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 on expertise and farms across Northern and Central Virginia and the National Capital Region, Arcadia's Veteran Farmer Program will bring together regional nonprofits, agricultural organizations, veterans, and experienced farmers - including veterans who have made a successful transition to farming - to create a multi-layered farmer training and development program to launch veterans into careers in agriculture. This thoughtful, practical program will increase the number of veteran farmers in Virginia and the number of farmers overall, and will increase the likelihood of their success by providing them with farming skills; business development and management training; and ongoing technical support. This program will also provide continued support as Trainees launch their agricultural careers with ongoing mentorships from the business, agricultural, and veteran communities. In the years beyond this project period, Arcadia's Veteran Farmer Program will provide program participants, and graduates, ongoing assistance with identification and acquisition of land and assured albeit optional wholesale market opportunities.

The goal of Arcadia's Veteran Farmer Program is to increase the number of military veterans operating new, successful farm operations in the Washington, D.C. region. Our program will focus on current military members and veterans of the armed forces with a 10-year goal to offer training to 150 potential veteran farmers via our two training tracks (combined), with the intention of producing 50 new farmers operating businesses within 125 miles of Washington D.C.

This simplified standard grant will be used to enhance the activities of the Nebraska Women in Agriculture Program to provide innovative farm business management education for beginning female farmers and ranchers (BFFR), and develop a Land Link service for Nebraska.

Currently, Annie’s Project is the only targeted education provided in Nebraska for BFFR, according to FarmAnswers.org.  This project will enhance at least five Annie’s Project courses and a two-day Women in Agriculture conference to focus more on BFFR. The project intends to reach 70 BFFR with 8 to 18 hours of education per event. These activities will cater to women by encouraging them to ask questions, connect with participants and speakers, and share their experiences. These hands-on programs will focus on increasing the knowledge and skills of attendees, ultimately leading to greater success of BFFR. 

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.

GROW Louisiana is training program for beginning horticulture farmers on small to mid-size family farms in Louisiana with less than 10 years of experience.  Specifically, the program seeks to assist farmers interested in engaging in sustainable agricultural practices and local food systems via a mixed methods approach of academic training, hands-on application, and farmer networking.  Led by the LSU AgCenter, Grow Louisiana is a partnership of academic, cooperative extension and non-profit personnel with an interest in supporting a more sustainable local food system.

Mission: To increase the diversity of Louisiana agriculture by increasing the number of fruit and vegetable producers and the variety of commodities available in local markets.

Vision:  To serve as a sustainable state-wide agricultural education program, resource, and support for beginning horticulture farmers in Louisiana that provides technical, business, and hands-on training opportunities.

The GROW model offers beginning farmers training in whole-farm planning, including business and technical production management, resources, support, and mentoring based on the following principles:

• Grow Sustainably:  Grow Louisiana not only trains farmers to use sustainable agricultural practices, but also provides training to farmers in sustainable business practices for long-term success.
• Resource Optimization:  Grow Louisiana prepares farmers to make use of available resources to support their needs in order to achieve established goals.
• Objective Decision Making:   Grow Louisiana trains farmers to make decision based on objective information, which is fact-based, measurable and observable.
• Work Efficiently:  Grow Louisiana trains farmers to use efficient production and business practices that allow them to attain the highest returns on investment, effort, and production.

This renewal Standard BFRDP project builds upon a successful Development Grant (PD: Kelly Coleman, award 2012-49400-19591). Half (50%) of the budget will be dedicated to serving socially disadvantaged or limited resource farmers (0% for military veterans). The lead agency (CISA) will manage this state-wide project through an established network of five collaborating agricultural community-based organizations (CBOs): Berkshire Grown, Central Mass Grown, Northeast Harvest, Southeastern MA Agricultural Partnership and Sustainable Nantucket. 100% of federal funds will go to CBOs.

The long-range goal of this project is to improve the sustainability and profitability of beginning farm businesses in Massachusetts by providing tailored technical assistance to at least 600 beginning farmers in the following topic areas: entrepreneurship and business training (priority C), financial and risk management training (priority D), and diversification and marketing strategies (priority F). Activities include 78 workshops, 15 networking events, and one-on-one assistance to 300 beginning farmers, plus detailed program evaluation. After participating, farmers will have access to on-going technical assistance and peer support through the collaborating organizations. Primary objectives are: 80% of participants (480/600) “moderately increase” knowledge and 50% of participants (300/600) “substantially increase” knowledge in the areas of marketing, business planning, financial analysis, diversification, or value-added production; 60% of participants (360/600) implement a new market approach or participate in a new marketing opportunity; and 50% of participants (300/600) increase their farm income by at least 5% within one year of completing training. The success of these outcomes will improve the economy and food security of the region. 

The overarching goal of the Chesapeake Grows: A Regional Approach to New Farmer Success project is to launch a cross-cutting pilot program aimed at growing and diversifying the new farmer pipeline across the Chesapeake region and to improve new operations' long-term viability. This project is a one-year pilot (2019-20) that will enable our collaborative of 7 partners to trial, evaluate, and refine new region-wide programming and networking opportunities for beginning farmers. We will do so by:

1) building upon the strong farmer training work that has been established in Maryland and creating a new regional training network across the Chesapeake; 2) providing accessible, multi-modal training to increase the number of new farmers, especially socially disadvantaged farmers; and 3) strengthening support for beginning farmers who own/manage a farm, improving their financial literacy and record keeping, helping them establish financial benchmarks, and building new peer networks to hedge against burnout and isolation.

Over the past three years, through a 2016-19 grant, we dramatically increased the scope and reach of new farmer training across Maryland, reaching more than 6,000 farmers through a Beginner Farmer Training Program, field days, classes, and conferences; our online content has reached tens of thousands more. We seek now to leverage and expand upon the robust infrastructure of farmer training we have built in Maryland to reach new farmers across MD, VA, DC, WV, and DE. Beyond expanding our geographic reach, we will also refine and expand support for beginning farmers at the more advanced end of the spectrum. Driven by farmer feedback from the past three years, we will increase educational programming for this subset of beginning farmers and introduce new, region-wide farmer study circles. Both will focus on record keeping and financial benchmarking.

The long-term goal of this one year Development project is to build the agricultural capacity among beginning, immigrant, and refugee farmers in Massachusetts to operate their own independent farming enterprises, to increase farmer ownership rates, and to build environmental stewardship. The Flats Mentor Farm (FMF) is a program of World Farmers (WF) which provides land and agriculture production infrastructure for beginning farmers while they evaluate the sustainability of farming as a way of life for themselves and their families.

This one year development project proposal will achieve the following objectives: 1) Provide technical assistance to beginning farmers according to their level of capacity in the three phases of the Flats Mentoring Program; 2) Provide tools and develop skills on financial and risk management; 3) Increase beginning farmer participation in USDA programs. In the area of training and technical assistance, this project will address the immediate needs identified by the immigrant and refugee farmer participants at FMF to better understand the complexities of farming in New England: crop production practices, entrepreneurship and business training, financial and risk management, marketing strategies, food safety practices and outreach to USDA programs.

The Center of Southwest Culture's Cooperative Center (CODECE) project seeks $100,000 in USDA funding to provide technical assistance to underserved communities--specifically for Indigenous communities--to form two new farming cooperatives. The cooperatives will not only be sustainable over the long-run, but they will also serve as a community-wide collective investments that will provide members with meaningful returns to help augment their existing incomes.

CODECE targets underserved Native American communities who are threatened by poverty and lack of economic opportunity, but have access to arable land and water rights. CODECE will form cooperatives with an emphasis on members having a relationship based on kinship.

Forming organic farming cooperatives is an effective way for beginning farmers to efficiently leverage resources and increase profitability. Several successful 'buy local' campaigns such as Farm-to-Table and Farm-to-Restaurant have created a situation where the demand for local and organic produce far outstrips the current supply. If the farmers begin to grow organic produce, they will produce crops that are overall more profitable and in higher demand. 

The funds will be used to conduct the following activities: guide members in the production of more profitable crops like organic fruits and vegetables; implement production and management strategies to enhance land stewardship among these farmers; provide hands-on technical assistance in incorporation, by-laws and articles of incorporation; provide basic business training in budgets, taxes and other business-related activities; provide farm plans, including sequential planting, crop rotations, crop selection for optimum market share; provide access to investment capital; connect members to organic food markets; and develop a long-term professional relationship with these new cooperatives to ensure their longevity and viability. We expect to incorporate two farming cooperatives during the life of the grant. In addition, the project will create 10 new jobs.

Delta Farm Start will serve 60 of these families throughout 6 rural counties of Mississippi’s North Delta Region, implementing an immersive on-farm/ranch training program with identified support services including: soil preparation, sourcing seeds and seedlings, planting, production, harvest, labor, equipment, cold storage and aggregating crops for sale. All support services are provided on-farm in small groups or one-on-one coaching.

Participants will be prepared to start small farm operations or other agriculture related self-employment, to grow or diversify their own existing small farm operations, or to gain full-time employment in larger AG operations.

The Georgia Organic Peanut Association (GOPA) will conduct a simplified BFRDP project to expand the production knowledge and marketing opportunities of beginning farmers who produce Certified Organic peanuts. The project consists of a yearlong educational program of production workshops, field days, and a pilot mentoring program. The 2017 Census of Agriculture reported that Georgia had over 22,700 new and beginning farmers, a significant number of whom are younger operators on the 4500 family peanut farms in Georgia. With declining commodity prices, many of these beginning farmers have contacted the association about moving to Certified Organic production. But successful peanut production in the Southeast requires specific equipment and careful mechanical cultivation to control weeds, a technique that has been practiced exclusively over the past decade by the organic producers that make up GOPA. This project will transfer vital agricultural knowledge between these sets of experienced and beginning producers. Three farmers from the association will mentor six beginning farmers, who will achieve two significant outcomes:

• (1) expanding their ability to produce peanuts beyond the conventional production toolbox and
• (2) potentially increasing their profitability by selling through new value-added markets.

Lessons learned during this project will lead in the future to a larger mentoring program for beginning producers, with broader partnerships across the state and the region that also expands across commodities.

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 proposed project provides training, education, outreach and technical assistance to Alaska Native Beginning Farmers and Ranchers throughout Alaska. The primary goal for the proposed project is to enhance food security in Alaska Native Villages by increasing knowledge, skills and tools for Alaska Native socially disadvantaged beginning farmers and ranchers to create
sustainable agricultural systems and informed decisions on its operations in communities. To achieve the project goals, TTCD will develop, organize, and implement a mixed-method Education/Training and Outreach Programs for Alaska Native Beginning Farmers and Ranchers. TTCD will utilize sustainable agricultural practices, planning, and business and operational material to be duplicated in other Alaska Native Villages with beginning farmers and ranchers. Project staff and partners will provide ongoing support and technical assistance linking Alaska Native Beginning Farmers and Ranchers with resources and programs that enhance and support the start up of local farms in Alaska Native Villages to provide food, encourage community development, and support jobs for local farmers.

Goal #1 - Improve food security in low income rural Alaska Native Villages (ANVs) that have limited access to supermarkets.
Objective 1.1 - Develop, organize, and implement a mixed-method Education/Training Program for Alaska Native Beginning Farmers and Ranchers (ANBFR).
Objective 1.2 - Develop, organize, and implement Outreach Program to Alaska Tribal Conservation Districts (ATCDs) and ANBFRs in their community.
Goal #2 - Encourage low cost, sustainable, and effective farming methods for socially disadvantaged ANBFRs in ANVs.
Objective 2.1 - Document and share low cost conservation practice demonstrations in Tyonek's Farm using local resources to be duplicated by other ANVs and ANBFRs.
Objective 2.2 - Create a business plan to support business operations and development for Tyonek's Farm and as an educational tool for the Education/Training and Outreach Programs.
Objective 2.3 - Provide technical assistance to ANBFR on planning, programs supporting local food production, and funding opportunities.

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.

The need to provide mechanism for increased income for small and mid-sized farm families is of growing importance. New knowledge that will enable  beginning small and limited-resource farmers sustainably produce products of higher value and capture a larger share of the food market is needed. The question is how can new and beginning farmers structure their agribusiness to produce high quality products, compete in the market place, and generate returns that will improve their quality of life? This question can be addressed by developing and implementing programs that include sustainable forestry, livestock and crop production practices, marketing strategy that aimed at achieving the highest possible profit and farm financial plans that keep debt low and good record keeping. Therefore, The Winston County Self Help Cooperative (WCSHC) is seeking funding from USDA to support its project, entitled “Enhancing the Sustainability and Viability of Beginning Farmers and Ranchers through Training Exercises, Mentoring and Outreach Programs”. This project will expose 150 project participants including veterans on issues that engage them in a model of learning through hands-on training exercises, mentoring and outreach programs that enhance self-employment in farming, ranching and forestry opportunities. Our audience will be knowledgeable in both economic and ecological subjects and will have the tools to make better production, management and marketing decisions. This project will serve as a model for other organizations.

Farm School NYC is a comprehensive, professional training program for New York City residents seeking to develop agriculture skills and begin careers in urban farming. The School’s goal is to train the next generation of urban farmers, with a focus on limited resource and socially disadvantaged students, and to increase access to healthy, local food in urban communities by supporting the proliferation of urban agriculture projects. To date, over 350 students have participated in individual courses and more than 60 have participated in the certificate program.

With assistance from the BFRDP grant, Farm School NYC will enhance and expand its urban agricultural curriculum and apprenticeship program; develop a new partnership with The Youth Farm to offer an expedited certificate with intensive on-farm training; and create the first urban-based Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) program in the Northeast to support beginning farmers throughout the metropolitan area. Moreover, the School will deepen its outreach and support strategies to help low resource and socially disadvantaged New Yorkers, to whom the School allocates 50% of its budget, achieve their professional farming goals.

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. 

Located 2,200 miles from the continental U.S., Hawaii imports about 85-90% of its food,
making it particularly vulnerable to disruptions in food supply. The state struggles with an aging
farmer population (avg. 60 years old), lack of farm labor, and declining numbers of sustainable
farmers. To address these critical issues, Hawaii’s Governor established a goal to double local
food production by 2030.

The goal of the project is to reduce Hawaii’s dependence on imported food and increase the
state’s food sustainability. This will be accomplished by developing and supporting farmers and
individuals who want to establish a business in the agricultural industry. This project will
develop new farmers (including at least 65% from socially disadvantaged groups (ethnic
minorities or women) through 1) a certificate-based farmer training program that integrates
formal classroom and experiential lessons, 2) 1-on-1 business consulting and technical support,
and 3) ongoing production, business, and networking support. Incorporating these components
will increase the likelihood of success for the state’s new and beginning farmers.

Over the past 3 years, 45% of participants (most of whom began with no farming experiences
or connections) have started commercial farming operations. An additional 17% have found
employment in the agricultural industry. And 14% plan to use their knowledge to establish a
farm in the future. GoFarm Hawaii seeks USDA support to continue its success, develop
beginning farmer industry leaders, provide various workshops to support beginning farmers, and support the local women farmers network.

     Military veterans have made great sacrifices and need our support in transitioning to civilian life upon completion of their duty.  At the same time, more farmers are needed in the U.S., especially with a focus on ecological production.  Farming can offer a meaningful livelihoods to veterans.  Community-based food systems can help connect veterans with their communities and also help ensure that consumers have equitable access to healthy local food.
     Appalachian State University is leading a project, Going Whole Hog: Sustainable Livestock and Agroforestry Training for Military Veterans, to help military veterans and other beginning farmers enter farming and farm sustainably.

Our objectives include
- Develop website, training modules, and interactive material on sustainable agriculture.  We focus on regenerative livestock production, particularly on pastured and woodlot swine raised in agroforestry systems.
- Provide training opportunities for veterans with hands-on components, including workshops and Armed to Farm Boot Camp.  We use the university farm as a base to build community, as well as local veteran farms.
- Develop customized internships for veterans with mentors in NC and AR to help support veterans learning in relationships.
- Provide networking to support veterans.  For example, we will work with the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, NC AgrAbility, and coordinate with efforts in NC that support farmer veterans.

See frontlinetofarm.appstate.edu for more details.