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.  

To increase the number and enhance the success of Native Hawaiian agroforesters in
order to grow new agroforestry projects and improve resource management of existing projects.
This project increases economic opportunity, food security and cultural connection to the forest
in the Native Hawaiian community of Maui.

Abbreviated objectives are: 1) Train 150 new and beginning Native Hawaiian farmers in
agroforestry; 2) Engage 30 new Native Hawaiian youth in agroforestry as a career path; 3)
Enhance the success of 50 beginning agroforesters; 4) Facilitate 20 new farmers in designing an
agroforestry/native reforestation project; 5) Establish a demonstration farm cultivated by 100
new Native Hawaiian farmers; 6) Provide land to 2 Native Hawaiian farmers to cultivate native
crops and enter markets; 7) Develop 10 new markets for agroforestry cultural crops.

To accomplish the goal we will conduct monthly classroom and hands-on workshops for three
years, which are culturally appropriate and targeted at Native Hawaiian adults and youth.
We will establish a new training program aimed at growing new agroforestry farmers (forest management and crop farming practices) and natural resource managers.

Aquaculture Boot Camp (ABC) with “3I-level” training model was an extremely successful program.  By the end of the ABC-1 project, twenty-four new businesses/farms were created by the 2013 and 2014 ABC Intensive course graduates. To enhance sustainability of new and limited resource aquaculture/aquaponic farmers in the Midwest, we are delivering Aquaculture Boot Camp -2 (ABC-2) through partnerships and collaborations of four NGOs/CBOs/SAEOs, six aqua-farms and three agricultural colleges. 

Specific goals include: 1) Provide tools for new and limited resource farmers to enhance their aquaculture/aquaponic production success by developing and delivering production curriculum and hands-on practices, 2) Enhance the financial viability and business success of beginning aquaculture/aquaponic farmers by delivering business management and marketing strategies, and 3) Strengthen the success of new aquaculture/aquaponic and limited resource farmers through the ABC mentorship and partnership with the industry via OAA, WAA/NPI and other partners.

The ABC project serve the following Target Audience:
Beginning and new (less than 10 years of experience) aquaculture/aquaponic farmers.
Limited resource beginning aquaculture farmers; most of aqua-farmers have low levels of farm sales and low household income, as most of them are new and located in rural areas.
Next generation farmers: students and those without a family farming history.
Other new farmers attempting to diversify their existing farming enterprise

Our partners/collaborators include: Ohio Aquaculture Association (OAA); Riffe Vocational School (RVS); University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (UWSP), and its Aquaculture Innovation Center and Aquaculture Demonstration Facility; Wisconsin Aquaculture Association (WAA); Nelson & Pade, Inc (aquaponics; NPI, WI); Hocking College Aquaculture Program; North Region Aquaculture Center (NCRAC); North Region Aquaculture Extension Specialist in Michigan State University; Life Aquatic Farm, LLC; Ripple Rock Fish Farms; Go Fish Farm; Lettuce Head Aquaponic Farm; Fresh Harvest Farm Aquaponics and Wanner shrimp farm.

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 project is to continue to develop and maintain Farm Answers, the existing BFRDP Clearinghouse to help beginning farmers and ranchers be more successful. Farm Answers will continue to assemble educational materials, online courses, software tools, project reports, and educational programs along with developing new features and resources in a single well-organized website where beginning producers and the organizations that work with them can quickly obtain the information, training, and connections that they need.

Overall Goals

1. Maintain and expand the online Farm Answers library that provides beginning farmers and ranchers a one-stop source of information materials and programs that will help them succeed in their chosen agricultural endeavors.
2. Work with BFRDP Standard and Educational Team projects to facilitate collaboration, communication and sharing of educational materials between projects to amplify the effectiveness and reach of the assistance provided to beginning farmers and ranchers.
3. Collaborate with NIFA to help BFRDP projects improve outcome-based reporting that will help BFRDP projects effectively communicate accomplishments, provide valid data for stakeholders, and the allow the public to learn more about BFRDP projects.

This project will develop a Clearinghouse that will help beginning farmers and ranchers be more successful. The Clearinghouse will assemble educational materials, online courses, software tools, stories, and the ability to connect online into a well-organized website where beginning producers can quickly obtain the information, training, and connections they need. It will:

1. Help individuals and families exploring, beginning, establishing, and managing farms or ranches quickly and easily access the information and training they need.
2. Support BFRDP programs by facilitating sharing, collaboration, and communication and by providing programs better access to educational materials.
3. Help BFRDP projects better disseminate their educational materials so they can reach more beginning farmers and ranchers.
4. Enhance focus on outcomes by assisting BFRDP projects improve outcome-based reporting.

The Clearinghouse will offer multiple means to help beginning farmers and ranchers learn, including the ability; to find materials on topics of importance to them, to ask questions of other producers, to learn from online videos and courses, to find BFRDP programs in their geographic region, and to read stories about other beginning producers. They will be able to choose the method to find answers, ideas, and information that works best for them.

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.

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

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.

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.    

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.

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.

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.

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.

In alignment with the BFRDP primary goal, this program takes a multi-state, client centric approach to bolstering rural jobs and supporting economic growth and development by empowering and training veterans and socially-disadvantaged, majority African-American, new and beginning farmers and ranchers in poverty-stricken, rural counties and parishes: Winston, Wayne, Scott, Covington counties of Mississippi and Tangipahoa Parish and St. Helena Parish of Louisiana. Delivering thorough and hands-on training, specialized mentoring, one-on-one technical assistance and establishing an apprenticeship program will help establish and enhance their successes in farming, ranching, and management of their private forest lands to enhance their overall sustainability. For this reason, our project priorities are identical to the Legislative Priorities, as demonstrated by our four objectives:

1. Assist target audience launch farm business with business plan writing and market training- prioritizing entrepreneurship, business training, financial and risk management and marketing strategies;
2. Provide high-growth industry training and technical assistance- prioritizing basic livestock, forest management, crop farming practices and innovative strategies, like Agroforestry;
3. Offer Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices certification training- prioritizing diversification and marketing strategies as well as food safety;
4. Create a year-long apprenticeship program for young adults, ages 18-21, in order to establish a career pathway for young farmers and ranchers to own farm businesses and prioritize mentoring and vocational training.

Ultimately, the project t