BFRDP Projects

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 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 SuccessTM Sustainable Small Farms Education program has been the primary educational resource for the target audience in Idaho for nearly 20 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 proposed to re-invigorate the existing Cultivating SuccessTM 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 program is providing needed education, mentoring and resource information to Idaho’s small-acreage farmers and ranchers. Post-workshop evaluations measured 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.