BFRDP Projects

One in four South Carolina producers are considered new and beginning farmers with fewer than 10 years experience. These emerging farmers need targeted training and technical assistance to make sure they have the skills necessary to sustain and grow their new farm businesses. To address this need, The Clemson University Cooperative Extension South Carolina New and Beginning Farmer Program (SCNBFP) will provide education and technical assistance for a projected 1,950 South Carolina new and beginning farmers, with a particular focus on those interested in sustainable production methods, specialty crop, and value-added operations at novice, intermediate, and advanced levels.

This education, covering a four year period, will cover a broad spectrum of topics including entrepreneurship and business development training, regulatory, farmland acquisition/succession, diversification and marketing strategies, financial and risk management, access to public sector resources and referrals, as well as relevant production and conservation related topics.

The following activities were completed during year 3 of the project:

• Completed the delivery of the SC New and Beginning Farmer Program (SCNBFP) Class of 2023 Cohort Program.
• 50 Participants were accepted into Class of 2023 Cohort Program with 48 meeting graduation requirements (a 96% graduation rate).
• Delivered advanced programming consisting of ten (10) full day workshops held between September and November 2023.  Workshop topics included: Enterprise Budgets; Farm-focused Grants; Agritourism; Land Acquisition, Transfer, and Stewardship; Organic Production and Certification; Business Planning; Tax Management; Farm Financial Planning; Social Media; and Operations Planning.  These workshops were open to the Class of 2023 cohort, program alumni, and the general public.
• Completed the delivery of ten (10) mini-grant funded advanced workshops in partnership with awarded organizations covering the following topics: Website Development and Analytics; Scaling Up to Wholesale Markets; Labor Issues and Personnel; Advanced IPM; Advanced Soil Health; GAP/FSMA; Creative Conservation; Farm Water Management; and Best Practice in Livestock-Forage Systems.
• Accepted 20 participants for the non-cohort SC New and Beginning Farmer Program Level 3 Advanced Program.  This new certificate program for 2023 offers a higher level of instruction for those who are still relatively new to farming but are looking to further their education in key areas of agribusiness and production.  The advanced Level 3 program offers 20 full-day workshops and is designed so that qualified participants may choose whatever SCNBFP Advanced workshops best suit their individual needs.
• Presented 5 advanced new farmers with a Level 3 Certificate for meeting advanced programming graduation requirements (including workshop attendance and business plan submission).
• Recruited a diverse set of applicants from throughout the state of South Carolina for the South Carolina New and Beginning Farmer Class of 2024 Cohort (Female: 64%, African American: 31%, and Veteran: 16%).
• Accepted 55 individuals to participate in the South Carolina New and Beginning Farmer Class of 2024 Cohort Program, exceeding our target number of 40.  These new farmers represented a diverse cross-section of backgrounds, race, gender, and geography.
• Planned, delivered, and evaluated seven (7) in-person, full-day core educational workshops for the Class of 2024 cohort, including securing 42 different workshop speakers, representing 20 different organizations.  These workshops included 49 hours of in-person instruction time.