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.

The Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) and the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) are teaming up to provide agricultural and farm management training workshops to immigrant farmers in Minnesota with the long term goal building thriving and sustainable farming operations, farmers and farming communities. For the Hmong and Latino farmers in Minnesota, this can be achieved by (secondary goal #1): increasing the number of immigrant farmers’ ability to make a successful living from farming while respecting traditional methods of learning and cultural practices, and (secondary goal #2): expanding economic opportunities for immigrant farmers and their children through collaborative marketing, value-added production and specialized farm business training.

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 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.

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 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.

The long-term goal of this three year Collaborative project is to increase the agricultural production capacity of beginning, immigrant, and refugee farmers via farmer-to-farmer mentoring, training and technical assistance on all aspects of crop production and marketing  necessary to operate successful sustainable farming enterprises, increase farm ownership rates, and promote environmental stewardship. The target audience for this project is the over 250+ beginning, immigrant, and refugee farmers who farm at the Flats Mentor Farm in Lancaster MA.

The re-submission of this STANDARD three-year collaborative project proposal will partner with these institutions: UMass Extension. Growing Places, Nashoba Regional High School, the Lancaster Ag Commission, the Lancaster Community Center, and Rural Coalition to 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) Develop food safety certification program; 3) Cultivate innovative marketing strategies; 4) Provide tools and develop skills on financial and risk management; 5) Expand the Farmer-to-Farmer Flats Mentoring model to include a pre-Phase #1 assessment component and embrace the energy of our youth at the high school to assist farmers at the farmers markets. 6) Increase beginning farmer participation in USDA programs.  

World Farmers (WF) will allocate 26% of the budget to the collaborating institutions as follows: UMass Amherst (8%), Growing Places (8%) Lancaster senior center (1.2%), Lancaster agricultural commission (1%), Nashoba Regional School (6%), Rural coalition (2%). In addition, other federal offices and private firms have expressed their interest in supporting this collaborative project.

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. 

Global Garden Refugee Training Farm (GGRTF) developed and delivered 2 six-week courses to
prepare displaced refugee farmers for farming and farm business management in the Midwestern U.S. Fifteen farmers participated in the training, which was a first stage toward preparing them to develop farm business plans in preparation for establishing successful vegetable farms. Lesson plans were developed for another two topics: Season Extension and Soil Management.Lesson plans Teaching materials were designed to be appropriate for displaced refugee farmers with limited or no English and potentially low literacy in any language. In-class interpretation was provided for all sessions. Course content addressed both the prior experience and knowledge gaps unique to newly arrived displaced refugee farmers.

Global Growers will develop a pipeline to opportunities in agriculture sectors for beginning farmers by providing direct assistance and leveraging strategic partnerships to create access to land, knowledge, and resources. It will also provide the tools necessary for beginning farmers to access both direct-to-consumer and wholesale market opportunities in order to ensure sustainable income-generation and to increase distribution of local foods across the community and especially within socially disadvantaged communities.

The project is divided into two tracks: 1) incubator farmer pipeline, and 2) independent farmer pipeline. The incubator track includes a full-season training program with access land, tools, and infrastructure required for diversified vegetable production, along with access markets to generate supplementary income. The independent farmer track includes access to incubator farm workshops, with the primary emphasis on individual consultations. The cumulative experience and expertise of participating organizations and their shared vision will enable the GG Farmer Development Initiative to efficiently achieve the outcomes detailed herein and to build capacity to sustain the program beyond the grant period. 

Stone Barns Center's beginning farmer training prepares young farmers to pursue economically and ecologically resilient farm enterprises. The Growing Farmers Initiative is designed for beginning farmers with ten years or less farming experience. Our programs, situated in the lower Hudson Valley, NY, include apprentice training, workshops, conferences, and online learning.

Our farm apprenticeship exposes nine to twelve young farmers each year to farm culture through an intensive nine-month program that offers a mixture of hands-on and classroom-based training in resilient agriculture. Apprentices learn the nuts and bolts of our farm operation and leave with a full understanding of the practical principles of agroecological farming. Apprentice workshops meet weekly and cover essential topic including soil science and management, plant botany, landscape design and ecology, engine mechanics, animal husbandry, and farm business planning. These sessions, open to young farmers from throughout the region, are taught by Stone Barns staff and other experts.

Our conferences and online learning platforms expose farmers from across the U.S. to the principles of resilient farming. In total, the 2015 and 2016 Young Farmers Conferences welcomed 550 young farmers, 25% on scholarship, and covered topics on crop production, business management, animal husbandry, land access, and more. Each workshop is approximately 90 minutes and 98% of participants requested that the workshops be offered again the following year. One young farmer said: "It was such a pleasure to attend; the quality of the presenters and the participants were very impressive; and I really appreciated the welcoming and supportive vibe of the whole conference." In 2015 and 2016, we also hosted Poultry School, two-day conference offering 20 sessions around sustainable poultry production attended by 300 farmers total. 

Our E-Learning tools have also been a great success, with 60,000 unique views in the past two years (average 20 minutes viewing time).

The long-term goal of this project is to support the economic and ecological viability of the next
generation of diverse California farmers including urban, peri-urban and rural farmers and ranchers from diverse communities including Latino, Southeast Asian, and African American. Through in-depth training offered at established and emergent “agricultural learning hubs,” this project aims to build on the successes and lessons of two prior BFR projects. By partnering with the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE), Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAGE), and Alameda County Resource Conservation District (ACRCD) and several local agricultural training hubs, RCDs and NRCSs, this project team is collaborating to offer a combination of in-depth, culturally and regionally appropriate workshops, develop and distribute educational materials and videos, host field days and farmer tours, and strengthen farmer to farmer networks and learning hubs in 10 counties in central California. The expected outcomes are to:

1) improve BFR access to sustainable farming information and technical support,

2) to increase adoption of organic and sustainable farming/ranching practices,

3) enhance the economic success of BFRs through business planning, value added, and marketing education and support,

4) provide referrals to agencies that provide access to land, financial and other services,

5) improve food safety among urban and peri-urban farmers, and

6) strengthen farmer-to-farmer learning networks via an innovative network of agricultural learning hubs.

The goal of the Hmong Agricultural Sustainability Training and Education (HASTE) Program is to enhance the long term viability and sustainability of Southeast Asian American beginning farmers and ranchers (BFRs) with a particular focus on Hmong American BFRs, and facilitate the success of the next generation of Southeast Asian American BFRs through education, training, and technical assistance. The program emphasizes stabilizing distressed farm operations, and advancing business practices to generate wealth. The program will provide education on best management practices, improving cash flow through reducing farm overhead costs, and providing farmers with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to leverage financial assistance opportunities to improve the profitability of their operations. HASTE is a collaborative effort by Hmong National Development (HND) and EnSave, Inc. (EnSave), who have over 40 years of combined experience serving BFRs.

Three main objectives of HASTE is to (1) increase awareness of financial assistance opportunities amongst Southeast Asian American BFRs, and provide them with the resources and knowledge necessary to utilize them, (2) enhance profitability and sustainability of southeast Asian Americans BFRs through improved natural resources planning and management relating to energy, water, fertilizer, and soil, and (3) strengthen communication and collaboration between Southeast Asian American BFRs and key agricultural stakeholders, and mitigate entry barrier for new farmers.

HASTE was designed to serve an estimated 400+ socially disadvantaged Southeast Asian American BFRs with a primary strategy of improving cash flow through reduction of farm inputs. Program activities include workshops, educational conference calls and webinars, developing curriculum and educational materials, and conducting farm energy audits. HASTE supports numerous BFRDP priority topics, including natural resource planning education, curriculum development, and providing resources and referrals.

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.