Project Overview
Sierra Harvest, a community-based organization that has trained hundreds of 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, collaborated to create a sequential training pathway to success for beginning farmers and ranchers. Key objectives realized were to 1) Expand and enhance Sierra Harvest’s existing farmer education programs so the means of delivery and content were maximally current, useful, convenient, and relevant to beginning foothill farmers; 2) Provide a collaborative training pathway that leveraged and integrated 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. Through methods including business and production classes, mentorship, direct-marketing support, lease negotiation and land ownership support, and job and intern placement, the long-term goals for farmers to earn more money, increase market outlets, achieve financially viability, and experience land security were met for numerous beginning producers. In total, this project served 2,629 total unique farmers and ranchers, 82 of whom received in-depth training of 15 or more hours of education and support. Extensive listening to the needs of producers initiated a new focus on grant coaching and stewardship of the formation of a farmer-owned cooperative; projects which will be expanded upon in a subsequent BFRDP grant.
Number of Participants: 2629
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