BFRDP Projects

Fastrack Farming: A Training Program for Socially Disadvantaged and Military Veteran Beginning Farmers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
[Progress Report]

Award Amount: $538,988
Grant Program: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Director: sdasgupta@centralstate.edu Dasgupta
Email: sdasgupta@centralstate.edu
Organization: Central State University

Return to Project Search

 

  • Overview
  • Results
  • Materials
  • Delivery Area
  • Comments

Project Overview

systems, food safety, farm safety, and farm/financial/risk management. 
It is anticipated that 225 new BFs will start farming and 200
experienced BFs will improve their farm plans.

This application is from Central State University and is a collaboration with Ohio State
University and community-based organizations (CBOs). These CBOs (and the
amount that they will be receive from the budget) are: Urban Green
Farmers’ Cooperative (socially disadvantaged serving, $59,736); Coit
Road Farmers Market (socially-disadvantaged serving, $59,736); Trumbull
Neighborhood Partnership (socially-disadvantaged serving, $59,736);
Grace Community Center (socially-disadvantaged serving, $59,736); 5)
Soldiers To Sawyers (military veteran-serving, $57,441); and Springfield
Ohio Urban Plantfolk (socially-disadvantaged serving, $58,341). 
Overall, 63% of the $538,988 budget is going to the CBOs, with 55.16%
and 10.66% going to train socially disadvantaged and military veteran
BFs, respectively.

We accomplished the following: trained socially-disadvantaged and military veteran beginning farmers in organic vegetable farming, commercial scale hydroponics farming with nationally-renowned Crop King, farm financial training with Fearless Farm Finances (book produced for beginning farmers by MOSES/Marbleseed), and marketing vegetables to independently-owned ethnic grocery stores. 

We plan to bring beginning farmers to start unique specialty crops such as small scale intensive strawberry production and edible mushroom production.

Number of Participants: 123

Results

Promotional Materials

There are no promotional materials available for this project.

Educational Materials

There are no educational materials available for this project.

Reports & Evaluations

There are no reports or evaluations available for this project.

Delivery Area

Describe any unexpected results of the project:

How would you improve the project if you were to do it again?

What were the keys to success for your participants?

Individual Stories / Examples of Success