BFRDP Projects

Frontera Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Project
[Final Report]

Award Amount: $600,000
Grant Program: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Director: Juan Raygoza
Email: juan.raygoza@utrgv.edu
Organization: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

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  • Overview
  • Results
  • Materials
  • Delivery Area
  • Comments

Project Overview


The goal of this Standard BFRDP project, the Frontera Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Project, is to enhance the sustainability of beginning farmers and ranchers (BFRs) in a 44-county border region of Texas and Southern New Mexico along the Frontera—the Rio Grande border with Mexico—by helping BFRs start and sustain their farm and ranch operations. One hundred percent of the project budget will be allocated to serving Limited Resource, Hispanic, and Veteran BFRs. This Project is a coordinated effort among experienced partners that includes the Texas/Mexico Border Coalition CBO (TMBC) and the La Semilla Food Center (La Semilla), which will both assist in targeting Limited-Resource Hispanic BFRs, and the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), which will assist in targeting military Veteran BFRs. Supporting objectives include:

Collaborate with NGO partners to recruit beginning farmers and ranchers (BFRs) and promote awareness of direct-marketing options and available agricultural programs.
Customize training and assistance to the specific needs of each individual or group of Hispanic and Veteran BFRs needing start-up and operational assistance.
Contribute to the sustainability of Hispanic and Veteran BFRs by providing ongoing individual and group mentorship to improve long-term success.
Condition Hispanic and Veteran BFRs to be sustainable through season extension, direct marketing, and value-added production.
Coordinate the efforts of the four primary partners, funded through this BFRDP project, to ensure effective project governance, management, and evaluation.

Number of Participants: 965

Results

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Delivery Area

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