BFRDP Projects

Area 1: Create a national peer network that develops, provides, and facilitates access to, training, education, internships, mentorships, jobs, financial and market opportunities for beginning farmer veterans (70% of project effort). We will combine new small scale livestock production and business planning materials with existing core tools previously created through Risk Management Agency grants known as the One Page Business/Financial Plan, One Page Monthly Cash Flow Budget, and One Page Risk Management Plan. These tools will be adapted to explain small scale pork and pastured poultry production business, small scale honeybee, grass fed beef, lamb, goat and vegetable business models. 

Area 2: Provide twenty seven workshops focused on small scale livestock and vegetable production supported by on-going case management services for attendees. (30% of project effort). We will incorporate the new training materials into twenty seven workshops (at least twenty two of which will be on-farm and hosted by FVC beginning farmer veterans) that target these farmer veterans and their specific livestock, provide regional training platforms for them to gather and learn from each other, and assist them in refining their own financial, production, risk management and business plans. Additionally, all workshop attendees will receive on-going comprehensive, individualized capacity development assistance using a case management model in which individual needs, assessments, and development plans, guide the provision of subsequent services, training, referrals and linkages to resources. 

Six of the twenty seven workshops will be specifically focused on developing, supporting and educating women farmer veterans on the production, financial and risk management components of small scale livestock/vegetable operations. Additional emphasis will be placed on developing, integrating and utilizing local networking and supportive resources for women such as the FVC Veteran Peer Farmer Network.

As the numbers of beginning farm and ranch women has increased there has been a corresponding increase in programs providing education and technical assistance to them. While these programs have developed tools and curricula for addressing the learning needs of beginning farmers there remain many areas of the country where women farmers are still chronically underserved. In addition, while many tools, assessments and curricula are available there is no central repository for these materials. Nor is there a typology, or catalog, that can be used to determine which materials would be most useful given the needs of a specific target audience.

The goal of this project is to assemble a national learning network to evaluate existing curricula and materials targeting beginning farm and ranch women of all ages, ethnicity, and agricultural production interests. Content teams will identify information gaps; develop corresponding learning modules, and train peers and colleagues in their delivery and evaluation. Our project focuses on subjects of special importance to beginning farm and ranch women: legal issues; business scale and profitability; farm safety, mechanization and ergonomics; land access, transfer and stewardship; and management. A virtual learning network will provide educators and agricultural technical assistance providers with evidence-based information regarding women’s learning preferences, peer-reviewed training materials, evaluation tools, and mentoring from colleagues experienced in working with women farmers and ranchers.
We will partner with the BFRDP Clearinghouse and the eXtension Women in Ag Learning Network to determine the most effective way to house the typology of available materials.  

Access to land is one of the biggest challenges for beginning farmers in New England. The long-term goal of this project is for more New England beginning farmers to successfully access land to farm in order to start or expand their farm business. Land For Good, its partners and a broad range of collaborators will enable over 2,000 beginning farmers to access land or achieve more secure tenure. Our goals are: beginning farmers are better prepared to access land to farm; more farms are transferred by exiting farmers to beginning farmers; beginning farmers find and evaluate farm properties and connect with landowners; professionals and beginning farmers have new information about innovative access approaches and methods; and stronger programs help beginning farmers access land and improve the conditions for farmland access in New England.

Coordinated teams and task forces will produce curricula and conduct educational activities such as workshops, a multi-session Succession School, and leasing clinics. LFG will “coach” farm seekers and transitioning farmers. We will improve farm link programs and increase their use. We will produce new tools including an online “build-a-lease” and model legal language for farmland-related transactions. We will promote transfers between farmers without identified successors and beginning farmers. Experts will investigate innovative and best practices, including alternative land financing and affordable farmer housing. We will build capacity in each New England state to better serve and support beginning and transitioning farmers around land access and transfer. A national conference in 2017 will share learnings and build land access and transfer programs to help beginning farmers access land in all regions.

Our project is developed by and for beginning farmers across the state. Instead of duplicating the efforts of great organizations that are already building beginner farmer training programs, this project enriches and aligns beginning farmer training programs via common core trainings and one-on-one technical assistance customized to meet the needs of beginning farmers in Connecticut.

Core trainings for beginning farmers will emphasize: business planning, financial management and record keeping; farmland access; overcoming marketing uncertainties; and small scale production of vegetables and fruit. Programs will be offered in person, with online tutorials developed for many of the modules, including farm business planning, soil health, safe and effective use of pesticides, and marketing for success. One-on-one experts will be available for farmers that need assistance in vegetable production and pest management, farmland evaluation and conservation, and financial record-keeping.

Our partners are: Common Ground High School in New Haven, the Community Farm of Simsbury, the Green Village Initiative in Bridgeport, Killingly Agriculture Education Program, KNOX in Hartford, and WRCC-GROW Windham. Training resources will also be used to support UConn's Listo Para Inciar (or Ready-to-Start) training program, which delivers a hands-on, cohort based model of beginner farming training for Spanish-speaking urban market gardeners. 

Other key partners in the project are the New CT Farmer Alliance and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of CT. “With this investment supported through the USDA, our alliance will further increase accessibility between agricultural support services, and CT’s budding community of agricultural entrepreneurs.”said Betsy Robson, NCTFA Coordinator (a statewide network of over 200 farmers).

The long term goal of our project is for every beginning farmer in Connecticut who wishes to produce and sell food – regardless of scale, experience, or language barriers – to have access to fundamental training to start or continue farming profitably.

Based in Fairfax County, Virginia, but pulling from expertise and farms across Northern and Central Virginia and the National Capital Region, Arcadia's Veteran Farmer Program (VFP) brings together regional nonprofits, agricultural organizations, veterans, and experienced farmers - including veterans who have made a successful transition to farming - to provide a practical farmer training and development program that launches veterans into new careers in agriculture.

Arcadia's program is distinguished by its lifecycle support of new veteran farmers. It works to increase the number of veterans beginning new careers in agriculture and the likelihood of their success by providing them with farming skills; business development and management training; ongoing technical support; assistance with finding and accessing land; and then market support, including an optional, wholesale contract with Arcadia. The VFP provides continued support as our new farmers launch their careers, through ongoing mentorships from, and networking with, the business, agriculture, and veteran communities.

The VFP increases the number of veterans beginning new careers in agriculture and increases the likelihood of their success. The VFP is very effective and can be replicated in other regions. Through this grant, the VFP will train 51 military veterans with the goal of producing 25 new farmers operating businesses throughout the project period.

The purpose of this Educational Enhancement Team project is to develop new resources to help beginning farmers and ranchers improve the financial and business management aspects of their operations, as well as better-equip educators to guide them through this process. This project will:

• Develop and improve delivery of farm financial and business management tools and programs to help beginning farmers and ranchers better understand and manage the financial aspects of their businesses
• Improve the ability of organizations to deliver farm financial and business management training to beginning farmers and ranchers
• Evaluate ways to improve the Farm Answers clearinghouse to make it even more valuable to beginning farmers and ranchers

This project will fulfill the two goals of EET projects. It will identify gaps in farm financial and business management tools and programs and address ways to make Farm Answers more valuable to beginning farmers. It will also develop curriculum and deliver train-the-trainer workshops to better equip BFRDP projects to help beginning farmers in farm financial and business management.

The partnership of the Center for Farm Financial Management, the Midwest Organic and Sustainability Education Service (MOSES), the Rural Community College Alliance (RCCA), and SCORE brings together a broad spectrum and wealth of experiences and expertise. This partnership will allow the project to gain input from many different perspectives including numerous farmers and ranchers, organizations that work with them, and other individuals and organizations with experience in farm financial management and general business management.

The project applicants represent a regional coalition joined across the Tennessee and Virginia border in a region called the “Heart of Appalachia”. Our coalition represents a 20-year track record of building the local food economy from farm to fork, across all economic classes, across all ages. Through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program we seek to holistically improve start-up opportunities for a diversity of beginning farmers and ranchers to establish and sustain viable agricultural operations and communities. Developing beginning farmers will simultaneously address workforce development, nutrition, natural resource conservation, and economic development, in a region where one in 5 citizens lives at or below the federal poverty line. In response to feedback from beginning farmers served by our organizations, our four objectives are to:

1. Enhance the regional coalition and coordination of services for beginning farmers;
2. Implement local and regional educational trainings with a focus on whole farm planning and preparing beginning farmers for specific local marketing opportunities;
3. Establish a mentorship network of trained mentor farmers to provide educational and on-the-job opportunities to beginning farmers; and
4. Foster a network of sustainable peer-to-peer support for beginning farmers through Learning Circles.

While available to all beginning farmer learners, each objective gives special consideration to the needs of socially disadvantaged, limited resource, military veteran, prisoners re-entering the workforce, and young farmers. These groups are key stakeholders for outreach as identified by the coalition's’ partners.

The project will be implemented in the following counties:
TN:  Carter(SF), Greene (SF), Hancock (SF), Hawkins, Johnson (SF), Sullivan, Washington, and Unicoi (SF)
VA:  Lee (SF), Russell (SF), Scott (SF), Smyth (SF), Tazewell (SF), Washington (SF), Wise (S)F, and Wythe (SF)
SF - Indicates StrikeForce Counties

Organic seed production represents a lucrative and growing specialty agricultural market. The specialized skill set required to produce high-quality organic seed serves as a barrier to entry into this market. This project is training beginning farmers in organic seed production through seed intensive workshops and written manuals, and by creating internship opportunities on established organic seed operations. The primary objectives of the project are to increase the number of beginning farmers growing organic seed
and improve practices to increase profitability, decrease financial risk, and improve conservation practices. The target audience is beginning farmers interested in diversifying their existing vegetable and grain operations, new farmers entering into farming interested in producing organic seed, farm interns, and agricultural students planning to enter the field of farming or work on existing farming operations. This project also targets Latino farmers. Project activities include delivering 60 scholarships for beginning Latino and non-Latino farmers, and 20 conference travel stipends for Latino/Hispanic farmers to attend the Organic Seed Growers Conference and Organicology Conference; simultaneous Spanish translator at conference intensives and workshops; post-event Spanish translations of intensives and workshops; support structured seed internships on seed farms through curriculum and facilitated internship placement, Spanish translation of seed production guides, and delivery of 6 monthly webinars on seed production. The long-term goals of this project are to a) increase the number of beginning farmers who grow organic seed, and to b) improve beginning seed producers’ practices to increase their profitability, decrease their financial risk, and improve their conservation practices. 

The project, “Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship: A National Program for Training New Dairy Farmers,” is a renewal Standard Grant that will build on work previously supported by USDA-NIFA’s Beginning Farmers and Rancher Development Program through a 2010 Development Grant “GrassWorks Apprenticeship Program: A Pilot Project for Training Beginning Farmers” and a 2011 Standard Grant “GrassWorks Apprenticeship Program: Career Paths for Beginning Farmers.” The current project will establish Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA) as a national program directly under the United States Department of Labor-Office of Apprenticeship, strengthen DGA in Wisconsin by providing additional services to participants, and support the development of DGA in Missouri as a template for state-by-state expansion.

The target audience for this project consists of current dairy farmers seeking to transition out of farming or grow their operation by investing in the next generation and aspiring dairy farmers who are seeking a pathway to independent farm ownership. Among aspiring dairy farmers are young people, students, women, veterans, hired hands, herdsmen, farm managers, and farm workers. Barriers for aspiring dairy farmers include a lack of a) skills and experience in sustainable methods; b) opportunity to farm full-time, as dairy production requires, while learning; c) training in financial management and business planning; d) familiarity with agricultural infrastructure; and e) access to capital, land, and cattle.

The first formal Apprenticeship for farming in the nation, DGA directly addresses barriers to commodity-scale dairy farming by combining on-farm employment and training with paid related instruction and providing support for aspiring farmers to transition into independent dairy farm ownership. DGA is a comprehensive program that places particular emphasis on the following priority topics: Basic livestock practices and crop [pasture] farming practices; Innovative farm land transfers strategies; Entrepreneurship and business training; Financial risk management training; Natural resource management training; Curriculum development; and Mentoring, apprenticeship, and internships.    

For the past 25 years, the Sustainable Farming Association (SFA) has helped to develop beginning farmers. During that time, SFA has learned a great deal about what makes for success in beginning farming operations. As we review the past 25 years of work in new farmer development, we see 2 closely connected disturbing trends in agriculture today: 1) many beginning farmers lack the support, skills and savvy to successfully launch and sustain farm businesses for more than 5 years; and 2) as a result, there is a constant cycle of new farmers entering the market but never realizing their full potential. This trend is leading to
fragmented rural communities and over-worked and underpaid farmers who rarely overcome the mechanical solidarity issues and have a successful rural life.

"Deep Roots: Thoughtful, Comprehensive, Community-Based Beginning Farmer Training" takes a proven beginning farmer training model, increases its appeal and functionality by adding an online component and places beginning farmer training in the context of a 25 year old Farmer-to-Farmer Network.

Deep Roots is designed for individuals who want to work in sustainable farming as independent producers. Typically, sustainable agriculture programs attract nontraditional audiences including women, older students, underrepresented minorities and new American populations. These programs are also suitable for individuals with a conventional farming background who want to transition toward sustainability as well as for individuals who want to farm but have no family background or directexperience in the field.

The aim of this project is to respond to a great need and opportunity to address the urgent problem in the U.S. agricultural system, specifically, that of ageing population of farmers and ranchers. The long term goal of this project is to recruit and enhance the sustainability of new and beginning farmers and ranchers in Texas by helping them develop successful farm and
ranch operations through the use of "A Model Farm Concept". These goals will be accomplished through the following objectives:

(1) Establish model farms at the university research farm and in targeted counties to serve as training sites

(2)Provide scale-appropriate instructional and experiential training and production, business management and marketing

(3)Develop effective partnerships between BFRs and USDA, State agencies, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and other successful farmers to create mentoring opportunities and facilitate information sharing on programs and services available to them

(4) Develop a BFR database to facilitate targeted information dissemination and outreach. This project is a joint effort between the Agricultural and Natural Resource (AGNR) unit of our Cooperative Extension Program (CEP) and two prominent Community Based Organizations (CBOs) working closely together. Finally, overall the project will engage approximately 7,000
limited resource farmers in the counties that we serve here in Texas. This will attract 300 new start-up and 800 plus new and beginning farmers will benefited.

The Navajo Nation sits in the heart of the Four Corners area of the Colorado Plateau covering the corners of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The land is a mixture of alpine forests with high plateaus, mesas, mountains and arid deserts with an estimated land base of 27,673 square miles. The socio-economic conditions are emphasized by limited employment opportunities; 40.1% of families live well below the poverty level; and the diagnosis of diabetes correlates with the demise of their traditional values. These factors indicate a need for agricultural programs to revitalize a way of life of self-sufficiency, resourcefulness, prosperity, and cultural identity. Agriculture and livestock ownership are timeless symbols of the Dine’ philosophy.

The proposed project will help establish the foundation to sustainably support agricultural programs and activities by concentrating efforts in two regional agricultural hubs, Tsaile-Wheatfields Dineh Water User in central Navajo Nation and Tolani Lake Enterprise in western Navajo Nation. The proposed project will: train 60 beginning farmers to produce a harvest that will be sold to local and alternative markets; increase the capacity of collaborative organizations staff to receive the necessary skills to support farmers within their communities; and over three years, develop and implement a four-tiered training module in the following areas: business planning, farm planning, food safety planning, and farm management.

“Developing the next generation farmers and food security within the Navajo Nation food desert” project provides education through the management, planning, and conservation of natural resources for the inheritance of future generations.

The viability of new farm enterprises are especially tenable. A report by the USDA ERS notes that the businesses of new and beginning farmers have lower survival rates than more established operators. Direct markets offer new and beginning farmers unique and expanding opportunities to begin and to sustain successful farm businesses. National marketing research shows that consumer distrust in “big food” companies and institutions, increased awareness of the social and environmental impacts of the food system, and the increased prevalence of food-related health issues are changing the U.S. food landscape. Consumers believe their choices matter; they are looking for food that is authentic, transparent, and that connects them closely to the sources. Local food has increasingly come to represent transparency and trust in the minds of consumers, and more people want to spend their food dollars with local farmers.

The long-term goal of this project is to enhance the viability of new and beginning farmers in Western North Carolina (WNC) by providing them with knowledge, skills, and resources needed to start and/or grow successful farm operations focused on direct market opportunities. In WNC, expanding markets for local food provide significant opportunities for new and beginning farmers. In order to survive beyond start-up, farms must have effective marketing and appropriate production to build customer bases. In local food markets, where the public is looking for transparency, authenticity, and meaningful connections, direct sales offer unique opportunities. The activities of this project will build the direct marketing success of new and beginning farmers and enable them to implement marketing and production strategies that build farm visibility, demand for their products, and the long-term viability of their farm business. In keeping with BFRDP priorities, training and assistance topics will cover diversification and marketing strategies, entrepreneurship and business training, and financial and risk management training.

The long-term goal of Empowering New Forest Owners in the Northwest is to promote innovative markets and forest management strategies that improve the health of forest ecosystems while increasing economic prosperity and resilience for new forestland owners in the Pacific Northwest. More than a century of managing industrial tree plantations for single species, even-aged timber has altered the forest landscape of western Washington and Oregon. As companies divest their timber holdings closest to the metropolitan regions, much of this forestland has been purchased by new owners. There is a misconception that leaving these heavily altered forests alone is the best way to restore them. Instead, these forests need active management to restore ecological health and sustain rural economies.

The Northwest Natural Resource Group and partners believe that targeted workshops, individual landowner site visits, and improved market opportunities will increase the sustainability of new forest owners. Ecologically-based forest management and local markets are central to this project. This production method increases resilience through longer harvest rotations, species diversity, and structural diversity. And markets that recognize these benefits provide landowners with incentives to steward their land.

Three supporting objectives drive project activities:

1. Train beginning landowners in forest and financial management techniques,
2. Enable landowners to undertake initial management actions through site visits and cost-share enrollment, and
3. Develop economic opportunities and durable local markets that enable sustained stewardship.

The ultimate outcome will be new forest owners who are empowered to actively and sustainably manage for long-term forest health and resilience.

As interest in new farmer training continues to grow across the country, and more new farmer training projects launch every year, it is imperative that we better understand how to design the most effective and successful new farmer training programs, as well as demonstrate the impacts federal investment have on growing the next generation of farmers. 

Since the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) was first created in 2008, over $100 million has been invested to support over 200 new farmer training projects impacting farmers in every state across the country.  And while each project is required to track and report outcomes and impacts, to date, no national-level analysis has ever been completed of BFRDP as a whole.  Our project seeks to conduct the first ever comprehensive evaluation of BFRDP funded projects by analyzing qualitative and quantitative data from project reports, conducting additional evaluation activities as needed, and assessing the long-term impacts of completed projects for which data has not yet been collected.  With this project, we seek to better understand both the short and long-term outcomes and impacts of BFRDP as a whole, and to better understand the factors that lead to more successful new farmer training projects.

The overall goal of the proposed Farm Management Educational Program (FMEP) is to recruit, train and equip 300 new, beginning farmers and ranchers (BFRs) with the tools and resources necessary to generate and implement a feasible farm plan, becoming sustainable in vegetable and meat goat production. The objectives are to provide educational training and hands-on demonstration in basic crop and livestock production; financial management and risks mitigation; market diversification and risks mitigation; food safety and biosecurity; and programs and services of the current farm bill. 

In year one, 300 participants will learn the fundamentals of farming. In year two, approximately 50% of the participants from year 1 will develop farm plans for their prospective enterprises. In year three, participants with developed plans will have an opportunity to implement them, utilizing accessible resources. The outputs for this project include farm management tools necessary for viability. The outcomes will enhance the capacity of new farmers and ranchers to implement a realistic farm plan, market a quality product, explore the many beneficial opportunities in the farm bill, and have a more productive workforce.

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) include: Alliance of Sustainable Farms, Mid-South Progressive Agriculture Group, Mileston Cooperative Association, Mississippi Meat Goat Producers Cooperative, and National Center for Appropriate Technology. Twenty-five percent (25%) of total federal funds requested will be allocated to these NGOs.  100% of the budget will be allocated to assisting new, beginning farmers and ranchers (including retired and disabled military veterans); socially-disadvantage producers who are African-American and women.

The proposed project will utilize the business incubator model for agricultural production and marketing demonstrations targeting new and beginning farmers. The incubator will be an intensive, hands-on approach working with a small group of new and beginning farmers to establish core business plans and practices that will enable them to facilitate successful Farm to School business ventures. Holmes County Food Hub will provide the technical training and support in enterprise production, marketing and business development in coordination with various resource providers including local extension and USDA agencies. This training and assistance in market development, value-added production and distribution will enable participants to obtain "real-word, hands-on experiences.

The Farm to School Academy Demonstration/Training Site will be also used to demonstrate and evaluate various alternative enterprises, production management practices and markets development models. A five to twenty acre production site will be established to demonstrate select economically viable and sustainable crop enterprises for the Farm to School market. Workshops and field days will be conducted to demonstrate the viability of viability of Farm to School market opportunities. On-site enterprise production and market demonstrations will be complemented with business management seminars and market demonstrations will be complemented with business management seminars and workshops related to those enterprises and markets. The training activities are designed to enhance capacity in agricultural entrepreneurship.

1. Project Title: Farmer Education and Enterprise Development (FEED) Project

2. Project Director(s): Chris Brown and Nathan Harkleroad of ALBA

3. Project Description: The FEED goal is to educate and train 150 beginning and socially disadvantaged (BSD) farmers to plan, launch, and/or sustainably establish independent organic farm businesses. FEED will serve low-income Latinos in the Salinas Valley – many of whom are immigrant farm workers - helping them achieve the dream of farm ownership and economic independence.

Though an ambitious goal, ALBA is uniquely positioned to achieve it due to our 110 acres of organic land, a well-qualified team and an intensive, experiential, multi-year farmer development program. Furthermore, ALBA will tap four longstanding partner organizations to expand and extend services to farmers even after they transition off ALBA’s land. FEED’s objectives focus on all stages of BSD farmer development from start-up through farm incubation and transition fromALBA land and finally to maturation.

Obj. 1: Farmers receive intensive education and TA to prepare for and launch farm businesses.
Obj. 2: Farms strengthened through intensive production and business development services.
Obj. 3: Farms receive transition and business consulting services to firmly establish independent farm businesses off of ALBA ground. In addition, outreach, information and assistance will be provided to an additional 300+ regional BSD farmers.

The FEED consortium provides a comprehensive farmer development program leveraging the agricultural skills of BSD farmers to capitalize on growing markets for locally-produced, organic food in the San Francisco Bay Area. FEED combines affordable access to resources, intensive production and business assistance and linkages to loans and key business services needed to establish a farm business.

4. Collaborating Organizations:
a. California FarmLink
b. Carlson Food Safety Consulting
c. Community Alliance with Family Farmers
d. Kitchen Table Advisors

The Greening of Detroit (The Greening) and Detroit Black Community Food Security Network (DBCFSN) collaborated on the Farming Detroit project. This program is aimed at increasing the number of limited-resource beginning farmers with access to training, education, and mentoring opportunities, in order to address the specific needs of urban growers and ultimately to increase the number of farmers within Detroit.

The project serves limited-resource beginning farmers that are socially disadvantaged, often facing multiple barriers to developing economic self-sustainability. This program provides apprentices an opportunity to develop skills and networks necessary for them to plan and develop the next steps required to further the success of their start-up farming operations. The program also formalizes a partnership between The Greening and DBCFSN that improves and standardizes training curriculum, while capitalizing on each partner's strengths and ability to expose participants to additional resources such as shared farm sites, teachers, and equipment. By leveraging the capacity of this partnership, the project maximizes the use of expertise and best practices learned by each organization in previous years, provides for more efficient use of financial, human and material resources, and allows for greater efficiency of administrative staff costs.

Feed Rhode Island: Growing Sustainable Farms seeks to increase the number and success of limited resource and socially disadvantaged beginning farmers in the state. Southside Community Land Trust (SCLT) will accomplish this goal by leading an experienced team to undertake four objectives: provide training and technical assistance, manage multiple incubator sites, offer on-farm apprentice training, and facilitate a land transfer working group. Partners include RI Department of Environmental Management, Brown University, RI Land Trust Council, Nature Conservancy RI Chapter, Northeast Organic Farming Association, Northern Rhode Island Conservation District, Young Farmers Network, and University of Rhode Island.

Through this program, the organization leverages the experience and relationships of program partners into meaningful outcomes that would otherwise take years to achieve. Technical assistance and training for urban and rural farmers will launch them onto their own farms. It will move urban farmers onto larger plots of land. It will lead to new behaviors that increase production and strengthen co-operative marketing while improving sales and boosting Rhode Island's economy. Support for an expanded apprentice program will increase the number of people who are prepared to begin their own farm businesses. Effective management of incubator space, combined with execution of a broadly supported land transfer strategy will create many new independent farms in a state where land values are astronomically high. Feed Rhode Island: Growing Sustainable Farms will help SCLT create significant change quickly in Rhode Island. 

Our goal is to support Beginning Farmers with the foundational production skills, business knowledge, and confidence they need to build farm enterprises that respond to the ever-growing metropolitan demand for sustainably grown, source-identified produce. With 550 acres of protected farmland available for incubation and long-term leasing, UESF envisions a cooperative future where dozens of small producers benefit from shared access to tools, labor, distribution, collective purchasing, product aggregation, and other cost efficiencies.

• Deliver education, training and technical assitance through veteran-to-veteran learning.
• Provide techical assistance to farmer veterans in the development of business plans.
• Administer and promote the Homegrown by Heroes (HBH) label nationally.
• Create and maintain opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and mentoring. 

This proposal emphasizes the priority topic areas of: basic crop farming practices, entrepreneurship and business training, financial and risk management training, diversification and marketing strategies, curriculum development, resources, vocational training for veterans, farm safety and awareness, and in the other subject areas: advanced training for soils and irrigation, hoop house operation, and food safety. Our target audience includes Native American tribes in Arizona and New Mexico, Limited Resource Producers, Youth, Veterans, and other beginning farmer participants. This renewal grant is based on successful partnerships with University of Arizona Cooperative Extension and tribal agents, and NGO/CBO partners who were identified during the current grant. About 40 percent of the budget will be allocated to the NGOs/CBOs.

Lessons learned and feedback from participants of our current grant indicated a need for more in-depth science-based curriculum to address soil and water salinity, farming as a business first, conducting market surveys, economics of equipment selection, working towards organic certification, tax information and strategies, irrigation, zoning and regulations for farmers, farm worker and food safety, non-chemical pest and disease control methods, selecting companion crops for different seasons, and related topics. This Standard BFRDP proposal focuses on empowering beginning and limited resource producers to learn these skills through ongoing hands-on demonstration, instruction, and curriculum proposed over the three years. The third year of our proposed education emphasizes individual mentoring to better enable participants to adopt production processes learned and business plans proposed. We are building on a successful foundation of having engaged over 373 participants in the current grant cycle and are incorporating the lessons learned to improve the effectiveness of participants adopting the skills and knowledge gained through the program. We will deliver relevant information to limited resource audiences that  include Southwest Native Americans, CBO's/NGO's, and military veterans with the goal of having participants complete a production and/or business plan for a specialty crop small farm enterprise. 

The average age of a farmer in the US is roughly 58 years old and increasing.  New entry farmers face persistent challenges, including access to affordable land, working capital, agricultural training and business mentoring.  In recent years, US agriculture has witnessed as much as a 20% decrease in the number of new farmers who have been on their operation less than ten years.  So, not only are principal farm operators getting older, fewer new farms are making a go of it.  This project is designed to address these problems by helping new entry farmers (year 0-1) and growth stage farmers (years 2-5) in NY's Hudson Valley build sustainable profitable businesses, allowing them to bring or keep farmland in production.   The Hudson Valley Farm Business Incubator helps new and growth-stage agricultural entrepreneurs with business and financial planning, farm mentorship, market connections, training in technical skills and leadership, and support in accessing farmland. By year three, we anticipate launching or helping to grow up to ten new and beginning farm businesses, with another 350 farmers benefitting from workshops, tools and resources developed through the project.   

This project addresses the needs of 604 California beginning farmers and ranchers in years 4-10 of their operations who need to secure land tenure, gain management skills to go beyond short-term profits to long-term stability, and access the right kinds of markets. The long-term project goal is to provide beginning farmers with an integrated and impactful array of technical assistance, education, tools and resources so they can: 1) successfully access land, 2) gain financial management techniques and capital readiness, and 3) develop appropriate marketing strategies. The project's approach emphasizes 1:1 education and technical assistance along with robust group education, and also integrates structured small group learning with 1:1 technical assistance to ensure that knowledge is translated into action. The collaborating partners are experts in their fields and are well established service providers. No other California organizations provide beginning farmers with this suite of services. Project outcomes, farmer services and results are all maintained with ongoing and annual data collection and reporting with an established database that tracks project outcomes related to land access, farmers' adoption of financial practices and knowledge gained.

Other Collaborating organization:

A) Community Alliance with Family Farmers

B) Kitchen Table Advisors

C) Poppy Davis- Consultant

In the New Organic Stewards: Expanding Community, Resources and Financial Knowledge project the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), Renewing the Countryside (RTC) and local collaborators will bring 1,130 new and beginning sustainable farmers in Wis., Minn., Iowa and Ill. together for learning opportunities. New and beginning farmers in communities throughout the Midwest will meet, network, learn from each other, view successful organic operations, gain access to additional programs and resources, and learn basic sustainable farming and financial management practices.

We will hold four regional 2-day New Farmer Us, and numerous conference workshops and activities for new and beginning sustainable farmers. The book, Fearless Farm Finances, will be updated and expanded and used as a training reference. One-day financial workshops, supported by the book, optional add-ons at the New Farmer Summits, will provide in-depth financial basics to strengthen the financial literacy and sustainability of beginning farmer attendees. A 15-lesson online course will be developed, based on the book and using video and presentations from the one-day trainings, and offered as both a free access and fee-based teacher supported course.

As a result of the project attendees will choose to participate in additional educational programs, implement new production methods, initiate financial recordkeeping and analysis to make their farms more profitable and sustainable and feel a greater sense of community and support on their path to farming. 678 of those involved will make progress in their dreams of beginning to farm or further improved their existing farm operations.

The Organic Farming Program is a collaboration between Rodale Institute (NGO) and Delaware Valley University, to train and support the next generation of organic farmers, focusing on military veterans. The one-year certificate program mixes practical, experiential on-farm training and classroom, field and greenhouse-based curriculum to achieve three goals: (1) Equip new farmers with  knowledge, skills and experience to operate a successful organic farm enterprise; (2) Increase the number of successful organic farm enterprises in the mid-Atlantic region  and beyond through business training, connecting students with farmer-to-farmer networks and supporting graduates through web-based media platforms; (3) Support military veterans  transitioning to civilian workforce by dedicating a  program coordinator with military background and coordinating a mentoring network with established military veteran organic farmers.

The Organic Farming Program, launched in  2012-13,  is currently partially supported by an FY2015 BFRD grant, number 2015-70017-22855 (Moyer/Ricotta).  First cohort graduate feedback suggested that risk reduction was a critical component to successful new farm enterprises. The existing program will be strengthened by guaranteeing access to land, infrastructure, equipment and mentoring services upon certificate completion.  Strong collaborations with regional non-profit farm-enterprise incubators including The Seed Farm, the Horn Farm Center and Common Ground Farm enable this significant program enhancement. Trainings include:  basic livestock and crop farming practices, entrepreneurship and business; financial and risk management, diversification and marketing, and farm safety. The program prepares students to launch their own farm enterprises and generates  a regional organic farmer support network to ensure future viability of their farm businesses.

* Other collaborating organizations not on PD list: The Seed Farm Agricultural Incubator, Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education and Common Ground Farm                                                 

The greater New Orleans, Louisiana area suffers from poverty, food insecurity and a lack of stable jobs in green businesses. To enhance food security, community development and economic and ecological sustainability, community-based non-governmental organizations, in cooperation with public and private partners, will host 12 weekend (1 or 2-day) sessions, and 24 evening (2.5 hours) sessions, over a 2-year period to provide education, training, internships and mentoring on a range of priority farming topic areas to new and beginning urban farmers in New Orleans, Louisiana. Variety in days and times allow people from assorted ethnic, religious and social backgrounds equal opportunities to participate. The goal is to increase the number of sustainable new and beginning urban farmers and ranchers by providing them and their families with the knowledge, skills and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations. Target audiences are: low income and limited resource farmers and ranchers, immigrant and other (especially women) farm workers planning to become farmers or ranchers and military veterans. All the sessions will be video-recorded, to provide a distance learning option for those unable to attend in person and for use in refresher and ongoing future training. All participants will be offered the opportunity to intern at a local working farm to further enhance their experiential learning, and will also be matched with a local experienced mentor farmer for long-term support and assistance on their future endeavors.

This project innovates beginning producer education through collaboration between the Colorado Office of Tourism, the Rocky Mountain Farmer's Union, Guidestone Colorado and three regional food hubs in remote and under-served southern Colorado. Colorado's tourism and agriculture leaders understand that successful agritourism enterprises and viable farms are intertwined-and through this project will develop a coordinated education and mentorship program that addresses emerging market opportunities and identified training needs for beginning producers. By including food hubs, this project builds linkages between producers and consumers that will strengthen food hubs and the very markets we are preparing producers to enter.

The goals of this project are to 1) improve the chances of success of new farmers and 2) enhance existing operations of beginning producers by a) challenging them to create a realistic vision, skills/needs assessment, and plan for next steps for their operation; b) preparing them to enter two promising emerging markets: agritourism and wholesale markets via food hubs; c) strengthening CHAMP, Colorado's agritourism mentorship program; d) strengthening ongoing coaching; d) developing a lasting support network; and d) increasing the viability of existing food hubs. The project entails four main integrated activities: 1) Farm Vision Courses, 2) Follow-up Coaching, 3) Scaling-up Workshops, and an 4) Agritourism Mentorship Program.