STEWARD LINK - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Member of the Leadership Team
• Conservation Stewardship Program Leader
• Director of Conservation Stewardship Program
• Director of Conservation Stewardship Programs

Job Titles:

• Member of the Leadership Team
• Conservation Activity Plan Leader / Technical Service Provider Leader
• Director of Technical Service Providers

My name is Barrett Daugherty. I live in Greenwood, Mississippi with my wife, Emmie, and our two children, Jack and Ina Drew. Emmie and I met in church approximately 10 years ago. We enjoy raising our family in the Mississippi delta. My life's work has been agriculture and row crop production. I grew up in Cleveland, Mississippi where I watched my father build and manage a successful agricultural retail distribution location. He was skilled in working with growers to make input decisions on their farms. The relationships he formed with his customers inspired me to a similar career path. When I was 12 years old, my first job was working on a large farm. Over the next several summers, I began learning about different crops, how they grow, and how to deal with problems that arose throughout the growing season. It was an invaluable learning experience that gave me a great base of knowledge to build my career. I attended Mississippi State University where I majored in agricultural engineering technology & business with an emphasis on precision agriculture. Throughout my college career, I worked with the Extension Corn Specialist for Mississippi. I spent time researching management strategies, performing hybrid yield demonstrations, and diagnosing problems across the state. Mississippi is home to a variety of crops, management practices, and a diverse grower base. After graduation from Mississippi State, I began my full-time career in agricultural retail in the Arkansas delta. I spent five years working with farmers to make recommendations on seed, fertilizer, herbicides, and insecticides, among other things. My time in eastern Arkansas added to my knowledge base and my desire to help growers achieve their goals. In 2009, I moved to Greenwood, Mississippi where my drive to assist growers achieve maximum returns on their investments has continued to grow. In 2011, I earned my certification from the American Society of Agronomy. In early 2018, I joined STEWARD LINK as their Conservation Activity Plan Leader and Certified Row Crop Advisor. My background, experience, and devotion to agriculture was perfect for STEWARD LINK. As Conservation Activity Plan Leader, I supervise all Technical Service Providers (TSPs) for STEWARD LINK. I am certified by National Resource Conservation Service as a TSP to write nutrient management and pest management Conservation Activity Plans (CAPs). Technical Service Providers who have demonstrated their expertise to NRCS and become certified TSPs write the Conservation Activity Plans (CAPs) for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) applications. My goal is to provide land stewards sound agronomic advice as they fight the trials of present-day farming. My passion for row crop agriculture is as strong now as ever. The future of agriculture is constantly on my mind. When I am not taking care of my family or thinking about agriculture, I am thinking about hunting and looking for better ways to manage or improve the properties where I hunt.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Leadership Team
• Assistant to Nick Thomas
• Personal Assistant to the President

I first met Nick Thomas, President and Founder of STEWARD LINK, many years ago. Knowing Nick and his experience working with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs through the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), I reached out to Nick one day for his help concerning my parents' application for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). I was impressed with his expertise and professionalism. My parents were thrilled that Nick was able to help them with their CSP application. Nick soon offered me a job to assist him with his company, STEWARD LINK. I grew up in the country outside of Winona, Mississippi and loved spending time outdoors with my family. For most of my childhood, I was involved raising and showing livestock through the county 4-H program at county fairs. Being involved in 4-H taught me many things but most of all it helped me become a more responsible individual. After graduating high school from Winona Christian School, I graduated from Holmes Community College in 2008 with a degree in office technology and business. My husband Eddie and I were married in the fall of 2008. Growing up, we attended the same high school, church, and lived only a few miles apart. We have two beautiful children, Kaden and Reese. In 2011, a few years after getting married, I went to work for a local bank based out of Kilmichael, Mississippi. I spent the next eight years as the internal account auditor for all four locations. I enjoyed my job and had no plans on leaving. In fall of 2019, after a lot of praying, I eventually accepted Nick's offer to go to work for STEWARD LINK. Nick's offer to work as his assistant provided a challenge where my education and experience would allow me to grow personally. It is a decision that I am glad I made. Since going to work for STEWARD LINK, I have learned a great deal about the USDA and its conservation programs. I support Nick and other staff members in their efforts to put conservation programs on the ground.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Leadership Team
• Conservation Programs Chief Compliance Officer
• Conservation Programs Compliance Leader

My name is Jason Blaylock and I am from McCarley, Mississippi- a small town in North Central Mississippi. I have lived there all my life. I have been married to my wife Terri for 18 years and we have two sons, Reid and Rhett. When I am not working, Terri and I can usually be found at a ballpark somewhere watching our boys playing either football or baseball. When we are not watching or playing sports, you can usually find us enjoying our state's tremendous opportunities to be outside hunting and fishing.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Leadership Team
• Conservation Programs Technician
• Office Manager and USDA Program Compliance Officer

Job Titles:

• Founder
• Member of the Leadership Team
• President

Job Titles:

• Member of the Leadership Team