"Growing Our Own": A New Sonoran Desert Farmers Incubator Program" pilots a community-based collaborative approach to increasing the number and capacity of beginning farmers in Ajo, Arizona.
Award Amount: $299,237
Institution: Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture
Project Director: Katarina Sajovec Altshul (ajocsa@hotmail.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
“Growing Our Own: A New Sonoran Desert Farmers Incubator Program”...
“Growing Our Own: A New Sonoran Desert Farmers Incubator Program” is piloting a community-based multi-tiered collaborative approach to increasing the number and capacity of market growers, farmers and ranchers in a remote tri-national community of Ajo, Arizona and the surrounding region. The program will 1. Expand the capacity and skills of the existing beginning farmers through providing education, mentoring and technical support; 2. Incubate a minimum of 15 new growers through providing paid apprenticeships, and/or access to land, knowledge, materials and markets; 3. Raise a new generation of Sonoran Desert farmers and ranchers through a school campus-based “education intervention” (“Ag Club”) for high school students at the Ajo Unified School District. Over the three years, the planned outputs include 150 hours of classroom style instructions for adults; 210 hours of individual mentoring and technical assistance; 9 field trips; 6,750 hours of paid apprenticeship; and 60 hours of high school level agricultural education. The project will serve unduplicated 30 local and additional 70 regional beginning farmers (a total of 100), out of which 95% will improve their production practices and decision-making abilities. 50% of local growers (15) will design a business plan, and 80% (24) will design a farm (garden) operating procedures including a food safety handling plan. 30% of local growers (10) will enter new markets, 10% (3) will use the services of NRCS and/or Farm Service Agency. 15 people will start a farm operation over the next three years, which will represent a 50% increase in local number of growers.
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“Supportive, Small Scale, Basic Livestock, Financial Skills and Risk Management Training for Beginning Veteran Farmers Program”
Award Amount: $712,500
Institution: FARMER VETERAN COALITION
Project Director: Michael O'Gorman (michaelo@farmvetco.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
Area 1: Create a national
peer network that develops, provides, and...
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.
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120 Committed Beginning Farmers and Ranchers
Award Amount: $481,080
Institution: Arkansas Land & Community Development Corp.
Project Director: Calvin King (calvinrkingsr@yahoo.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
The 120 Committed Farmers and Ranchers of Arkansas Land and...
The 120 Committed Farmers and Ranchers of Arkansas Land and Community Development
Corporation project are envisioned to significantly improve the population of successful and
sustainable African American farmers/ranchers relatively new to farming. Recruit 120 participants for the project – The outcome for this goal is for at least 120 farmers
to commit to become or remain being a grower of fresh produce, row crop and livestock. The
fresh produce farmers must also commit, obtain and maintain USDA/AMS Food Safety
certification up to the Harmonized level. By being certified growers, farmers will not only
produce safe foods but will also make their operations eligible for the larger higher value retail
market. Overall their economic survivability is enhanced by gaining greater market accessibility.
Their success will have a positive economic impact on the community.
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21st Century Management: Enhancing Educational Programming for Beginning Women Farmers
Award Amount: $720,989
Institution: UVM Extension
Project Director: Mary Peabody (mary.peabody@uvm.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
As
the numbers of beginning farm and ranch women has increased...
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.
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A Beginning Farmers Program for Socially Disadvantaged and Limited Resource Producers in Arkansas
Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Project Director: Henry English (englishh@uapb.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
This project is designed to assist beginning socially disadvantaged and...
This project is designed to assist beginning socially disadvantaged and limited resource producers (BSDLRPs) in eastern and southwest Arkansas. The goal of the project is to provide BSDLRPs with the knowledge and training needed to become successful farmers and ranchers. The objectives are:
To provide BSDLRPs with business planning training and the use of USDA farm loans.
To provide BSDLRPs with Extension crop and livestock production training with the use of USDA Conservation Programs.
To provide BSDLRPs with marketing education with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables.
To conduct a beginning farmers class.
This program will train BSDLRPs to use financial statements when making management decisions and profit margins when determining the economic feasibility of a business plan. BSDLRPs will also know how to apply for a USDA loan.
BSDLRPs will be taught to use the Cooperative Extension Service (CES) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to improve and increase their yields. As a result of this training, BSDLRPs will have above average yields which will increase profit margins.
Many BSDLRPs who diversify with vegetable crops failed because they lack vegetable marketing experience. BSDLRPs will be trained on early marketing, relationship marketing, and the five Ps of marketing when starting a vegetable business.
The Beginning Farmers Class will include seven modules that provide different aspects of farming and ranching. These modules will include classroom exercises (business planning and structure, heir property), hand-on exercises (calibrations, transplanting) and much more. Graduates of the class will increase profitability in their operations.
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A Collaborative Training Approach for Kentucky's Military Veterans, Underserved and Rural Beginning Farmers
Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: UK - CES/Ag Programs
Project Director: Craig Wood (woodch@uky.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program 2021 Awards
Summary
Key Words: Education, Mentoring, Technical AssistanceThe goal for this project...
Key Words: Education, Mentoring, Technical Assistance
The goal for this project is to bring military veterans and underserved limited resource populations
in Kentucky and surrounding areas a realistic plan for becoming a farmer with a sustainable product
and income. The project will recruit from KY military bases, Fort Knox and Fort Campbell, and
National Guard posts. Help will be enlisted from the VFW, American Legion and other veteran
organizations in order to contact as many veteran participants as possible. For the non-military
populations contact will be made through the state’s 120 county extension offices, local technical
schools and county agencies that assist the underserved, limited resource populations in their area
by utilizing county mailing lists, newsletters, radio and TV media. The educational classes for
business management, including writing a business plan, informational classes on products that are
successful in their area and financial options open to them, grants, low cost loans, etc. Sites for
these educational and informational workshops will be held in three locations though out the state
to make travel to these easier. Farm specialists will provide technical assistance on specific areas
of farming for example livestock, grains, forestry, etc. This will target the classes to topography,
soil conditions and marketing available in the area. Workshops will be presented where the greatest
concentration of military veterans and limited resource farmers are located. Smaller workshops will
be held at working farms within these areas. Mentors will be enlisted to help the participants
become successful and able to sustain the productivity of the farm.
Program Code:BFRDA_____Program Code Name__Beginning Farmer Rancher Development
Program, Standard
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A Collective Approach to Providing Resources, Technology and Assistance to Beginning Farmers
Award Amount: $711,213
Institution: Alabama Extension/Auburn University
Project Director: Ayanava Majumdar (azm0024@aces.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
Alabama specialty crop industry has recently experienced significant growth with...
Alabama specialty crop industry has recently experienced significant growth with entry of a large number of beginning farmers. At present, there is no cohesive statewide educational or farm service infrastructure catering to the needs of beginning farms (past efforts were largely regional or county-based). The long-term goal of this project is to develop a sustainable collaborative network and educational model that facilitates beginning farmer success through reliable access to resources, technology, and on-farm assistance for needy beginning farmers. This is supported by three major objectives: 1) facilitate a collective approach for diverse beginning farmers initiative, 2) develop distance-learning resources to support train-the-trainer and educator-to-farmer activities, and 3) provide technical assistance and hands-on training to beginning farmers in conjunction with objective 3. This program also is the first step toward providing training to military veterans and native American groups that has not been attempted before in Alabama.
This project is a collaborative effort of nonprofit farmer organizations, farm consultants, and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System through Auburn University. Objectives will be accomplished through a number of activities, including Stakeholder Advisory Meetings, on-line curriculum and phone application development, hands-on training, conferences and individual technical assistance. All projects will be evaluated continuously and modifications may be implemented for maximizing project impacts.
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A Comprehensive Approach to Growing Successful Beginning Meat Producers
Award Amount: $599,020
Institution: NC State University College of Animal and Life Sciences
Project Director: Sarah Blacklin (sarah@ncchoices.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
The goal of the project is to increase the number...
The goal of the project is to increase the number of beginning farmers and ranchers successfully and profitably raising meat through either pasture-based or silvopasture systems by providing them and their families with novel land acquisition strategies in partnership with land trusts, solar farms, and existing landowners, while also equipping new farmers with targeted knowledge, skills, decision-making tools, and the market and buyer connections that have been identified as needed for these producers to operate profitably and be successfully. CEFS' NC Choices (www.ncchoices.com), working comprehensively to support the meat value chain since 2002, is uniquely equipped to not only identify needs of beginning farmers, in part through their statewide surveys of all registered meat handlers in the state, but to deliver this comprehensive program addressing those identified needs. For this project, we have assembled the necessary partners and subject matter experts, identified key choke points for beginning farmers, and are proposing high-impact solutions that offered together will insure success. This comprehensive support, including introducing and adapting a Meat and Yield Price Calculator and Meat Suite to expand their markets, will result in 250 beginning farmers who will receive training, decision-making, and market development tools plus 15 new cohort farmers who will enter into model land-share agreements with land partners. Finally, through resource development and training to aid CES agents in serving beginning farmers and via the national conference of land trusts to be held in North Carolina in 2019, we ensure that this project will have statewide and national impact.
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A comprehensive new farmer training program for Maine
Award Amount: $709,713
Institution: Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
Project Director: Ryan Dennett (rdennett@mofga.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
Success in training farmers is the hallmark of the Maine...
Success in training farmers is the hallmark of the Maine Organic Farmers
and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) Journeyperson Program (JP). During the past
ten years, 240 new farmers have emerged from the program in Maine. Equipped
with innovative production, management, and marketing skills, these farmers
have created more than 140 farm businesses. Providing tomorrow’s farmers with
the skills needed to achieve success in a demanding marketplace remains the
primary objective of the Journeyperson Program. Over the next three years, 150
new farmers will receive training and the help needed to establish at least 75
new farm businesses. This crucial support, aimed at creating economically
viable farms in Maine, can help meet the rising demand for local, more
healthful and sustainably produced food.
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A Pathway to Livestock Farming: Providing Access to Land and A Guiding Hand
Award Amount: $219,274
Institution: Southwest Badger Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc
Project Director: WENDY WARREN (wendy.warren@swbadger.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
This project offers an opportunity to start farming on...
This project offers an opportunity to start farming on one's own on rented land, with financial coaching from a professional financial advisor, and an experienced livestock farmer-mentor to provide guidance. SW Badger solicited livestock farmers from the region, which resulted in 25 beginning and 18 experienced farmer applicants. SW Badger developed a toolkit and presentation to train mentors and beginners about mentorship. After orientation and receiving the mentors' contact information, 16 beginners and 7 mentors received check-ins. Participants reported that mentorship provided practical insights, support, and inspiration needed to implement grazing best management practices on their own farms.
This project seeks to address land access challenges by promoting the concept of 'contract grazing' which allows farmers to raise livestock on rented pasture. In addition to assisting the 35 participants in the program and 118 participants at the two kickoff workshops, SW Badger provided one-on-one technical assistance on renting land to four military veterans and two experienced farmers. Three beginning farmers received financial coaching from Badgerland Financial about how to get started on rented land. Participants reported that the kickoff workshops were useful to their livestock production goals and increased their awareness of managed grazing.
As part of our outreach to new livestock farmers, special effort is made to engage military veterans. Participants include 7 veterans of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force, 1 member of the WI Air National Guard, and 3 family members. Participants are matched with experienced farmers in their field of interest, including beef, dairy, goats, and poultry, and background in military service whenever possible. Regional veteran service officers were asked to refer military veterans; a veteran advisory team met twice to guide outreach efforts. The program has strengthened networks among military veteran farmers and raised awareness of pathways to careers in agriculture for military veterans.
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Accelerating Farmland Access in Vermont
Award Amount: $546,386
Institution: Vermont Housing & Conservation Board
Project Director: Ela Chapin (ela@vhcb.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
The
Viability Program at the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board will...
The
Viability Program at the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board will work in
partnership with the Intervale Center and Vermont Land Trust to develop and
implement a coordinated, proactive approach to accelerate access to land and
growth of viable businesses for Vermont’s next generation of agricultural
entrepreneurs. With funding from the USDA BFRD Program, we will provide business planning, land access technical assistance, and succession planning to over 200 farmers, helping them gain the confidence and skills they need to succeed while matching them with suitable land or successors.
We believe in the power of direct service as the most effective
approach for improving farm viability. Farming is a complicated business that
requires operators to develop diverse skill sets. Each farm business is as
unique as its land-base, resources, and operator’s goals. We will provide
individualized one-on-one technical assistance to new and beginning farmers in
business planning, land assessment, land access, and accessing financing. We will meet beginning farmers where they are at and leverage the specific resources
they need to accelerate their early stage growth into viable commercial
enterprises. In addition we will provide retiring farmers with estate or
transfer planning services, and assistance identifying successors or buyers.
An important innovation is that we will develop and deploy new affordable financing tools at the Vermont Land Trust and collaborate extensively with other affordable financing options, creating alternative pathways to ownership and success.
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Access to Land for New England`s Beginning Farmers: Phase 2
Award Amount: $641,222
Institution: Land For Good
Project Director: Kathy Ruhf (kathy@landforgood.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
Access to land is one of the biggest challenges for...
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.
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Access to Land for New England`s Beginning Farmers: Phase 3
Award Amount: $599,197
Institution: Land For Good
Project Director: Jim Hafner (executivedirector@landforgood.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
Land access is a top challenge for beginning farmers (BFs);...
Land access is a top challenge for beginning farmers (BFs); land transfer is a
BFRDP statutory priority. The long-term goal of this standard project is for more New England
BFs to successfully access land to start or expand their farm businesses. Land For Good (LFG),
six partners and 13 collaborators in six states will enable over 200 BFs to access land or achieve
more secure tenure. Project goals: BFs are better prepared to access land to farm; more farms
are effectively transferred to BFs; and stronger programs assist BFs to access land. Our
objectives are to: educate, train and coach BFs on land access; help BFs find land and connect
with landowners; educate and coach transitioning farmers on succession planning; improve
succession planning providers and resources; and improve farm link programs.
Collaborators will plan, host, promote, and deliver 60 land access educational workshops and
seeker-landowner mixers, and six Farm Succession Schools. We will develop and pilot new,
more rigorous, targeted coaching protocols to advise BF farm seekers to acquire land, and
transitioning farmers (TFs) to complete plans to transfer farms to BFs. We will create practical
tools to help TFs mentor their BF successors and transfer management to the next generation.
The New England Farm Link Collaborative will make more farm properties available and visible
to BFs on our shared farm link website. Professionals will learn, share and problem solve at a
national farm link clinic to improve programs nationally. We will distribute educational
resources to 5,500 BFs and TFs.
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Addressing the Training Needs of Hispanic and Limited Resource Beginning Farmers in Nebraska
Award Amount: $381,726
Institution: Community Crops
Project Director: Ingrid Kirst (ingrid@communitycrops.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
This
project will enhance urban and rural-based farm viability of 150
beginning...
This
project will enhance urban and rural-based farm viability of 150
beginning Hispanic, socially disadvantaged, and limited resource
farmers in Nebraska. Increasing
numbers of new farmers are immigrant, limited resource, or socially
disadvantaged. They frequently lack financial or production skills,
are unaware of technical resources, or lack English-language
proficiency for accessing technical information. The
objective is to assist these beginners with development of small
scale farm enterprises through training and technical assistance that
will: (1) improve participants’ financial and business skills, (2)
connect them with a network of resources, and (3) gain and improve
production skills. We
will conduct a 4-month course for financial training and resource
identification, field workshops for farming skills, farm tours to
observe practices in place, and will provide individual advising to
participants. Each year the classes will be broadcast to additional
sites to reduce travel for participants, and interpreters will be
available for all activities. A Minnesota organization experienced
with this work will broadcast specific lessons for the course and
will host a site visit by Nebraska participants.
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Advancing Next Generation Urban Farmers: Experiential Education, Mentoring, and Employment
Award Amount: $708,700
Institution: Planting Justice
Project Director: Gavin Raders (gavin@plantingjustice.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
This Standard
BFRDP project presents an innovative model to advance economic...
This Standard
BFRDP project presents an innovative model to advance economic viability, land
stewardship, and social equity for beginning and socially disadvantaged
beginning farmers. This proposal directly addresses urgent trends conveyed in
the 2012 USDA Census: the aging farmer population and declining numbers of
beginning farmers.
This project counters these trends by building
comprehensive and culturally relevant training/employment opportunities for
beginning and underserved farmers, while strengthening the mentoring capacity
of experienced farmers to pass on their knowledge. Our target audience includes
120 beginning farmers, including 90 formerly incarcerated, immigrants, and
otherwise socially disadvantaged participants, in 6 cohorts over the 3-year
grant period. Successful program graduates will complete 150 hours of on-site,
hands-on training as part of our Applied Agroecology and Beginning Farmer
Curriculum, and receive the opportunity to be mentored by pioneering local
farmers through paid 3-6 month apprenticeships on local farms in the MESA
network, living-wage employment as urban farmers with Planting Justice, and/or
substantial financial, legal, technical, and administrative support to access
land and launch their own farming startups. These comprehensive services will
spur the next generation to launch and sustain successful careers in urban and
peri-urban farming. Planting Justice is a national leader in re-entry green job
placement and urban farming training for formerly incarcerated people, and this
project will build upon their success helping former inmates obtain
inspirational employment as new urban farmers. MESA is internationally
recognized as a pioneering sustainable agriculture training organization with
18 years running experiential and farmer mentorship programs.
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Advancing the Business of Farming in Connecticut in Partnership with Agriculture Learning Centers
Award Amount: $597,598
Institution: University of Connecticut
Project Director: Jiff Martin (jiff.martin@uconn.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
Our project is developed by and for beginning farmers across...
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.
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Agroforestry Training For Native Hawaiians To Increase Economic Opportunity, Food Security And Cultural Connection
Award Amount: $598,170
Institution: Halau Kealaokamaile
Project Director: Fred Krauss (admin@kealaokamaile.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
To increase the number and enhance the success of Native...
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.
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Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Program: Growing Opportunities Beneath the Canopy
Award Amount: $656,903
Institution: Virginia Tech University
Project Director: John Munsell (jfmunsel@vt.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
Our goal is to support beginning Appalachian medicinal
plant forest farmers...
Our goal is to support beginning Appalachian medicinal
plant forest farmers by forming a coalition that provides technical,
administrative, and market sales training and improves access to farm resource
inventory and plant habitat management services. Increasing demand for high-quality,
premium herbal and nutraceutical products is improving the financial equation
for forest farmers. Receiving premium prices for medicinal plant products
depends on a forest farmer’s ability to consistently supply forest grown
material. The Appalachian region contains native habitat for more than 15 forest
farmable medicinal plants and is home to rich ethnobotanical connections. We
believe that if trained and connected (forest farmer-to-forest farmer and
forest farmer-to-service provider), beginning Appalachian forest farmers will
be in a better position to capitalize on industry demand and sustain premium
sales of high-quality forest grown organic stock. We will: 1) establish an
inclusive coalition with clear organizational structure and decision making
processes; 2) educate, train, and support beginning forest farmers; and 3) improve
forest farm inventory and medicinal plant habitat management services for
beginning forest farmers. To accomplish these goals we have formed a diverse project
partnership ranging from Georgia to Pennsylvania with four non-governmental
organizations, four universities, extension, three agency partners, forest
farmers, and a forest grown verification program. These partners maintain
sizable networks of beginning forest farmers and have extensive technical and
market-based experience. Long-term
condition change will be an improvement in agroforestry production
opportunities and farming capabilities among forest farmers in Appalachia which
positively impacts families, farms, and communities.
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Appalachian Resource Conservation and Development
Award Amount: $407,995
Institution: Appalachian RC&D Council
Project Director: Susan McKinney (susan@arcd.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Through the Field School Beginning Farmer Training Program, the Appalachian...
Through the Field School Beginning Farmer Training Program, the Appalachian RC&D Council (ARCD) will 1) increase the number of new farm startups and enhance the financial sustainability of beginning farm operations; 2) support the creation of communities of support and practice among veteran, women, and socially disadvantaged beginning farmers; 3) increase the utilization of USDA and State farmer support, grant, and cost-share programs; 4) increase the implementation of sustainable production methods by beginning farmers; 5) increase access to affordable farm land and foster the transition of farmland to the next generation of farmers in the Appalachian Highlands region. ARCD will meet these goals through a combination of strategies, including 1) providing education, training, resources and support to beginning farmers through in-person and online workshops; 2) providing free one on one consulting on business and production planning; 3) facilitating opportunities for peer to peer learning and networking through Peer Learning Circles; 4) providing workshops for women and retiring landowners on creating long-term lease agreements, resource conservation practices, and conservation easements; and 5) increasing promotion and outreach about, and expanding the resources/information available on, the TNFarmLink.org website. Through the Field School program, ARCD will foster 25 new farm startups and reach 320 farmers with training and education. Of the beginning farmers reached, 240 will report an increase in knowledge, 160 will report an intention to make changes to their operations, and 80 will report making beneficial changes to their farm operations as a result of attending programming.
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Aquaculture Boot Camp - 2: Enhancing the sustainability of new and limited resource aquaculture/aquaponic farmers with innovative training
Award Amount: $599,000
Institution: The Ohio State University
Project Director: HANPING WANG (wang.900@osu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
Aquaculture Boot Camp (ABC) with “3I-level” training
model was an extremely...
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.
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Arcadia`s Veteran Farmer Program
Award Amount: $99,947
Institution: Arcadia Food, Inc.
Project Director: Matt Mulder (matt@arcadiafood.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
Based in Fairfax County, Virginia, but pulling on expertise and...
Based in Fairfax County, Virginia, but pulling on expertise and farms across Northern and Central Virginia and the National Capital Region, Arcadia's Veteran Farmer Program will bring together regional nonprofits, agricultural organizations, veterans, and experienced farmers - including veterans who have made a successful transition to farming - to create a multi-layered farmer training and development program to launch veterans into careers in agriculture. This thoughtful, practical program will increase the number of veteran farmers in Virginia and the number of farmers overall, and will increase the likelihood of their success by providing them with farming skills; business development and management training; and ongoing technical support. This program will also provide continued support as Trainees launch their agricultural careers with ongoing mentorships from the business, agricultural, and veteran communities. In the years beyond this project period, Arcadia's Veteran Farmer Program will provide program participants, and graduates, ongoing assistance with identification and acquisition of land and assured albeit optional wholesale market opportunities. The goal of Arcadia's Veteran Farmer Program is to increase the number of military veterans operating new, successful farm operations in the Washington, D.C. region. Our program will focus on current military members and veterans of the armed forces with a 10-year goal to offer training to 150 potential veteran farmers via our two training tracks (combined), with the intention of producing 50 new farmers operating businesses within 125 miles of Washington D.C.
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Arcadia`s Veteran Farmer Program
Award Amount: $597,124
Institution: Arcadia Food, Inc.
Project Director: Matt Mulder (matt@arcadiafood.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
Based in Fairfax County, Virginia, but pulling from expertise and...
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.
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Armed to Farm: Soldiering the Success of Military Veterans in New Poultry, Livestock and Agroforestry Enterprises
Award Amount: $749,720
Institution: University of Arkansas
Project Director: Dan Donoghue (ddonogh@uark.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
Farming offers a viable avenue
for returning veterans to transition into...
Farming offers a viable avenue
for returning veterans to transition into society and capitalizes on skills
that made them successful in the military. However, these opportunities may be
missed due to lack of targeted training programs, guidance and information. We
have assembled a team with expertise in teaching conventional and alternative
agriculture, hands-on training, economics, research and networking resources
targeted to veteran farmers focused on poultry, small ruminants and
agroforestry production. Through our previous BFRDP project, our team has
supported hundreds of veterans through workshops, internships, research and
training opportunities yet there continues to be a critical need to train and
support this population of new farmers. Our objectives for this Standard Grant
Renewal are to: 1) Enhance existing course and add training modules to our New
Farmer Online Training Program and develop a new customized online course
specific to veterans and a new farmer cooperative; 2) Provide experiential
opportunities including Armed to Farm Workshops and trainings, on-farm
demonstration and internship programs; and 3) Develop and expand on custom
networking and mentoring systems to effectively support a new generation of
farmers. This project will target
military veterans and minority farmers (women, African-American and Latino
farmers). Residents of the South have traditionally comprised a
disproportionate share of military personnel and many of them come from
agricultural backgrounds and would return to their agricultural roots if given
the opportunity. This dynamic program creates specific training opportunities
and networking systems for these and other populations of new and beginning
farmers and ranchers.
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Athens Land Trust Beginning Farmer Development Program
Award Amount: $298,893
Institution: Athens Land Trust
Project Director: Stephanie Simmons (stephanie@athenslandtrust.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The goal of ALT's Beginning Farmer Development Program (BFDP) is...
The goal of ALT's Beginning Farmer Development Program (BFDP) is to increase the number of successful farmers in northeast Georgia, strengthen their economic viability, and connect them with other farmers for marketing opportunities and mentoring. The project targets limited resource, socially disadvantaged, and otherwise underserved new and beginning farmers in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia and the surrounding region. The BFDP will provide education, hands-on sustainable agriculture training, and marketing education and opportunities that will support new and beginning farmers with enhanced skills and capacities in sustainable farming practices, increased business knowledge, and expanded markets. ALT will tailor individual outreach and technical assistance to farmers operating at different levels of production to guide participants toward economic viability and the capacity to access larger markets. Primary objectives include providing educational opportunities including business workshops, one-on-one guidance, on-the-farm experiential education, and mentorships that will provide skills and knowledge that will enable farmers to move toward greater farm business viability; and increasing local market opportunities for new and beginning farmers. ALT will leverage our partnerships to connect growers to new and larger markets.
* Other collaborating organizations: St. Mary's Health Care System, Georgia Farmers
Market Association, UGA Cooperative Extension, Clarke County East Athens WIC Clinic
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Battle ground to Breaking Ground
Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: Texas A&M AgrLife Extension
Project Director: Rick Peterson (rlpeterson@ag.tamu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The project’s overall goals are to increase the number and...
The project’s overall goals are to increase the number and enhance sustainability of veteran and other beginning farmers and ranchers, through an innovative, holistic model for education, training, technical assistance, and outreach, reducing self-employment barriers for veterans and other beginning farmer/ranchers (particularly those with disabilities). To accomplish the above referenced goals the project will: 1. Provide a holistic and relevant educational experience to support farm enterprise education and sustainability through access to: a) face to face and online educational training in farm management and production specific agriculture practices; b) individualized educational planning and guidance to support diverse agriculture business interests; c) hands-on learning opportunities connected to online course content; and d) follow-up mentor support, 2. Establish peer-to-peer learning through a Community of Practice, and 3. Offer an array of veteran transitional and disability support services. Outreach efforts will target targeted military veterans and socially disadvantaged beginning farmers/ranchers with and without disabilities. The project will provide participants with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions regarding entering, establishing, and managing successful agriculture enterprises. The activities are designed to enhance participants’ success in agribusiness startup, business expansion and sustainability augmented by peer-learning and support services and experiential learning opportunities. Formative and summative evaluation measures for program improvement and overall evaluation are included. Program sustainability is addressed through strategic partnership engagement beyond the life of the project. Ease of replicability of the program has been engineered into the design of the program.
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Battleground to Breaking Ground Expansion Project
Award Amount: $750,000
Institution: Texas A&M Agrilife Extension
Project Director: Erin Kimbrough (erin.kimbrough@ag.tamu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension BattleGround to Breaking Ground Expansion Project...
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension BattleGround to Breaking Ground Expansion Project (BGBGXP) goals are consistent with the BFRDP as follows: 1. Expand the existing BGBG program to increase
the number of veteran and other beginning farmers/ranchers (BFRs) in Texas. 2) Enhance the sustainability of Texas' veterans and other BFRs. To accomplish these goals, BGBGXP will provide an “Introduction-to-Agriculture Business” on-line course and a face-to-face hands-on 5-day boot-camp to support very new (no ag experience) BFRS, launch the BGBGXP SkillBridge Program for transitioning military, and add a train-the-trainer component (mentor training program). 70% of the funds will support military veteran and transitioning military populations and will include education on COVID-19 agriculture programs. Key activities include: 1. Provide hands-on and on-line courses in agriculture business planning, agriculture production, natural resource management, food and farm safety, diversification, and financial benchmarking 2. Launch agriculture SkillBridge program for transitioning military to start farming/ranching 3. Launch the BGBGXP Mentor Training Program to provide ongoing referrals, education, resources, connections, and financial support for mentors. Staff will conduct ongoing program evaluation to measure impact, assess program effectiveness, and make modifications to program components to meet participant needs.
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Beefing Up Livestock, Poultry and Agroforestry Enterprises for Military Veteran Farmers
Award Amount: $599,971
Institution: University of Arkansas
Project Director: Dan Donoghue (ddonogh@uark.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
Farming offers a viable avenue
for veterans assimilating into society capitalizing...
Farming offers a viable avenue
for veterans assimilating into society capitalizing on skills that made them
successful in the military. Through previous BFRDP projects, our team has
supported hundreds of veterans through research and training opportunities yet
there continues to be a critical need to train and support the next generation
of new farmers. We continue to network
with the veterans that have participated in our bootcamps, internships and
workshops and asked them for their priorities for our program. The top requests from these new farmers were
to have more extensive training past initial boot camp programs; and to provide
the training we have for other livestock species to include beef cattle
production. Therefore our objectives for
this proposal are to: 1) enhance existing courses and add training modules for
pasture beef production to our New Farmer Online Training Program; 2) provide a
more comprehensive suite of training opportunities including Armed to Farm 2.0
Boot Camp, and intensive internship opportunities; and 3) expand custom
networking and mentoring systems to effectively support a new generation of
farmers. This project will target military veterans with 85% of the budget and
minority farmers with the other 15%. Direct NGO portion is 29% of federal funds
requested (National Center for Appropriate Technology). This program creates next
level training and networking opportunities for veterans interested in
establishing farms and supports their needs to develop sustainable farming
enterprises.
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beefSD: Enhancing knowledge and success of beginning beef producers through mentorship and training
Award Amount: $744,113
Institution: South Dakota State University
Project Director: Ken Olson (kenneth.olson@sdstate.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
This is a renewal application for a Standard
BFRDP Project. It...
This is a renewal application for a Standard
BFRDP Project. It will address the primary goal of BFRDP to “enhance food
security, community development and sustainability by providing beginning
farmers and ranchers … with knowledge, skills and tools needed to make informed
decisions for their operations, and enhance their sustainability”. This project
will address this goal by providing a training and mentoring program that
assists beginning beef cattle producers in South Dakota to become economically,
ecologically, and socially sustainable. It will be conducted collaboratively by
a partnership of SDSU Extension, 4 South Dakota producer organizations, 3 rural
banks, and 6 beefSD alumni couples that will serve as peer mentors. It is
comprised of instructional workshops (topics will include livestock production,
natural resource stewardship, marketing, finance, business, risk, legal, and leadership), case studies of alternative
beef production systems and management practices, evaluation of post-weaning
performance of participants’ calves, mentoring from peers, established beef cattle
producers and agriculture professionals, web-based interaction using social
networking and webinars, and travel-study trips to study marketing alternatives
and other segments of the beef cattle industry. The target audience is a core
group of 50 beginning producers from at least 30 operations. Project personnel
will work with established beef producers and agriculture professionals to
allow beginning producers to create Management Advisory Teams. Our goal is to present
beginning beef producers a curriculum that will provide them the tools to make
wise management decisions that contribute to ongoing agricultural production,
land stewardship, and rural community viability.
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Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Clearinghouse
Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: CFFM - UMN
Project Director: Robert Craven (rcraven@umn.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2019 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The purpose of this project is to continue to develop...
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 - 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program
Award Amount: $49,995
Institution: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Project Director: Jessica Groskopf (jgroskopf2@unl.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
This simplified
standard grant will be used to enhance the activities...
This simplified
standard grant will be used to enhance the activities of the Nebraska Women in
Agriculture Program to provide innovative farm business management education
for beginning female farmers and ranchers (BFFR), and develop a Land Link service
for Nebraska. Currently, Annie’s Project is the only targeted education provided in Nebraska for BFFR, according to FarmAnswers.org. This project will enhance at least five Annie’s Project courses and a
two-day Women in Agriculture conference to focus more on BFFR. The project
intends to reach 70 BFFR with 8 to 18 hours of education per event. These activities
will cater to women by encouraging them to ask questions, connect with
participants and speakers, and share their experiences. These hands-on programs
will focus on increasing the knowledge and skills of attendees, ultimately
leading to greater success of BFFR.
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Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Clearinghouse
Award Amount: $1,000,000
Institution: University of Minnesota
Project Director: Robert Craven (rcraven@umn.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
This project will develop a Clearinghouse that will help beginning...
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: - Help individuals and families exploring, beginning, establishing, and managing farms or ranches quickly and easily access the information and training they need.
- Support BFRDP programs by facilitating sharing, collaboration, and communication and by providing programs better access to educational materials.
- Help BFRDP projects better disseminate their educational materials so they can reach more beginning farmers and ranchers.
- 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.
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Beginning Farmer Business Management Resources
Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: University of Minnesota, Center for Farm Financial Management
Project Director: Kevin Klair (kklair@umn.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
The purpose of this Educational
Enhancement Team project is to develop...
The purpose of this Educational
Enhancement Team project is to develop new resources to help beginning farmers
and ranchers improve the financial and business management aspects of their
operations, as well as better-equip educators to guide them through this
process. This project will: - Develop and improve delivery of farm financial and business management tools and programs to help beginning farmers and ranchers better understand and manage the financial aspects of their businesses
- Improve the ability of organizations to deliver farm financial and business management training to beginning farmers and ranchers
- Evaluate ways to improve the Farm Answers clearinghouse to make it even more valuable to beginning farmers and ranchers
This project will fulfill
the two goals of EET projects. It will identify gaps in farm financial and
business management tools and programs and address ways to make Farm Answers
more valuable to beginning farmers. It will also develop curriculum and deliver
train-the-trainer workshops to better equip BFRDP projects to help beginning
farmers in farm financial and business management.
The partnership of the Center for Farm Financial Management, the Midwest
Organic and Sustainability Education Service (MOSES), the Rural Community
College Alliance (RCCA), and SCORE brings together a broad spectrum and wealth
of experiences and expertise. This partnership will allow the project to gain
input from many different perspectives including numerous farmers and ranchers,
organizations that work with them, and other individuals and organizations with
experience in farm financial management and general business management.
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Beginning Farmer Training for Socially Disadvantaged Hmong and Latino Immigrants.
Award Amount: $712,500
Institution: Hmong American Farmers Association
Project Director: Pakou Hang (pakou@hmongfarmers.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
The Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) and the Latino Economic...
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.
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Beginning farmer training program for small to mid-scale horticulture farmers with less than ten years experience.
Award Amount: $589,610
Institution: Louisiana State University AgCenter
Project Director: Carl Motsenbocker (cmotsenbocker@agcenter.lsu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
GROW Louisiana is training program for beginning
horticulture farmers on small...
GROW Louisiana is training program for beginning
horticulture farmers on small to mid-size family farms in Louisiana with less
than 10 years of experience. Specifically,
the program seeks to assist farmers interested in engaging in sustainable
agricultural practices and local food systems via a mixed methods approach of
academic training, hands-on application, and farmer networking. Led by the LSU AgCenter, Grow Louisiana is a
partnership of academic, cooperative extension and non-profit personnel with an
interest in supporting a more sustainable local food system.
Mission: To
increase the diversity of Louisiana agriculture by increasing the number of
fruit and vegetable producers and the variety of commodities available in local
markets.
Vision: To serve as a sustainable state-wide
agricultural education program, resource, and support for beginning
horticulture farmers in Louisiana that provides technical, business, and hands-on
training opportunities.
The GROW model offers
beginning farmers training in whole-farm planning, including business and
technical production management, resources, support, and mentoring based on the
following principles:
- Grow Sustainably: Grow Louisiana not only trains farmers to
use sustainable agricultural practices, but also provides training to farmers
in sustainable business practices for long-term success.
- Resource
Optimization: Grow Louisiana
prepares farmers to make use of available resources to support their needs in
order to achieve established goals.
- Objective Decision Making: Grow
Louisiana trains farmers to make decision based on objective information, which
is fact-based, measurable and observable.
- Work Efficiently: Grow Louisiana trains farmers to use efficient production and business
practices that allow them to attain the highest returns on investment, effort,
and production.
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Beginning Farmer-Rancher Training Program: Hawaii Island
Award Amount: $564,000
Institution: The Kohala Center
Project Director: Melanie Willich (mwillich@kohalacenter.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
While Hawaii has abundant fertile lands and a 12-month growing...
While Hawaii has abundant fertile lands and a 12-month growing season, the state imports
approximately 90% of its food from markets located at least 2,300 miles away. Although access to affordable fertile land and a dependable water supply has increased, few successful farms were established, due to a lack of farming and business knowledge and the inability to access start-up capital. The Kohala Center is submitting this Standard BFRDP application to continue an existing 2011 BFRDP initiative that has trained 78 new beginning agricultural producers and to build on an existing USDA Program 2501 Grant that is providing farmer training, technical assistance, and mentorship/internship opportunities for socially disadvantaged and veteran beginning farmers on Hawaii Island. The Kohala Center’s proposed BRFDP will include: (1) classroom and distance learning on various business and agricultural topics; (2) hands-on field instruction and mentorship at demonstration sites around Hawaii Island, including The Kohala Center’s two demonstration farms in Hamakua and North Kohala and at project partner sites in Kona (Maona Farm) and Kau (Earth Matters Farm); (3) field trips; and (4) business development support for beginning producers to begin operations on available lease land and access support services during and post course completion. The goal of the proposed project is to help beginning farmers launch or expand farming and ranching enterprises on Hawaii Island in order to increase local food production and support viable primary and secondary agricultural livelihoods for socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers.
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Beyond Start Up: Building the Capacity of MA Beginning Farmers
Award Amount: $599,533
Institution: Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA)
Project Director: Kelly Coleman (kelly@buylocalfood.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
This
renewal Standard BFRDP project builds upon a successful Development Grant...
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.
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Breaking Down Barriers to Maryland Beginning Farmer Success: Growing Local Mkts and Urban
Award Amount: $491,950
Institution: University of Maryland Extension, Baltimore City Office
Project Director: Neith Little (nglittle@umd.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
This project will provide beginning farmers with the knowledge and...
This project will provide beginning farmers with the knowledge and skills to access land and local markets. Land and market access remain two of the most important barriers to beginning farmers' success. This project will provide innovative farmland transfer strategies, entrepreneurship training, marketing strategies, and peer mentoring to enable beginning farmers to develop markets that cover their costs of production and to transition from informal, short-term land access to long-term predictable land tenure. This project will serve Maryland beginning farmers, particularly urban farmers in Baltimore and peri-urban farmers in the MD counties surrounding Washington, DC. Urban
and peri-urban farmers have market opportunities due to their proximity to population centers, but often struggle to find the right mix of market
outlets to balance providing affordable food for their neighbors with achieving
financial sustainability. These specific opportunities and challenges will be
addressed by developing market research case-studies for urban and peri-urban
farms and by providing research-based education on how to grow and market
African heritage crops.
Urban
and peri-urban farmers also face unique land tenure challenges, competing with
developers for land and navigating municipal processes. These
situations arise through the best of intentions, as municipalities work toward
sometimes competing aims of improving green space and food
access while also planning developments to increase affordable housing and increase the city’s tax base. Solutions to such complex problems require
community-led conversations and consensus building about land use planning
priorities. The proposed project engages two farmer-and-community-led
Baltimore non-profits, who will bring community-members, farmers,
decision-makers, and other stakeholders together to work towards the
community-identified goal of each neighborhood in Baltimore having access to
arable land to be used for local priorities. This systems-change work will be
supported by technical and educational resources from the university
partners.
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Bridging the Gap: Growing Veterans
Award Amount: $749,979
Institution: Hoola Veteran Services
Project Director: Emily Emmons (emily@hoolafarms.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The goal of Bridging the Gap: Growing Veterans pilot program...
The goal of Bridging the Gap: Growing Veterans pilot program is to support the sustainability of military veteran beginning farmers, ranchers, their families and the community on Hawai'i Island by providing exposure, skill-based training and a network aimed to help veterans transition the training and leadership skills they developed in the military to their local communities. This pilot agricultural training program's main focus is the region of Hawai'i Island, a rural island and home to over 15,000 veterans and more than half of the state's agricultural lands and agribusinesses.
Interested beginning farmers and ranchers can participate in a variety of one-day Intro to Grow workshops held at two HVS training locations; 1) Greenhouse garden, and 2) Market Garden where participants work on skilled-based tasks and grow in our operational market gardens, which grows 350 lbs of produce weekly.
Participants then enroll in Groundwork to Grow, a more comprehensive four-week program that focuses on specific agriculture topics relevant to the pacific region (orchard, agroforestry, livestock, forestry, etc). The format consists of weekly classroom-style lectures (via Internet), field trips to operational farms and ranches, and hands-on practical work days at the training farm sites. Guest speakers from agencies such as CTAHR, UH Hilo, Forestry Services, USDA, and local experts will provide additional resources to support participants' agriculture goals.
The development of a Hawaii Farmer Veteran Network of stakeholders in the public/private (i.e. government, academia, nonprofit organizations, business) sector will provide a framework to engage and support beginning farmer ranchers with a collaborative effort. Additional resources, support and consultation are provided by LCSW to help navigate challenges throughout the program, communication and time management skills, and wellness practices. Incorporating these components will increase the likelihood of success for veteran beginner farmers and ranchers on Hawai?i Island and throughout the State.
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Building a Regional Coalition in the Heart of Appalachia to Enhance Beginning Farmer Education with Experience in the Field
Award Amount: $473,915
Institution: Appalachian Sustainable Development
Project Director: Kathlyn Terry (kterry@asdevelop.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The project applicants represent a regional coalition joined
across the Tennessee...
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: - Enhance the regional coalition and coordination of services for beginning farmers;
- Implement local and regional educational trainings with a focus on whole farm planning and preparing beginning farmers for specific local marketing opportunities;
- Establish a mentorship network of trained mentor farmers to provide educational and on-the-job opportunities to beginning farmers; and
- 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
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Building Beginning Farmer Capacity and Sustainability through Outreach, Training, Mentorship & Land Access
Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: Grow Food DBA Viva Farms
Project Director: Michael Frazier (michael@vivafarms.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program 2021 Awards
Summary
Grow Food DBA Viva Farms plans to
build on the success...
Grow Food DBA Viva Farms plans to
build on the success of the BFRDP Skagit County (funded 2016-2019), expanding
the reach of program activities to North and Central Puget Sound of Western Washington with partners Washington
State University Skagit County Extension, Washington Farmland Trust and
Northwest Agricultural Business Center. The goal is to increase the success potential of new farmers by streamlining the current network of resources and offering educational opportunities that meet the needs of the diverse communities of Western Washington farmers, through the following objectives: 1. Maintain the collaborative relationships of previous BFRDP partners
and build capacity to spread best practices with the inclusion of new program
partners. 2. Increase access to, coordination and effectiveness of farm production and risk management, business and financial education and training. 3. Increase land access for new and beginning farmers by
networking with appropriate stakeholders and identifying strategies for land
transfer and succession planning. 4. Improve
outreach and access to educational entry points to increase participant
pipeline.
This innovative project partners five experienced and culturally-integrated
institutions dedicated to supporting new farmers and expanding the network of trainings, technical assistance and peer networks.
Embedded within these groups is experience providing service to limited-resource farmers, capacity to translate and/or offer program activities in Spanish, and ability to meet the needs of Washington’s
diverse farming populations. Through these partners and objectives, this
program will support the greater BFRDP in building the next generation of
farmers.
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Building Entrepreneurial, Farm Management and Land Stewardship Capacity for South Carolina New and Beginning Farmers
Award Amount: $595,133
Institution: Clemson University
Project Director: Dave Lamie (dlamie@clemson.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
As a collaboration of organizations, coordinated and led by Clemson...
As a collaboration of organizations, coordinated and led by Clemson Extension, we seek funding for the continuation and further development of the South Carolina New and Beginning Farmer Program (SCNBFP). Clemson Extension launched the SCNBFP in 2011-2013 with the assistance of BFRD funding; an abbreviated program was reintroduced in 2015 without federal assistance. Given the demographics of our state, and based upon four yearsprevious experience with the SCNBFP, we think it reasonable to assume that our program will serve at least 50% sociallydisadvantaged (African American and Women, primarily); limited resource, and/or veteran farmers. The long-term goals of the SCNBFP are to increase the initial success and long-term viability of new and beginning farm businesses --- and to build long-term statewide and sub-state regional program delivery capacity --- in order to help create and support the cadre of next generation farm operators in South Carolina. The target audience for our proposal is new and beginning farmers in South Carolina (27 of 46 counties are Strike Force communities), including those considered socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers, with a particular focus on non-conventional, specialty crop, and value-added operations at both the novice and intermediate levels.
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Building Farm Foundations and Planning for Success: Beginning Farmer Training for Military Veterans in the Intermountain West.
Award Amount: $238,441
Institution: NCAT
Project Director: Tammy Howard (tammyh@ncat.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Our project, Building Farm
Foundations and Planning for Success: Beginning Farmer...
Our project, Building Farm
Foundations and Planning for Success: Beginning Farmer Training for Military
Veterans will work with over 100 beginning farmers who are military veterans
in Montana and the intermountain west. We will recruit beyond the borders of
Montana to the intermountain states. We will train at least 45 military veteran
beginning farmers in each year of our project through our intensive trainings,
one-on-one technical assistance, and partner workshops. We will provide
intensive training through the week-long Armed to Farm training program. Armed
to Farm is NCAT’s sustainable agriculture training program for military
veterans, which has been replicated in five states. The project will also offer farm business
planning assistance to military veterans through partner workshops and
one-on-one technical assistance. We will
build and strengthen the network of military veteran beginning farmers through
outreach and support of existing veteran networks in Montana and surrounding
states. Throughout the project we will evaluate the impacts of our training and
outreach.
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Building Farm Foundations and Planning for Success: Beginning Farmer Training for Military Veterans in the Northeast U.S.
Award Amount: $231,679
Institution: National Center for Appropriate Technology
Project Director: Margo Hale (margoh@ncat.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT)
will partner with Sterling...
The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT)
will partner with Sterling College, Farmer Veteran Coalitions of Vermont and
Maine (FVC), University of New Hampshire (UNH) Cooperative Extension, Maine
Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) and New Entry Sustainable
Farming Project in Massachusetts to educate and support military veterans in
the Northeast U.S. who are beginning farmers. Our project, Building Farm
Foundations and Planning for Success: Beginning Farmer Training for Military
Veterans in the Northeast U.S., will work with hundreds of beginning farmers
who are military veterans in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and
other Northeastern states. We will train at least 100 military veteran
beginning farmers in each year of our project. We will offer one-day workshops
on various production topics in locations throughout the Northeast. We will
also provide intensive training through the week-long Armed to Farm program,
NCAT’s sustainable agriculture training for military veterans. The project will support veterans chosen to
participate in Sterling College’s six-week Summer Agriculture Program and will
provide registrations to MOFGA’s beginning farmer trainings. The project will
also offer farm business planning assistance to military veterans through
workshops and one-on-one technical assistance. We will build and strengthen the network of military veteran beginning
farmers through outreach and supporting existing networks. Throughout the
project we will evaluate the impacts of our training and outreach.
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Building Labor Management Know-How Among Beginning Farmers
Award Amount: $594,372
Institution: University of Vermont Extension
Project Director: Beth Holtzman (beth.holtzman@uvm.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Farm labor is among the most significant challenges beginning farmers...
Farm labor is among the most significant challenges beginning farmers and ranchers (BFRs) encounter as they seek to establish financially viable businesses. Through this project, 360 BFRs, including 240 from socially disadvantaged/limited resource audiences, will increase labor management skills and confidence, and adopt employee recruitment, training, supervision and retention practices that improve farm business performance and/or farmer satisfaction with quality of life. Informed by recent research and direct farmer input, activities will target producers Midwest and Northeast regions where labor challenges constrain post start-up farmers’ ability to scale up their farm businesses. The project will build labor management competencies among all BFR participants and is specifically designed to meet the needs of women. Female operators, an historically under-served farm audience that now represent 41% of all US BFRs, frequently have different content needs and delivery preferences than their male counterparts.
Project objectives are: 1) assemble curricula geared to our target audiences; 2) conduct outreach to 3,600 BFRs, including 2,400 women; 3) deliver small-group workshops that build labor management competency; 4) provide online decision support resources; 5) facilitate peer learning circles to support farm-level changes; and 6) conduct monitoring/evaluation activities throughout the project.
Partners include: Farm Commons, the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont; Renewing the Countryside, University of New Hampshire, University of Wisconsin, Vermont Grass Farmers Association, Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers Association, Vital Communities. The budget allocates 23% to NGOs. Sixty-five percent (65%) of funds are allocated to serving socially disadvantaged/limited resource audiences.
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Building National Farmer and Rancher Apprenticeship Curricula, Best Practices, and “Train the Trainer” Resources
Award Amount: $599,796
Institution: Trustees of Tufts College
Project Director: Jennifer Hashley (jennifer.hashley@tufts.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Existing apprenticeship and mentoring programs desire
shared guidelines and best practices...
Existing apprenticeship and mentoring programs desire
shared guidelines and best practices to meet clearly articulated learning goals
for producers apprenticing and gaining management skills on commercial farms or
ranches. Agricultural career pathways
beyond apprenticeship also need development. A national learning network to develop shared curriculum and best
practices will elevate the quality of 50+ apprenticeship programs serving over
1,000 producers. This 3-year project will bring together leaders
in the field of agricultural apprenticeship facilitation to identify gaps and
develop new resources and training materials for nonprofits, CBOs, and
commercial farms or ranches looking to improve their management or facilitation
of apprenticeship learning programs. The project team of 5 core partners and advisors
from 24 organizations will: research
existing apprenticeship program design, curricula, and operations to understand
best practices and successes/challenges, liaison with the Department of Labor to
understanding formal Apprenticeship requirements for diverse agricultural
sectors, and develop a comprehensive “Designing and Delivering a Quality Legal Apprenticeship
Program for Beginning Farmer and Ranchers” Toolkit for national distribution. A national “Apprenticeship” clearinghouse
website will house project materials, operate a technical assistance referral
service, and host farm/ranch mentor training modules. Eight national webinars and conference
presentations will describe administering quality apprenticeships, and
highlight case studies on successful apprenticeship programs. Five regional training-of-trainer workshops
for farm and ranch mentors and an annual national conference will allow Apprenticeship
programs to share best practices, receive ongoing professional development, evaluate
resource materials, and set agendas for future programming. Producer support services for
post-apprenticeship programing will be explored.
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Building On-Farm Success: Resources and Training for Montana`s Beginning Farmers and Ranchers
Award Amount: $299,946
Institution: Community Food & Agriculture Coalition
Project Director: Annie Heuscher (annie@missoulacfac.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
Montana's farmers are under significant climatic and market pressure to...
Montana's farmers are under significant climatic and market pressure to create success from limited resources and opportunities. However, with new partnerships developing across the state to assist beginning farmers and ranchers (BFRs), support for start-ups is poised to be greater than ever before. Building off a pilot year of successful resource development and trainings for BFRs, plus several years of experience among our partners, this project will enhance on-farm success by providing BFRs with the resources they need.
Over the past year, our network has offered workshops for BFRs focusing on legal, financial, strategic, production, and marketing issues. Through this process, the farmers and ranchers we serve have identified three key areas for additional knowledge-building:
- Financial issues, including cash-flow planning, accounting, and accessing local investors
- Legal issues, including business start-up questions and employee management
- Production issues, including accessing interns/internships, mentoring opportunities, and land, as well as a wide array of land management practices
This project will address these topics over the next three years, utilizing classroom-based workshops during winter months, on-farm field days during the growing season, a new AgAccess Montana website to connect farmers, and new local investing tools. By developing collaborative partnerships with organizations from around the state, our network will develop Montana-specific resources and trainings that will raise producers' awareness of the tools and strategies to make informed decisions for their operations, ensuring a positive future for Montana's next generation of farmers.
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Building Place-Based Mentorships for Beginning Grain Farmers with Special Support for Beginning Women Farmers
Award Amount: $746,424
Institution: Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
Project Director: Nicole Tautges (ntautges@michaelfields.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Beginning food-grade grain farmers face daunting barriers to entry, including...
Beginning food-grade grain farmers face daunting barriers to entry, including equipment procurement, post-harvest grain management, and direct marketing know-how. These problems are particularly acute for beginning women farmers, who are increasingly interested in producing food-grade grain but experience a lack of societal support, suggesting the need for women-to-women support. Our collaboration among two NGO farmer-support organizations (receiving 70% of federal funds awarded) and UW-Madison Extension’s OGRAIN program (recipient of two prior BFRDP grants, numbers 2017-70017-26856 and 2015-70017-23899), will develop a farmer mentorship program specifically for beginning food-grade grain farmers by recruiting beginning farmers and experienced grain farmer mentors. The program will build relationships among mentor-mentee farmer pairs through monthly programming over a 15-month period, in two cohorts, to include special-topics workshops, field days, seminars, and special conference sessions, some for women farmers only. To support beginning farmers in market development and financial resiliency for their operations, we will facilitate direct sales of food-grade grains by hosting farmer/end-user networking events (facilitating 100 beginning farmer and buyer interactions), and will train at least 30 end-users on how to procure locally produced grains. We will create 30 farmer pairs (30 beginning farmers paired with 30 experienced farmers; 60 farmers served), reserving one-third of mentorship slots and project resources for beginning women farmers and mentors (supporting 20 women farmers during the project). Our mentorship program will address the program and service priorities: a) Basic farming practices; c) Entrepreneurship and business training; g) Diversification and marketing strategies; and i) Mentoring, apprenticeships, and internships.
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Bundling Selected USDA Programs and Application of Cooperative Approach to Enhance Beginning Farmers in Developing Viable Farms in Treasure
Award Amount: $330,828
Institution: North-South Institute
Project Director: Samuel Scott (nsied2002@aol.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The
project’s long term goal is to bundle USDA Programs and...
The
project’s long term goal is to bundle USDA Programs and offer them using a
cooperative development approach to increase the participation of 35 New and
Beginning Farmers and Ranchers (BFR) in three selected Treasure Coast counties
in Florida, by providing education, outreach, technical assistance and training
in production and marketing of selected specialty crops, small livestock and honey
bee enterprises over a three year period. The ultimate goal is to use the principles of cooperative development,
leadership and management to form an agribusiness cooperative to serve 35
out-grower farms owned and operated by beginning underserved producers. This project has been developed and directed
as a partnership with the group who has been undergoing cooperative development
assistance for the past year (see Letter of Collaboration and Support). The project plan will be implemented in
three phases over 36 months: Phase I- Information dissemination, Cooperative
development, & Planning, Phase II- Training and Technical assistance, and
Demonstration and Phase III- Asset acquisition assistance and Evaluation.
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Business Development with Native American Beginning Farmers and Ranchers in Arizona
Award Amount: $297,506
Institution: First Nations Development Institute
Project Director: Jackie Francke (jfrancke@firstnations.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
This 24-month project’s goal is to provide culturally
appropriate training and...
This 24-month project’s goal is to provide culturally
appropriate training and technical assistance as well as networking
opportunities to three groups of Native American beginning ranchers in Arizona
to build their business capacity to expand and improve the management of their
cattle ranching operations located on reservations. Participating Native
ranchers associated with the three partner Native-led livestock associations
will expand their opportunity to produce more food locally, market and sell
those food products, engage new ranchers, and more fully utilize their
resources in a sustainable manner. Forty-two Native ranchers will receive
significant training through attending: a national Native Food Sovereignty
Summit; workshops on agri-business topics specific to Native producers; and
business plan development trainings. Ongoing, each of the three the livestock associations
will provide on-the-ground outreach to, training of and improved ranching
practices of 10-15 (30 – 45 total) Native ranchers. Participants’ capacity will
be built around 1) business development, expanding their capability to increase
production, expand into business markets, and potentially to develop
value-added products; and 2) agricultural operations, specifically the
institutionalization of agricultural and natural resource management best
practices. Assisting Native ranchers can help eliminate Native food insecurity,
build the health of communities and community members, and boost
entrepreneurship and economic development. Native communities served will
include the: Navajo Nation; White Mountain Apache Tribe; and San Carlos Apache
Tribe. The applicant is First Nations Development Institute, a national,
Native-led and -controlled 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is a
recognized leader in Native food systems work.
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Capturing Momentum: Growing Urban Farmers and Farms
Award Amount: $299,979
Institution: ECO City Farms
Project Director: Margaret Morgan Hubbard (mmh@ecocityfarms.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2019 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Capturing Momentum: Growing Urban Farmers and Farms is a multi-pronged...
Capturing Momentum: Growing Urban Farmers and Farms is a multi-pronged program to counter the epidemic of food insecurity and diet-related illnesses in our communities through proliferating locally-grown food, farms and farmers. Our potential urban farmers are drawn from the diverse populations of the DC metropolitan area where ECO City Farms has run a non-profit urban farm on two sites for the past nine years. The project offers a one-stop learning environment with a self-paced competency based curriculum, where the earning of Community College certification and badges signifies mastery and awards achievement. We offer a collaborative and supportive hands-on setting with passionate and empathetic practitioner educators where all voices heard and respected. The goal of this project is to increase the number and quality of urban farmers and farms in Prince George's County, where access to nutritious healthy food is still scarce, open space for farming is still abundant, and many diverse cultures and food traditions coexist. We build on our FY2016 BFRDP (2016-70017-25342) which trained 51 farmers (90% limited resource, socially disadvantaged and/or new immigrant) to grow healthy food for themselves and the market. For FY 2019, partnering with the Prince George's Soil Conservation District and Prince George's Community College, ECO proposes to conduct three rounds of trainings for 45 DC metropolitan residents (at least 80% limited resource, socially disadvantaged and/or new immigrant) with the expectation that through intensive classroom training, hands-on work, strategic networking and customized supports, they can acquire everything they require to become competent and confident urban farmers.
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Chesapeake Grows: A Regional Approach to New Farmer Success
Award Amount: $199,786
Institution: Future Harvest - Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture
Project Director: Sarah Sohn (sarah@futureharvestcasa.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2019 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The overarching goal of the Chesapeake Grows: A Regional Approach...
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.
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Classroom and Field-based Training to Assist Beginning Farmers’ Entry into Organic Seed Production
Award Amount: $251,237
Institution: Organic Seed Alliance
Project Director: Micaela Colley (micaela@seedalliance.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
Organic seed production represents a lucrative and growing specialty
agricultural market....
Organic seed production represents a lucrative and growing specialty
agricultural market. The specialized skill set required to produce high-quality
organic seed serves as a barrier to entry into this market. This project is training beginning farmers in organic seed production through seed
intensive workshops and written manuals, and by creating internship opportunities
on established organic seed operations. The primary objectives of the project are to increase the number of beginning farmers growing organic seed
and improve practices to increase profitability, decrease financial risk, and improve conservation practices. The target audience is beginning farmers interested in diversifying their existing vegetable and grain operations, new farmers entering into farming interested in producing organic seed, farm interns, and agricultural students planning to enter the field of farming or work on existing farming operations. This project also targets Latino farmers. Project activities include delivering 60 scholarships for beginning Latino and non-Latino farmers, and 20 conference travel stipends for Latino/Hispanic farmers to attend the Organic Seed Growers Conference and Organicology Conference; simultaneous Spanish translator at conference intensives and
workshops; post-event Spanish translations of intensives and workshops; support structured seed internships on seed farms through curriculum and facilitated internship placement, Spanish translation of seed production guides, and delivery of 6 monthly webinars on seed production. The long-term goals of this project are to a) increase the number of beginning farmers who grow organic seed, and to b) improve beginning seed producers’ practices to increase their profitability, decrease their financial risk, and improve their conservation practices.
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Collaborative Training and Mentorship Pathways for Beginning Foothill Farmers and Ranchers
Award Amount: $500,352
Institution: Sierra Harvest
Project Director: Molly Nakahara (molly@sierraharvest.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Sierra Harvest, a community-based organization
that has trained over 100 beginning...
Sierra Harvest, a community-based organization
that has trained over 100 beginning farmers since 2008, and the University of
California Cooperative Extension for Placer and Nevada counties, an
agricultural education institution with a century long record in farmer
training, are collaborating to create a sequential training pathway to success
for beginning farmers. Key objectives
are to 1) Expand and enhance Sierra Harvest’s existing farmer education
programs so the means of delivery and content are maximally current, useful,
convenient, and relevant to beginning foothill farmers; 2) Provide a collaborative
training pathway that leverages and integrates the resources and talents of
partner organizations to maximize training reach and impact; and 3) Address the
need of beginning farmers for land access and security. The long-term goals are for farmers to earn
more money, increase market outlets, achieve financially viability, and
experience land security. Methods include
business and production classes, mentorship, direct-marketing support, lease
negotiation and land ownership support, and job and intern placement. This
project serves 1062 total unique farmers, 210 of whom receive 15 or more hours
of education and support. This collaborative farmer-training program will continue
after the grant with funding from individual and business donations,
non-federal grants, earned income and University of California state funding.
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Conduct Farmer to Farmer Mentoring to Beginning, Immigrant, & Refugee Farmers in Crop Production & Marketing
Award Amount: $100,000
Institution: World Farmers Inc
Project Director: Maria Moreira (mmoreira@worldfarmers.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
The long-term goal of this one year Development project is
to...
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 FMF beginning farmer training model is built on 30 years of experience in working hands-on with refugees and immigrants. The FMF program is based on a model of assessing
and defining farmers in the three identified levels of beginning farmers’
capacity and providing training and technical assistance that respects each
culture, and the capacity of each farmer to participate on both physical and
emotional level.
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Connecting Diverse Women Farmers Across the Rural-Urban Divide
Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: Penn State University
Project Director: Kathryn Brasier (kbrasier@psu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The long-term goal of the proposed project "Connecting
Diverse Women Farmers...
The long-term goal of the proposed project "Connecting
Diverse Women Farmers Across the Rural-Urban Divide" is to improve communication,
build mutual support and enhance overall sustainability of new and beginning
women farmers' agricultural enterprises in rural and urban areas. Through the
development of enduring educational networks and grower collaborations, the
project will build an information-sharing community between urban and rural
farmers via on-farm events, webinars, an annual networking symposium and
electronic communication networks. We target women farmers because they are a
diverse yet often overlooked and underserved component of farmers, and comprise
a significant proportion of new and beginning farmers and especially urban growers.
New and beginning women farmers in both urban and rural settings are challenged
with similar difficulties such as: lack of access to land and capital; lack of
a farm background; minimal knowledge of technical and business skills; limited
communication and collaboration with more established farmers; and family
responsibilities. For women of racial and ethnic minorities, these challenges
are often amplified and compounded by socio-economic and cultural barriers. We
will expand our networking to cross urban and rural boundaries by strengthening
current and building new partnerships with farmers, non-governmental,
governmental and community-based organizations. These cross-boundary alliances
are transformational because they enhance the capacity of our partners to provide
targeted and innovative educational programs for diverse audiences including
women and socially disadvantaged farmers. These alliances will support the
diversification of agriculture by facilitating the ability of targeted
audiences to succeed in achieving financial sustainability.
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Cooperative Development Center of Northern New Mexico
Award Amount: $100,000
Institution: Center of Southwest Culture, Inc.
Project Director: Arturo Sandoval (vocesinc@gmail.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
The Center of Southwest Culture's Cooperative Center (CODECE) project seeks...
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.
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Creating and Sustaining Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Beginning Farmers and Ranchers
Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: Virginia State University
Project Director: William Crutchfield (wcrutchfield@vsu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Overall goal of this project is to equip socially disadvantaged,...
Overall goal of this project is to equip socially disadvantaged, and veteran beginning farmers and ranchers (SDVBFR) in Virginia, with the tools and skills needed for them to make informed
decisions in entering and operating successful farm businesses, thereby enhancing economic
opportunities and quality of life for them, their families and communities. The project will be
conducted in a holistic manner (planning, production, and marketing) through outreach, training
and technical assistance. The objectives are to: 1) Provide outreach education to SDVBFR on
opportunities that are available to them through USDA programs and services; 2) Improve the
knowledge of SDVBFR in farm estate planning, financial planning and management; 3) Enhance
the knowledge, skills and abilities of SDVBFR to produce high value, and profitable, crops/
livestock; 4) Increase marketing activities for SDVBFR by identifying new markets, connecting
them to existing markets, and assisting them with effective marketing strategies; 5) Build the
capacity of collaborative partners to enable project’s sustainability. The project targets SDVBFR
in 70 Virginia counties. These audiences have been traditionally undeserved and have been
plagued by several barriers such as: high start-up costs, limited access to credit, lack of knowledge on land acquisition and transition, lack of skills in financial planning, lack of
production skills, and limited access to existing and viable markets. Virginia State University, in a
continued partnership, with Virginia Tech’s Virginia Beginning Farmer/Rancher Program
(VTBFRP), proposes to address these barriers by using the “Whole Farm Planning” curriculum
developed by VTBFRP, as a tool to train these farmers.
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Cultivating Farmers and Ranchers that Thrive: An Innovative Model for Holistic Agriculture Success in the High Dessert West
Award Amount: $591,773
Institution: Western Colorado Food and Agriculture Council DBA Valley Food Partnership
Project Director: Penelope Powell (penelope@valleyfoodpartnership.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program 2021 Awards
Summary
Cultivating Farmers and Ranchers that Thrive (CFRT), led by Valley...
Cultivating Farmers and Ranchers that Thrive (CFRT), led by Valley Food Partnership (VFP), is a collaborative project focused on meeting the unique needs of beginning farmers and ranchers in rural, high desert conditions. Our ultimate goal is to increase the number of Hispanic, veteran, and limited resource farmers and ranchers that can successfully enter and sustain agribusiness operations to support an improved regional food production system in Western Colorado. Specific goals are to: increase # of farmers and ranchers successfully engaged in economically viable and holistic agricultural practices in the Western Colorado; assure that special-emphasis audiences (veterans, Hispanics, limited resource and specialty-crop-focused participants) are fairly represented in agriculture professions in our region; and assure that beginning farmers/ranchers have long-term access to land, training, education, markets, and technical assistance. CFRT meets these objectives by delivering an accessible, farmer/rancher-driven, cohesive progression of bi-lingual core courses, continuing education, technical support, and on-site experiences that address production and management topics. Coupled with in-depth mentorship and land access support, the project is geared specifically to the regionally-driven needs of our target audiences. Key partners on the project include: Holistic Management International, Hispanic Affairs Project, Welcome Home Alliance for Veterans, and Colorado State University. Additional collaborators include members of our Farmer Rancher Advisory Team and various other state and community organizations. 25% of the federal funds requested will be used to serve military veterans, 50% to serve socially-disadvantaged, limited resource, and farmworker audiences, and 96% of federal funds will be allocated to Community Based Organizations.
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Cultivating Resilience: Expanding Comprehensive Training, Support and Networking for Beginner and Advanced-Beginner Farmers in Maine
Award Amount: $749,891
Institution: Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
Project Director: Ryan Dennett (rdennett@mofga.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Success in training farmers is the hallmark of the Maine...
Success in training farmers is the hallmark of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) Journeyperson Program (JP). During the past ten years, 240 new farmers have emerged from the program in Maine. Equipped with innovative production, management, and marketing skills, these farmers have created more than 140 farm businesses. Providing tomorrow’s farmers with the skills needed to achieve success in a demanding marketplace remains the primary objective of the Journeyperson Program. Over the next three years, 150 new farmers will receive training and the help needed to establish at least 75 new farm businesses. This crucial support, aimed at creating economically viable farms in Maine, can help meet the rising demand for local, more healthful and sustainably produced food.
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Cultivating Success Idaho
Award Amount: $505,144
Institution: University of Idaho
Project Director: Iris Mayes (imayes@uidaho.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
The purpose of Cultivating Success: A
Comprehensive Beginning Farmer Training and...
The purpose of Cultivating Success: A
Comprehensive Beginning Farmer Training and Mentorship Program for Idaho, is to increase the number and success of
beginning small farmers and ranchers in Idaho. Methods will include
comprehensive training (in-person and via site-hosted interactive webinars), facilitating
access to land and capital (via networking and meaningful online resources),
and coordinate ongoing farmer-to-farmer mentoring (on farms). This system
combined with the 42 county reach of University of Idaho (UI) Extension will
allow the project team to reach nearly all of Idaho. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Idaho’s farms
and ranches are working on less than 180 acres. Many of these farmers are
women. UI Extension’s Cultivating
Success(TM) Sustainable Small Farms Education program has been the
primary educational resource for the target audience in Idaho for nearly 15
years. Since 2001, 575 people have completed one or more Cultivating Success courses in Idaho. Participants identified
land costs, land availability, start-up costs and access to capital as barriers
to small farm success. This project proposes to re-invigorate the existing Cultivating
Success (TM) program to address current
needs. Key partners include Rural Roots, an existing
farm networking and education non-profit organization, and several farmers who
are already trained and experienced farmer mentors. The
proposed program will provide needed education, mentoring
and resource information to Idaho’s small-acreage farmers and ranchers. Post-workshop
evaluations will be conducted to measure behavioral change and the
effectiveness of the delivery formats. The project activities are in alignment
with USDA-NIFA’s priorities addressing hunger and food security.
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Cultivating Success Idaho: Skill Building for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers through Hands-on, In-depth Production Education
Award Amount: $456,860
Institution: University of Idaho Extension - Northern Extension District - Bonner County
Project Director: Jennifer Jensen (jenjensen@uidaho.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2019 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The goal of the
“Cultivating Success™ Idaho: Advanced Skill Building for...
The goal of the
“Cultivating Success™ Idaho: Advanced Skill Building for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers through Hands-on,
In-depth Production Education” project is to increase the social, environmental
and economical sustainability of beginning farmers and ranchers in Idaho
through experiential learning opportunities. Participant surveys from previous
beginning farmer training programs in Idaho revealed the interest for hands-on
experiences and in-depth specifics related to livestock and animals, soil health,
small-scale equipment, budgeting and financing education to support their
farming and ranching goals. A team
approach will be used to identify the key production topics needed to deepen
the skill development for new and beginning farmers. Extension professionals and experienced farmers will plan and delivery
in-depth, hands-on experiences. In real
time, the beginning farmers will learn
practical production and management skills in collaborations with community partners at strategically located teaching
farms in Idaho.
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Curriculum and Tool Development for Beginning BIPOC Farmers in Massachusetts
Award Amount: $49,486
Institution: Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust Inc
Project Director: George Spring Buffalo (chiefgeorgespring@gmail.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust’s Indigenous
Roots Forever: A Business Support...
The Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust’s Indigenous
Roots Forever: A Business Support Program for Tribal and other Black,
Indigenous People of Color Beginning Farmers is a one-year collaborative program executed
under the USDA-BFRDP FY2021-2022 Simplified Standard Grants initiative.
This project will be implemented from 10/1/2021 - 9/30/2022
by the Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust (PPLT) located in Rhode
Island. To effectively execute this project, PPLT will collaborate with Global
Village Farms and Nichols College in Massachusetts. With these partnerships,
support for and outreach to historically underserved Black, Indigenous
People of Color (BIPOC) beginning farmers is ensured. The methodology of this project is to utilize outreach and
individualized educational services as well as intensive learning and technical
assistance to increase understanding of sound business practices among BIPOC
farmers. This project will foster collaboration and knowledge exchange
for, with, and among historically underserved peoples in Massachusetts.
This work is greatly needed as educational resources for beginning farmers in
this region is startlingly low.
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Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship: A National Program for Training New Dairy Farmers
Award Amount: $750,000
Institution: Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship
Project Director: Joseph Tomandl, III (joe@dairygrazingapprenticeship.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
The project, “Dairy Grazing
Apprenticeship: A National Program for Training New...
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.
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Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship: Building Capacity, Curriculum, and Partnerships for Nationwide Work-Based Training of Beginning Dairy Farmers
Award Amount: $596,625
Institution: Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship
Project Director: Joseph Tomandl (joe@dga-national.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
Dairy
Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA) is National Apprenticeship under the U.S.
Department of...
Dairy
Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA) is National Apprenticeship under the U.S.
Department of Labor. The first formal Apprenticeship for farming in the nation,
the two-year 4000 hour program combines paid on-farm training with related
instruction to facilitate the transfer of knowledge, skills, and farms to the
next generation. This BFRDP-EET project aims to establish DGA as a standard
career pathway for economically and environmentally sustainable commodity-scale
dairy producers.
Originating
in Wisconsin in 2010, DGA has steadily expanded in response to significant
interest from dairy farmers, as well as universities and community based
organizations. The project will allow DGA and its partners to strengthen the
program and improve capacity to deliver high quality comprehensive work-based
training by meeting the following objectives:
1)
Providing training and support to DGA Masters (train the trainer) to improve
Apprentice learning experience. 2) Provide continuing training and resources to
DGA graduates to facilitate their transition to farm ownership. 3) Develop and
receive accreditation for DGA's own related instruction curriculum that is more
fully integrated with the experiential learning aspects of the Apprenticeship,
ensuring consistent quality and access nationwide.
Other
collaborators: Cornell University and SCNY Extension, the Pennsylvania
Association for Sustainable Agriculture, and Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Maine.
Federal
funds allocated to NGO/CBO/SAEOs: 85%.
Budget
toward veterans and underserved audiences: Among current 33 DGA Apprentices:
seven female (21%), two veterans (6%), and twelve farm workers (36%).
Previous BFRDP projects for PD Joseph Tomandl, III:
2010 Development Grant #2010-49400-21902, 2011 Standard Grant #
2011-49400-30540; 2014 Standard Grant # 2015-70017-22879
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Davies Urban Farmer Training Program: Immersive Beginning Farmer Training and Support
Award Amount: $50,000
Institution: William S. Davies Homeless Shelter Inc.
Project Director: Robert Jones (rbjones1987@gmail.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Urban agriculture has the potential to be a promising entry...
Urban agriculture has the potential to be a promising entry point for limited resource farmers, but many barriers to entry exist for limited resource farmers. The William S. Davies Homeless Shelter's Urban Farmer Training Program seeks to increase the number of farmers serving food insecure communities in Floyd County, Georgia by reducing barriers for new limited resource farmers to generate supplemental income through part-time urban farming. The program will leverage the Davies Shelter's existing farm and garden programs to train 10 new beginning farmers (at least 70% limited resource) and assist 5 new beginning farmers in starting their own urban micro-farm operation. The Urban Farmer Training Program will achieve these goals and objectives through an intensive Urban Farmer Boot Camp; paid on-farm apprenticeships; three public farming workshops; and farm start-up assistance in the form of rent-free land access, tools, coaching, and direct marketing of produce for at least 5 new urban farmers. Trainees will complete farmer skills self-assessments before and after the training program. Collaborating organizations on the project include Georgia Organics, Berry College, the National Farmers Union, and South Rome Redevelopment
Corporation.
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Deep Roots: Thoughtful, Comprehensive, Community-Based Beginning Farmer Training
Award Amount: $100,000
Institution: Sustainable Farming Association
Project Director: John Mesko (john@sfa-mn.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
For the past 25 years, the Sustainable Farming Association (SFA)...
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.
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Delta Farm Start
Award Amount: $598,806
Institution: Mississippi Delta Council for Farm Workers Opportunites, Inc
Project Director: DONALD GREEN (mdcfwoi@cableone.net)
Funding Opportunity: 2019 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Delta Farm Start will serve
60 of these families throughout 6...
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.
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Delta Farming Start
Award Amount: $681,628
Institution: Mississippi Delta Council for Farm Worker Opportunities, Inc.
Project Director: DONALD GREEN (mdcfwoi@cableone.net)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Presentation: Click to Open
Summary
Based on the success of the
Standard Beginning Farmer and Rancher...
Based on the success of the
Standard Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program (BFRDP)
Development project, recently
implemented by the Mississippi Delta Council for Farm Worker
Opportunities, Inc. (MDC/FWOI),
MDC/FWOI now proposes a BFRP project - Delta Farming
Start. The proposed
BFRDP project - Delta Farming Start is a 36-month program that will
build on the knowledge,
experience, and opportunities created through the initial BFRDP
Development project.
Over 3 years, the Delta Farming
Start program will deliver technical assistance, apprenticeships,
mentoring, and intensive,
targeted training in farming practice and management, business, and
other critical areas to 135 selected participants from limited resource, socially-disadvantaged
farm and ranch or farm labor
backgrounds. Seasonal farmworkers and principal
operators/owners of small farms
in the Mississippi Delta will be recruited and selected. Fellows
completing the program will be
prepared to start small independent farm operations or other
agriculture-related
self-employment, grow or diversify limited resource farming operations, or
otherwise gain full-time, secure
employment in larger agricultural operations.
This Standard BFRP will
develop and disseminate training materials on Production and
management strategies to enhance
land stewardship by beginning farmers and ranchers, through
mentoring,
apprenticeship, internship activities, and, curriculum development;
and, Business
management and decision support
strategies that enhance the financial viability of beginning
farmers and ranchers through entrepreneurship and business training.
MDC/FWOI has served the people of
the Mississippi Delta since it’s founding in 1971,
providing employment training and
support to over 58,000 individuals, with a mission of
increasing opportunity for farm workers and
supporting agricultural life ways.
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Developing a Farmer-Led Training Program for Beginning Organic Peanut Producers in Georgia
Award Amount: $49,994
Institution: Georgia Organic Peanut Association Inc
Project Director: Ronny Shingler (info@organicpeanuts.farm)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The Georgia Organic Peanut Association (GOPA) will conduct a simplified...
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.
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Developing and Sustaining Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Beginning Farmers and Ranchers in Texas
Award Amount: $300,000
Institution: Texas Agriforestry Small Farmers and Ranchers
Project Director: Igalious Mills (igalikemills@swbell.net)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Texas Agriforestry Small Farmers and Ranchers will
implement a program of...
Texas Agriforestry Small Farmers and Ranchers will
implement a program of developmental guidance and sustaining support for
socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers in 5 East Texas
Counties. TASFR, a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization, is committed t a mission of assisting SDA agricultural businesses
and their owners. The proposed program
of assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers provides a holistic and
comprehensive series of workshops, group activities, and individual guidance to
provide clients with information on current government assistance, farming
production techniques, and agri-business management. Measurable outcomes will document the
improved success of program participants. After disseminating information on USDA
programs (Obj. 1), 30 clients will be recruited to the program. Clients will become better informed on
business planning (Obj. 2 and 3), land and soil preparation (Obj. 3),
agricultural economics (Obj. 5) and marketing of crops (Obj. 5) Each of the objectives will be met by 15
clients implementing recommended practices. TASFR is requesting a 3-year $300,000 grant to provide staff for program
and administrative activities, stipends for SDA/veteran participants, and
travel for staff program delivery and professional development. All (100%) of
the budget is allocated for the work of a CBO. All (100%) of the budget is allocated to serving SDA farm enterprises.
None (0%) of the budget is specifically allocated to COVID-19 challenges. Collaborating organizations include: USDA-NASS, Texas Department of Agriculture,
and Stephen F. Austin State University. Keywords: Government assistance,
land acquisition, crop management, business planning
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Developing BeefMT: Strengthening Beginning Rancher Operations in Eastern Montana
Award Amount: $49,970
Institution: Petroleum County Conservation District
Project Director: Laura Nowlin (lnowlinfamily@gmail.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The Petroleum County Conservation District, along with our partners, the...
The Petroleum County Conservation District, along with our partners, the Winnett ACES (Agricultural Community Enhancement and Sustainability), Montana State University (MSU) Extension, and the MSU Dan Scott Ranch Management Program, will utilize a one-year simplified standard grant to develop a multi-year education program - BeefMT. The outcome for this project will be a fully developed beginning rancher education program which will be ready for implementation at the end of the grant period. This project will 1.) create an advisory committee that will: 2.) guide curriculum development and 3.) develop an action plan for implementation of BeefMT. The Advisory Committee will consist of agriculture industry, education, non-governmental organization, and individual ranch representatives. Beginning ranchers will be part of the Advisory Committee. BeefMT will follow a cohort model, designed for a consistent group of participants to complete the program over multiple years. The
developed BeefMT curriculum will address areas of need including transition planning, range management, livestock nutrition, financial planning, ag policy, marketing, and other topics identified during the planning process. The BeefMT program will be designed to utilize multiple delivery methods (online, in-class, on-the-ground), which will provide beginning ranchers with knowledge, resources, and a support network to help them make decisions that further their operations' ecological, economical, and social sustainability. BeefMT will be a long-lasting educational program, where many cohorts of beginning ranchers can build knowledge and skills that will benefit their individual operations, their home community, and the Montana and U.S. cattle industry as a whole.
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Developing Capacity for Veterans and Socially Disadvantaged Beginning Farmers in Black Belt Alabama throu |