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 three 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 2 of the project:

• Graduated 40 new farmers in the SC New and Beginning Farmer Program (SCNBFP) Class of 2022 Cohort Program.
  
• Delivered advanced programming consisting of ten (10) full day workshops held between September and November 2022.  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 2022 cohort, program alumni, and the general public.
• Awarded ten (10) mini-grants to farm-related education organizations to fund ten (10) advanced workshops 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. These workshops will take place during reporting year 3.
• Recruited a diverse set of applicants from throughout the state of South Carolina for the South Carolina New and Beginning Farmer Class of 2023 Cohort (Female: 65%, African American: 11%, Hispanic/Latino: 4%, Veteran: 9%).
• Accepted 55 individuals to participate in the South Carolina New and Beginning Farmer Class of 2023 cohort, exceeding our target number of 40. 
• Planned, delivered, and evaluated eight (8) in-person, full-day core educational workshops for the Class of 2023 cohort, including securing 42 different workshop speakers, representing 20 different organizations.  These workshops included 56 hours of in-person instruction time.
• The program website has received 5,610 website page views during the reporting year, with 323 individuals signing up for the program waiting list.
• Held the 2023 SC Farmer Resource Rodeo event on Thursday, August 17 in Columbia, South Carolina.  150 participants heard and interacted with from representatives from 40 farm-supporting organizations throughout South Carolina.
• Accepted 20 participants for the 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.
• Planned and advertised 20 advanced workshops covering both production and agribusiness topics.  These workshops will place between September 2023 – March 2024.