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.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The 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.

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.    

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

In the next two decades, more than two-thirds of privately held U.S. farmland will change hands, creating great potential opportunity for beginning farmers. Many of these are first-generation farmers from non-farm backgrounds, who need support to determine how land tenure decisions will impact the financial health of their farm businesses. Although there are a number of financial planning tools available, none are specifically focused on financial decision-making for land access.

The overarching goal for this BFRDP Standard Project is to enable beginning farmers and ranchers across the country to make informed financial decisions during the process of accessing land so that they will have a solid framework on which to build strong, sustainable farm businesses.

This project will allow farmers throughout the country to navigate land access options--including long-term leases, land trust partnerships, mission-driven farmland investor opportunities, and traditional farm loans. The project would create an interactive Land Affordability Calculator Tool (both online and print workbook versions), and include a series of 10 webinars and 8 in-person trainings. The project resources will reach thousands of beginning farmers through our extensive email, social media and partner networks. We will measure the success of the project by demonstrating improved financial literacy of project participants. Additional project partners include Fathom Information Design, Equity Trust, CA FarmLink, Dirt Capital Partners, the Carrot Project, Land for Good, Local Farms Fund, RSF Social Finance, Farm Credit East, the Farm Credit Council, as well as individual farmers, and others.

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

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

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

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

Sustainable Farms for Urban Markets' (SFUM) mission is to enhance food security and community development by providing beginning farmers and their families with the education and resources needed to make informed decisions to enhance their farming success and sustainability. The program seeks to build economic prosperity of farm businesses for New Americans, Immigrants and Refugee farmers in the greater Minneapolis/Saint Paul metropolitan area, by achieving the following goals: Goal 1: Increase the number of immigrant and refugee beginning farmers in the greater Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area by engaging Southeast Asian farmers in culturally relevant farm educational opportunities; Goal 2. Enhance the long-term sustainability and success of Southeast Asian immigrant and refugee beginning farmers by building a community of farmer entrepreneurs; Goal 3. Improve the ability of Southeast Asian immigrant and refugee beginning farmers to provide for the food needs of the community by linking farmers with additional markets and resources for their farm businesses.