’s shelter needed school supplies, as fall classes got under way. So Lowcountry Kappa Deltas contributed nearly to listen to know more about what’s happening daily on our farms and in our rural communities.”
The panel discussed important agricultural issues including access to labor, feral hogs, rural broadband and relief programs. The Secretary was also able to hear from specialty crop farmers, like mariculturists, on ways the USDA could help support ries and other produce; a 150,000-square-foot distribution center; and a co-packing facility. This announcement marks one of the largest agriculture investments in South Carolina history.
LiDestri Food and Drink, a leading food, beverage and spirits co-packing company, will lead the co-packing fa$300 in backpacks, paper, pens, notebooks, and other school supplies.
Over the summer, Kappa Deltas “cleaned their closets for CAPA.” More than a dozen large bags of clothing, books, toys and other gently-used household items were delivered to CAPA’s Closet Thrift Store in Beaufort. The donations filled an SUV from top to bottom.
Lowcountry Kappa Deltas also contributed to the “End Period Poverty” project, sponsored by Bluffton Self Help. Kappa Deltas donated nearly $200 in feminine hythem.
“It was great to have an opportunity to meet with the United States Secretary of Agriculture yesterday,” said Chris Stevens, chair of the SCFB Young Farmers and Ranchers committee. “Everyone in attendance could tell that he and the USDA have the interest of our South Carolina farmers in mind.”
Participants were: Anthocility. This facility will allow both campus growers and other South Carolina farmers to process produce, making items such as salsa, pesto and other products. LiDestri Food and Drink will handle the processing, packaging, shipping and logistical needs for the Agriculture Technology Campus. giene supplies such as sanitary napkins, tampons, and disposal underwear for local girls and women who cannot afford those items.
Lowcountry Kappa Deltas Alumnae Chapter is a diverse group of community-minded ny Gray (Hampton), Walter Mack (Beaufort), Jeff Massey (Charleston), Robert Mixon (Hampton), Brad O’Neal (Allendale), Joe Oswald (Allendale), Don Sharp (Allendale), Rachael Sharp (Allendale), Chris Stevens (Horry-Loris), Wesley Ulmer (Colleton), Landy Weathers (Orangeburg) and Gary Youmans (Hampton).
South Carolina Farm
This controlled environment food production model helps meet the demand of grocery chains and consumers for fresh and reliable produce. The model of growing and sourcing locally grown foods helps ensure food supply chain security, which has been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic, and women, who live in Hilton Head, Bluffton, Okatie, Ridgeland and Beaufort. The Lowcountry Chapter is one of 224 active Kappa Delta alumnae chapters across the country.
The local Alumnae Chapter has been recognized for community service and programs by Kappa Delta, a national organization for collegiate and alumnae women. For more information, email kdjeanette@aol.com or visit lowcountry.kappadelta.org or Facebook at Low Country, SC Kappa Delta Alumnae
SC Farm Bureau hosts Ag Secretary Purdue for roundtable
From staff reports
Chapter. Bureau is a grassroots, non-profit organization that celebrates and supports family farmers, locally grown food and our rural lands through legislative advocacy, education and community outreach. The organization, founded in 1944, serves more than 100,000 member families in 47 chapters. For more information, please visit
Agriculture Technology Campus in Hampton County to create more than 1,500 jobs
www.scfb.org. minimizes operating expenses through co-location.
The campus is expected to be operational in 2022 with full operation expected by 2025. Individuals interested in joining the Agriculture Technology Campus or LiDestri Food and Drink team should visit https://www. agtechcampus.com/.
Beaufort Memorial
To provide greater access to primary care for the community, Beaufort Memorial has added board-certified family medicine physician Dr. Ross Watson to the medical staff at its Beaufort Memorial Primary Care practice. Dr. Watson comes to the the Lowcountry from his residency at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. He joins board-certified internists Drs. Andrea Hucks and Alejandro Garcia Salas, and board-certified nurse practitioners Mary Beth Donovan, Ronda O’Connell and Amy Wagner at the practice. A California native, Dr. Watson served on emergency medical services crews through-out the West before attending medical school. During residency he volunteered at an outreach center for runaway and homeless youth. Beaufort Memorial Primary Care provides a full range of general adult outpatient medical care with an emphasis on wellness and chronic disease management and prevention.
CALL 843-522-7600 TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT.
989 RIBAUT ROAD, SUITE 260, BEAUFORT
Board-Certified
American Board of Family Physicians ......................................................................
Residency in Family Medicine
Central Maine Medical Center
Doctor of Medicine
American University of the
Caribbean School of Medicine
St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles ......................................................................
Bachelor of Science, Biology
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, California
Dr. Watson will join Amy Wagner, ANP-BC;
Andrea D. Hucks, MD; Alejandro García Salas, MD;
Mary Beth Donovan, ACNP-BCandRonda O’Connell, ANP-BC at Beaufort Memorial Primary Care.
