Award Amount: $299,237
Institution: Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture
Project Director: Katarina Sajovec Altshul (ajocsa@hotmail.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
“Growing Our Own: A New Sonoran Desert Farmers Incubator Program”...
“Growing Our Own: A New Sonoran Desert Farmers Incubator Program” is piloting a community-based multi-tiered collaborative approach to increasing the number and capacity of market growers, farmers and ranchers in a remote tri-national community of Ajo, Arizona and the surrounding region. The program will 1. Expand the capacity and skills of the existing beginning farmers through providing education, mentoring and technical support; 2. Incubate a minimum of 15 new growers through providing paid apprenticeships, and/or access to land, knowledge, materials and markets; 3. Raise a new generation of Sonoran Desert farmers and ranchers through a school campus-based “education intervention” (“Ag Club”) for high school students at the Ajo Unified School District. After Year 1, the outputs include 90 hours (out of projected total 150 hours) of classroom style instructions for adults; 275 hours of individual mentoring and technical assistance (projected total hours for three years were 210); 13 field trips (projected total: 9); 5,440 hours of paid apprenticeship (projected total: 6,750); and 57 hours of high school level agricultural education (projected total: 60).
In Year 1, the project served unduplicated 35 local beginning farmers and ranchers (projected total: 30) and additional 85 regional beginning farmers (projected total: 70); or a total of 120 in Year 1 alone (projected total 100), out of which 95% improved their production practices and decision-making abilities, based on their surveys and reports. 15 local growers and ranchers completed a business plan in Year 1 (total projection: 15), and 30 (total project projection was 24) designed a farm (garden) operating procedures including a food safety handling plan. 20 local growers entered new markets (projected total: 10). In Year 1, no new / beginning farmers have used the services of NRCS or Farm Service Agency yet (projected total is 3), however, introductions were made and several farmers are looking into the programs, grants and loans offered. 20 new beginning farmers (projected total: 15) transitioned backyard growing into market growing or started a market growing or a farming operation over the first year, which represents a 66% increase in local number of growers (projected total number: 50%). In Year 1, the project also installed an urban 1-acre Incubator Farm, added additional youth activities (agricultural club at the Tohono O'odham High School on the Tohono O'odham Reservation and summer ag internship), and started offering mini grants, matched savings accounts and loans to beginning farmers as a part of a community-based partnership program called Kickstart Ajo (funded by the Freeport McMoran Foundation).
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Award Amount: $712,500
Institution: FARMER VETERAN COALITION
Project Director: Michael O'Gorman (michaelo@farmvetco.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
FVC facilitates a national peer network that develops and provides...
FVC facilitates a national peer network that develops and provides access to training, education, internships, mentorships, jobs, financial and market opportunities for beginning farmer veterans. We combined new small scale livestock and vegetable production and business planning materials with existing core tools previously created through Risk Management Agency grants (One Page Business/Financial Plan, One Page Monthly Cash Flow Budget, and One Page Risk Management Plan). These tools have been adapted to explain small scale pork and pastured poultry production business, small scale honeybee, grass fed beef, lamb, goat, and vegetable business models. Over the grant period, FVC staff engaged with more than 6,000 new farmer veteran members through our headquarters in Davis, CA.
Farmer Veteran Coalition completed 27 workshops focusing on small scale livestock and vegetable production, risk management and financial education. We have incorporated the new training materials into the workshops that target these farmer veterans and their specific crop and assist them in refining their own financial, production, risk management and business plans. We held 13 webinars that focused on production and business planning. Our most successful webinar focused on starting a farm from scratch: land assessment. Over 140 veterans tuned-in live and the recording has 1,542 views. One of the workshops specifically focused on developing, supporting and educating women farmer veterans was held at the Stone Barns Center in March 2016. The women were educated on production, financial and risk management components of small scale livestock/vegetable operations. The 2017 Empowering Women Veterans Conference consisted of twelve hours of workshops in Santa Rosa, California. This successful event saw many female farmer veterans bonding together to share their experiences and strength. In 2018, FVC partnered with NFU to bring women veterans together with other women farmers in San Diego, CA. Topics included financial literacy, marketing, collaborative farming and agritourism.
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Award Amount: $720,989
Institution: UVM Extension
Project Director: Mary Peabody (mary.peabody@uvm.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
As the numbers of beginning farm and ranch women has...
As the numbers of beginning farm and ranch women has increased there has been a corresponding increase in programs providing education and technical assistance to them. While these programs have developed tools and curricula for addressing the learning needs of beginning farmers there remain many areas of the country where women farmers are still chronically underserved. In addition, while many tools, assessments and curricula are available there is no central repository for these materials. Nor is there a typology, or catalog, that can be used to determine which materials would be most useful given the needs of a specific target audience. The goal of this project is to assemble a national learning network to evaluate existing curricula and materials targeting beginning farm and ranch women of all ages, ethnicity, and agricultural production interests. Content teams will identify information gaps; develop corresponding learning modules, and train peers and colleagues in their delivery and evaluation. Our project focuses on subjects of special importance to beginning farm and ranch women: legal issues; business scale and profitability; farm safety, mechanization and ergonomics; land access, transfer and stewardship; and management. A virtual learning network will provide educators and agricultural technical assistance providers with evidence-based information regarding women’s learning preferences, peer-reviewed training materials, evaluation tools, and mentoring from colleagues experienced in working with women farmers and ranchers.
We work closely with the BFRDP Clearinghouse and the eXtension Women in Ag Learning Network to determine the most effective way to house available materials and create functional search strategies to help users find support.
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Project Director: Henry English (englishh@uapb.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: UK - CES/Ag Programs
Project Director: Craig Wood (woodch@uky.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program 2021 Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $711,213
Institution: Alabama Extension/Auburn University
Project Director: Ayanava Majumdar (azm0024@aces.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The Alabama Beginning Farms (ABF) Program at Auburn University was
initiated...
The Alabama Beginning Farms (ABF) Program at Auburn University was
initiated in 2015 as a partnership between two nonprofit agencies, three
producer organizations, and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System/Auburn
University as the backbone organization. This project is specially
geared toward low resource farmers and military veterans getting into farming.
As part of the ABF program, we have conducted a statewide Stakeholder meeting
in Montgomery, AL, and documented the needs of producers statewide
through event and newsletter surveys on a continued basis. ACES/AU has also developed a project
logo, website, and a broad communication and educational toolkit that include the Farming Basics electronic curriculum and mobile phone app. Crotovina and
Farmscape Solutions, along with additional Technical Assistance Providers (TAPs),
have developed a unique farm planning tool adapted from the Vermont New Farmer
Program. From 2015-2018, ABF program has reached 1,824 participants directly via 45 educational events and 90 educators/crop advisers via 6 professional development events. We have completed 33 webinars reaching 495 trainers/educators and 93 publications consisting of handbooks, slide
charts, bulletins, posters, blog articles, independent magazine & newspaper
articles. Two social media channels have 1,725 subscribers while the E-newsletter reaches 2,635 subscribers indicating large increase in demand for information and wide support from the farming communities across Alabama. Overall, 82 farmers have started farming, we have helped 120 farmers start farming, and improved farming success of 77 small producers many of whom are low-resource and veteran farms. We have reached 70% white, 20% black (including the Black Belt of AL), and 10% Hispanic & American Indian communities who self-identify as 59% male and 41% female. The ABF has saved $506,00 to small producers in consultancy fees and saved $2.5 million worth of crop statewide. Overall return on investment (ROI) is estimated to be 10:1 which is increasing annually.
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Award Amount: $599,020
Institution: NC State University College of Animal and Life Sciences
Project Director: Sarah Blacklin (seblackl@ncsu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The goal of the project is to increase the number...
The goal of the project is to increase the number of beginning farmers and ranchers successfully and profitably raising meat through either pasture-based or silvopasture systems by providing them and their families with novel land acquisition strategies in partnership with land trusts, solar farms, and existing landowners, while also equipping new farmers with targeted knowledge, skills, decision-making tools, and the market and buyer connections that have been identified as needed for these producers to operate profitably and be successfully. CEFS' NC Choices (www.ncchoices.com), working comprehensively to support the meat value chain since 2002, is uniquely equipped to not only identify needs of beginning farmers, in part through their statewide surveys of all registered meat handlers in the state, but to deliver this comprehensive program addressing those identified needs. For this project, we assembled the necessary partners and subject matter experts, identified key choke points for beginning farmers, and proposed high-impact solutions that offered together ensured success. This comprehensive support, including introducing and adapting a Meat and Yield Price Calculator and Meat Suite to expand their markets, resulted in 2,967 beginning farmers who received training, decision-making, and market development tools plus 12 new cohort farmers who entered into model land-share agreements with land partners. Finally, through resource development and training to aid CES agents in serving beginning farmers and via the national conference of land trusts to be held in North Carolina in 2019, we ensured that this project had statewide and national impact.
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Award Amount: $709,713
Institution: Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
Project Director: Ryan Dennett (rdennett@mofga.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Success in training farmers is the hallmark of the Maine...
Success in training farmers is the hallmark of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) Journeyperson Program (JP). During the past ten years, 275 new farmers have emerged from the program in Maine. Equipped with innovative production, management, and marketing skills, these farmers have created more than 160 farm businesses. Providing tomorrow’s farmers with the skills needed to achieve success in a demanding marketplace remains the primary objective of the Journeyperson Program. Between 2015 and 2018, 150 new farmers will receive training and the help needed to establish at least 75 new farm businesses. This crucial support, aimed at creating economically viable farms in Maine, can help meet the rising demand for local, more healthful and sustainably produced food.
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Award Amount: $219,274
Institution: Southwest Badger Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc
Project Director: WENDY WARREN (wendy.warren@swbadger.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The project develops opportunities to start farming on rented land
with...
The project develops opportunities to start farming on rented land
with financial coaching and guidance from experienced farmer-mentors. Mentors in
the program could be paid hourly for time spent mentoring or in a
lump sum upon accomplishing the program goals. Notably, the mentors who pursued the lump payments helped two mentees to learn how to fence and seed cropland, based
on the experience that the mentors gained as mentees in the program. Overall through the program we documented 14 successful
mentorships between beginning and experienced livestock farmers. According to participants’
exit surveys during the past three years, six people started farming, total
herd size increased by 107 cows, farm acreage increased by a total of 222 acres,
and gross farm income by $144,300 or ~$5,300 per participant.
SW Badger promoted contract grazing, or grazing livestock for other people to get cash income. The
grazingbroker.org website helps livestock producers to connect with
landowners to rent land. Fifty-three producers and 66 landowners completed profiles. The Grazing Broker Handbook that describes how to
rent land for managed grazing was downloaded 72 times and was used as training curriculum during 13 farm visits and four workshops that reached
185 beginning farmers and landowners.
The Grazing Broker was invited to speak at several conferences in
Wisconsin during the final year of the project. We used the information from these speaking tours to develop two tools: the land investment
assessment and land rental assessment. These new tools were used during 6 farm
visits and 5 workshops that reached 196 beginning farmers and landowners.
Participants reported that the tools helped them to better understand their
options for raising livestock and renting land. The Mentorship Program for Future Livestock Farmers has helped the Grazing Broker program to better serve the needs of landowners and farmers
in Southwest Wisconsin.
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Award Amount: $546,386
Institution: Vermont Housing & Conservation Board
Project Director: Ela Chapin (ela@vhcb.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
VHCB’s Vermont Farm & Forest
Viability Program, the Intervale Center, and...
VHCB’s Vermont Farm & Forest
Viability Program, the Intervale Center, and the Vermont Land Trust partnered
to deliver a coordinated, proactive approach to accelerate access to land and
growth of viable businesses for Vermont’s next generation of farmers. With
funding from BFRDP, we supported 205 farmers to improve their business, access
land, or transfer their farm to new ownership.
We provided individualized one-on-one technical assistance to farmers, on business
planning, land assessment, land access/land transfer, and accessing financing.
We tailored our services to meet farmers where they were at, accelerating their
early stage growth into viable commercial enterprises, and providing retiring
farmers with transfer planning and assistance identifying buyers. This
project helped to increase business management and land access skills among new
and beginning farmers, and resulted in 62 new & beginning farmers accessing
land, 47 utilizing affordable financing tools, and 40 successful farm transfers
from exiting farmers to new ownership. An additional 11 beginning farmers were
in the process of accessing land at the time of reporting, and are expected to
successfully complete ownership transfer in 2021.
An important aspect of this project has been the development of new affordable
financing tools at the Vermont Land Trust, including the new $15 million
Farmland Futures Fund, which will help 200 farms transition to new ownership and
enhance their economic and environmental sustainability in the next ten years.
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Award Amount: $641,222
Institution: Land For Good
Project Director: Kathy Ruhf (kathy@landforgood.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Access to land is one
of the biggest challenges for beginning...
Access to land is one
of the biggest challenges for beginning farmers (BF) in New England. In this
project, Land For Good, its partners and 40 collaborators enabled over 2,800 BFs to access land or improve their tenure
situation in six New England states. Our goals were to: improve BFs’ readiness
to successfully access land to farm; enable effective farm succession and
transfer to BFs; improve how BFs find and evaluate farm properties and connect
with landowners; educate professionals and BFs about innovative approaches and
methods; and strengthen programs that help BFs access land and improve the
conditions for farmland access in New England and nationally.
Through coordinated teams and task
forces, we developed a curriculum for our 3-session Succession School conducted
in six states for 18 farms. We launched an innovative online Build-a-Lease tool and updated
our 8-module online Acquiring Your Farm course. We produced a
comprehensive Farm Access Guide and decision tool explaining and comparing land tenure methods. We produced a land access guide for
commercial urban farming, a farm property posting guide, a Farm Succession School instructors’ manual, 11 fact sheets, and a blog report on affordable farmer
housing.
We conducted 46 land
access and transfer workshops for 2,536 trainees, and a 2-day cross-discipline succession professional training for
attorneys and other advisers. LFG provided direct “coaching” to 887 farm
seekers, landowners and transitioning farmers.
We improved the region's farm link
programs, revamped our regional online New England Farmland Finder Farm Transfer Network of New England websites. We held three
project convenings for over 40 collaborators. In cooperation with USDA, we held
a national conference in June 2017 for 220 service providers, agency personnel
and advocates from 40 states. A conference report summarizes collected policy and
program suggestions for all regions.
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Award Amount: $599,197
Institution: Land For Good
Project Director: Jim Hafner (executivedirector@landforgood.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Land access is a top challenge for beginning farmers (BFs);...
Land access is a top challenge for beginning farmers (BFs); land transfer is a BFRDP statutory priority. The long-term goal of this standard project was for more New England BFs to successfully access land to start or expand their farm businesses. Land For Good (LFG), six partners and 13 collaborators in six states enabled over 200 BFs to access land or achieve more secure tenure. Project goals were that: BFs are better prepared to access land to farm; more farms are effectively transferred to BFs; and stronger programs assist BFs to access land. Our objectives were to: educate, train and coach BFs on land access; help BFs find land and connect with landowners; educate and coach transitioning farmers on succession planning; improve succession planning providers and resources; and improve farm link programs. LFG recorded over 300 cases of intensive individual technical assistance to farm seekers. Collaborators planned, hosted, promoted, and delivered 60 land access educational workshops and seeker-landowner mixers, and Farm Succession Schools - including transitioning to new formats and online delivery in the last half of the project. The New England Farm Link Collaborative made more farm properties available and visible to BFs, with 500 new properties posted to New England Farmland Finder alone, any more posted to 3 state farm link sites. We developed more structured coaching protocols around farm succession, continued a rigorous program of staff professional development, and developed new tools and resources. Over the 3 year project period, 86% of all BFs who responded to our annual impact survey found LFG services at least somewhat helpful. 75% of the 270 BF respondents to our annual impact survey during the project took some action, with 38% - or 103 BFs - gaining secure land tenure within the previous 12 months. Overall, over 205 farmers gained more secure land tenure and nearly 50 farmers complete succession plans. Finally, we improved the connectivity and performance of farm link programs in our region and nationally. We hosted the first ever national Farm Link Clinic in 2019 involving 27 programs, who then implemented program improvements. Wrote on participant, “LFG hosting the first ever national farm link clinic was a big first step in greater collaboration, networking and professional development for land access and transfer professionals. Ideally these clinics could be annual or every couple of years to continue this work.”
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Award Amount: $381,726
Institution: Community Crops
Project Director: Ingrid Kirst (ingrid@communitycrops.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Since 2015, this
joint project between Community Crops and Center for...
Since 2015, this
joint project between Community Crops and Center for Rural Affairs has enhanced urban and rural-based farm viability of 191 beginning Hispanic, socially disadvantaged, and limited resource
farmers in Nebraska. These new farmers frequently lack
financial or production skills, are unaware of technical resources,
or lack English-language proficiency for accessing technical
information. We assisted these beginners with development of small
scale farm enterprises through training and technical assistance
that: (1) improved participants’ financial and business skills, (2)
connected them with a network of resources, and (3) gained and
improved production skills. We have conducted three 4-month long courses for
financial training and resource identification, field workshops for
farming skills, farm tours to observe practices in place, and
provided individual advising to participants. The classes were
broadcast to additional sites to reduce travel for participants,
and interpreters were available for all activities. Main Street Project, based in Minnesota, presented to the workshop participants in 2015 and 2016. In 2016 they also hosted a site visit for participants to demonstrate their farming systems.
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Award Amount: $749,548
Institution: World Farmers Inc
Project Director: Maria Moreira (mmoreira@worldfarmers.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $708,700
Institution: Planting Justice
Project Director: Gavin Raders (gavin@plantingjustice.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
This Standard BFRDP project presents an innovative model to advance...
This Standard BFRDP project presents an innovative model to advance economic viability, land stewardship, and social equity for beginning and socially disadvantaged beginning farmers. This proposal directly addresses urgent trends conveyed in the 2012 USDA Census: the aging farmer population and declining numbers of beginning farmers.
This project counters these trends by building comprehensive and culturally relevant training/employment opportunities for beginning and underserved farmers, while strengthening the mentoring capacity of experienced farmers to pass on their knowledge. Our target audience includes 120 beginning farmers, including 90 formerly incarcerated, immigrants, and otherwise socially disadvantaged participants, in 6 cohorts over the 3-year grant period. Successful program graduates are completing 150 hours of on-site, hands-on training as part of our Applied Agroecology and Beginning Farmer Curriculum, and receive the opportunity to be mentored by pioneering local farmers through paid 3-6 month apprenticeships on local farms in the MESA network, living-wage employment as urban farmers with Planting Justice, and/or substantial financial, legal, technical, and administrative support to access land and launch their own farming startups. These comprehensive services are spurring the next generation to launch and sustain successful careers in urban and peri-urban farming. Planting Justice is a national leader in re-entry green job placement and urban farming training for formerly incarcerated people, and this project will build upon their success helping former inmates obtain inspirational employment as new urban farmers. MESA is internationally recognized as a pioneering sustainable agriculture training organization with 18 years running experiential and farmer mentorship programs.
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Award Amount: $597,598
Institution: University of Connecticut
Project Director: Jiff Martin (jiff.martin@uconn.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Our project was developed by and for small scale beginning...
Our project was developed by and for small scale beginning farmers across Connecticut. Instead of duplicating the efforts of great organizations that are already offering beginner farmer training programs, this project enriched these programs by delivering core trainings, providing one-on-one technical assistance to participants, and implementing unique statewide events to foster networking and learning across the beginner farmer community. The core trainings offered were designed primarily for existing and aspiring sustainable vegetable producers. All of trainings and resources have been branded as UConn Extension's 'Solid Ground Farmer Trainings'.
Core trainings included the following topics: business planning, soil health, farmland access, small scale production of vegetables and fruit, irrigation, post-harvest handling, tunnel production systems, cover crop systems, profitable meat enterprises, managing invasive species, pesticide safety, welding, business planning, eco-focused farming techniques, tractor and small engine safety & maintenance. Trainings were delivered in person in small group settings of 5 to 30 attendees. Training locations were in Bridgeport, Hartford, Killingly, New Haven, Simsbury, Stamford, and Windham. One-on-one technical assistance was available to producers who requested assistance in: 1) vegetable disease and pest management, 2) farmland evaluation and soil health, 3) farm financial record-keeping. and 4) engineering for post-harvest handling. In year 1 there were 26 core trainings. In year 2 there were 34 core trainings. In year 3 there were 31 trainings. By the third year our project reached at least 275 unique attendees and drew a combined attendance of 800+ new and beginning farmers. Our project also used grant funds and leveraged key partnership to implement 3 statewide events: 1) The Build Your Network, Grow Our Future - brought together new farmers and service providers for a day of networking and training; 2) The Agriculture Re$ource Fair featured grant opportunities that are available to new farmers, co-presented by a producer that had received the grant and a grants program representative; 3) Farm Equipment Day was an opportunity to see vegetable equipment demonstrations. Solid Ground Core Trainings were delivered at: Common Ground High School in New Haven, the Community Farm of Simsbury, the Green Village Initiative in Bridgeport, Killingly Agriculture Education Program, KNOX in Hartford, WRCC-GROW Windham, and UConn's Ready-to-Start urban agriculture program. Other critical partners in the project are the New CT Farmer Alliance and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of CT.
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Award Amount: $598,170
Institution: Halau Kealaokamaile
Project Director: Fred Krauss (admin@kealaokamaile.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
We increased the number and enhanced the success of Native...
We increased the number and enhanced the success of Native Hawaiian farmers to grow new agroforestry projects and improve resource management of existing projects. This project increased economic opportunity, food security and cultural connection to the forest in the Native Hawaiian community of Maui. Objectives completed: 1) Trained 150 new and beginning Native Hawaiian farmers in agroforestry 2) Engaged 30 new Native Hawaiian youth in agroforestry as a career path 3) Enhanced the success of 50 beginning agroforesters Future objectives to be fulfilled: 1) Facilitate 20 new farmers in designing an agroforestry/native reforestation project 2) Establish a demonstration farm cultivated by 100 new Native Hawaiian farmers 3) Provide land to 2 Native Hawaiian farmers to cultivate native crops and enter markets 4) Develop 10 new markets for agroforestry cultural crops. To accomplish the goal we will conduct monthly classroom and hands-on workshops for an additional two years which are culturally appropriate and targeted at Native Hawaiian adults and youth. We have established a new training program aimed at recruiting new agroforestry farmers (forest management and crop farming practices) and natural resource managers.
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Award Amount: $656,903
Institution: Virginia Tech University
Project Director: John Munsell (jfmunsel@vt.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Increasing demand for high- quality, herbal and
nutraceutical products is improving...
Increasing demand for high- quality, herbal and
nutraceutical products is improving the financial equation for forest farmers.
Receiving premium prices for medicinal plant products depends on a forest
farmer's ability to consistently supply forest grown material. The Appalachian
region contains native habitat for more than 15 forest farmable medicinal
plants and is home to rich ethnobotanical connections. If trained and connected
(to fellow forest farmers and service providers), beginning Appalachian forest
farmers will be in a better position to capitalize on industry demand and
sustain premium sales of high-quality forest grown organic stock. A
collaboration across multiple academic institutions and governmental and
non-governmental organizations, the Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer
Coalition (ABFFC) is a project that increases opportunities for forest farmers
and forestland owners in Appalachia and beyond who are interested in starting
or expanding/diversifying a forest farming operation.
We are a diverse project partnership ranging from Georgia to Pennsylvania with
four non-governmental organizations, four universities, extension, three agency
partners, forest farmers, and a forest grown verification program, all with
extensive technical and market-based experience. Our goal is to support
beginning Appalachian medicinal plant forest farmers by forming a coalition
that provides technical, administrative, and market sales training and improves
access to farm resource inventory and plant habitat management services. To
accomplish this we 1) established an inclusive coalition with clear
organizational structure and decision making processes; and began to 2)
educate, train, and support beginning forest farmers; and 3) improve forest
farm inventory and medicinal plant habitat management services for beginning
forest farmers. Long-term condition change will be an improvement in
agroforestry production opportunities and farming capabilities among forest
farmers in Appalachia which positively impacts families, farms, and
communities.
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Award Amount: $407,995
Institution: Appalachian RC&D Council
Project Director: Susan McKinney (susan@arcd.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $599,000
Institution: The Ohio State University
Project Director: HANPING WANG (wang.900@osu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Aquaculture Boot Camp (ABC) is an extremely successful program. The...
Aquaculture Boot Camp (ABC) is an extremely successful program. The long-term goal of the program is to utilize “3-I” levels (Intensive, Intermediate, Introductory), 3 areas (aquaponics, aquaculture, and related business and marketing) and 3 types (hands-on, classroom/mentoring, and internet/webinar) of integrated training and multi-faceted approach, paired with mentoring of industry professionals and previous ABC graduates, to enhance the sustainability of limited-resource new and beginning aqua-farmers in the Midwest and Appalachian region. This has been accomplished through the development and delivery of a multi-phase ABC program in which new and limited-resource aquaculture/aquaponic farmers with different knowledge levels. The specific goals of the ABC program have been achieved through partnerships and collaborations of multiple nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), and school-based agricultural educational organizations (SAEOs), as well as many aquaponics/aquaculture farms and several universities, led by The Ohio State University (OSU) and NGOs/CBOs/NGOs with expertise in new and beginning farmer training and outreach.
For the ABC-1 project, forty-four new aqua-farms were created by the 2013 and 2014 ABC participates. For the ABC-2 project, forty-two new businesses/farms have been created by the 2017 - 2019 ABC-2 participates. For example, one of the ABC-1 Intensive graduates are now in his seventh year producing over 35,000 lbs fish/year with revenues of more than $125,000; a ABC-2 graduate has built an aquaculture facility that is able to produce 80,000 lbs of tilapia; another ABC-2 graduate is launching a commercial version of indoor shrimp farm in 2019 with a side of aquaponics; one of our ABC students has played important rales in developing Superior Fresh, a multimillion dollar fish farm and aquaponic greenhouse capable of producing 160,000 pounds of Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout and up to 2 million pounds of varietal and leaf lettuce per year in Wisconsin.
The success of ABC can be attributed to the “3-I” levels, 3 areas and 3 types of integrated training and multi-faceted approach. The unique Internship program that provides apprentice-type training opportunities for next generation aquaculture/aquaponic farmers also contributed the success. Because of the success of this arrangement, the ABC-3 model can be adapted to other regions and communities in the United States. This model could easily apply to other industries, for example, a Horticulture Boot Camp, where participants would choose a horticulture crop to learn about and conduct a pilot scale project in the future.
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Award Amount: $99,947
Institution: Arcadia Food, Inc.
Project Director: Matt Mulder (matt@arcadiafood.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Based in Fairfax County, Virginia, but pulling on expertise and...
Based in Fairfax County, Virginia, but pulling on expertise and farms across Northern and Central Virginia and the National Capital Region, Arcadia's Veteran Farmer Program brings together regional nonprofits, agricultural organizations, veterans, and experienced farmers - including veterans who have made a successful transition to farming - to create a multi-layered farmer training and development program to launch veterans into careers in agriculture. This thoughtful, practical program increases the number of veteran farmers and helps to ensure their success by providing them with farming skills; business development and management training; and ongoing technical support. This program also provide continued support through ongoing mentorships from the business, agricultural, and veteran communities. Arcadia's Veteran Farmer Program was successful in its goal to increase the number of military veterans operating new, successful farm operations in the Washington, D.C. region. Within 3 months of the end of the first year of the program, six program participants have already started to farm, while another four have gained experience and or/employment in agriculture and agriculture related jobs. Interest in the 2017 program was high, and Arcadia is expanding the size of the class to accommodate the additional interest.
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Award Amount: $597,124
Institution: Arcadia Food, Inc.
Project Director: Matt Mulder (matt@arcadiafood.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Based in
Fairfax County, Virginia, but pulling from expertise and farms...
Based in
Fairfax County, Virginia, but pulling from expertise and farms across Northern
and Central Virginia and the National Capital Region, Arcadia's Veteran Farmer
Program (VFP) brings together regional nonprofits, agricultural organizations,
veterans, and experienced farmers - including veterans who have made a
successful transition to farming - to provide a practical farmer training and
development program that launches veterans into new careers in agriculture.
Arcadia's
program is distinguished by its lifecycle support of new veteran farmers. It
works to increase the number of veterans beginning new careers in agriculture
and the likelihood of their success by providing them with farming skills;
business development and management training; ongoing technical support;
assistance with finding and accessing land; and then market support. The VFP provides continued
support as our new farmers launch their careers, through ongoing mentorships
from, and networking with, the business, agriculture, and veteran communities.
The
VFP increases the number of veterans beginning new careers in agriculture and
increases the likelihood of their success. The VFP is very effective and can be
replicated in other regions. Through this grant, the VFP aimed to train 51 military
veterans with the goal of producing 25 new farmers operating businesses
throughout the project period. From 2017-2020, the program actively trained
and supported 84 military veterans, active duty military, and their spouses. Of those 84 trainees, 42 have already started to farm and another 26 continue train and develop as beginning farmers.
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Award Amount: $749,720
Institution: University of Arkansas
Project Director: Dan Donoghue (ddonogh@uark.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Farming
offers a viable avenue for returning veterans to transition into...
Farming
offers a viable avenue for returning veterans to transition into society and
capitalizes on skills that made them successful in the military. However, these
opportunities may be missed due to lack of targeted training programs, guidance
and information. We assembled a team with expertise in teaching
conventional and alternative agriculture, hands-on training, economics,
research and networking resources targeted to veteran farmers focused on
poultry, small ruminants and agroforestry production. Through our previous
BFRDP project, our team has supported hundreds of veterans through workshops,
internships, research and training opportunities yet there continues to be a
critical need to train and support this population of new farmers. Our objectives were to: 1) Enhance existing course and add
training modules to our New Farmer Online Training Program; 2)
Provide experiential opportunities including Armed to Farm Workshops and
training, on-farm demonstration and internship programs; and 3) Develop and
expand on custom networking and mentoring systems to effectively support a new
generation of farmers. This project will
targeted military veterans and minority farmers (women, African-American and
Latino farmers). Residents of the South have traditionally comprised a
disproportionate share of military personnel and many of them come from
agricultural backgrounds and would return to their agricultural roots if given
the opportunity. This dynamic program created specific training opportunities
and networking systems for these and other populations of new and beginning
farmers and ranchers. We served over 500 farmers face-to-face and thousands through online education over the lifespan of this grant.
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Award Amount: $298,893
Institution: Athens Land Trust
Project Director: Stephanie Simmons (stephanie@athenslandtrust.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The goal of Athens Land Trust's Beginning Farmer Development Program...
The goal of Athens Land Trust's Beginning Farmer Development Program (BFDP) was to increase the number of successful farmers in northeast Georgia, strengthen their economic viability, and connect them with other farmers for marketing opportunities and mentoring. The project targeted limited resource, socially disadvantaged, and otherwise underserved new and beginning farmers in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia and the surrounding region. The BFDP provided education, hands-on sustainable agriculture training, and marketing education and opportunities that supported new and beginning farmers with enhanced skills and capacities in sustainable farming practices, increased business knowledge, and expanded markets. Athens Land Trust tailored individual outreach and technical assistance to farmers operating at different levels of production to guide participants toward economic viability and the capacity to access larger markets. Primary objectives included providing educational opportunities including business workshops, one-on-one guidance, on-the-farm experiential education, and mentorships that provided skills and knowledge to enable farmers to move toward greater farm business viability; and increasing local market opportunities for new and beginning farmers. Athens Land Trust leveraged our partnerships to connect growers to new and larger markets, collaborating with the Georgia Farmers Market Association and University of Georgia Cooperative Extension to provide marketing training and resources; and with St. Mary's Health Care System and the Clarke County East Athens WIC Clinic to develop new mobile markets for farmers and expanded access to local produce for vulnerable populations.
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: Texas A&M AgrLife Extension
Project Director: Rick Peterson (rlpeterson@ag.tamu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The project’s overall goals were to increase the number and...
The project’s overall goals were to increase the number and enhance sustainability of veteran and other beginning farmers and ranchers, through an innovative, holistic model for education, training, technical assistance, and outreach, reducing self-employment barriers for veterans and other beginning farmer/ranchers (particularly those with disabilities). To accomplish the above referenced goals the project: 1. Provided a holistic and relevant educational experience to support farm enterprise education and sustainability through access to: a) face to face and online educational training in farm management and production specific agriculture practices; b) individualized educational planning and guidance to support diverse agriculture business interests; c) hands-on learning opportunities connected to online course content; and d) follow-up mentor support, 2. Established peer-to-peer learning through a Community of Practice, and 3. Offered an array of veteran transitional and disability support services. Outreach efforts were targeted toward military veterans and socially disadvantaged beginning farmers/ranchers with and without disabilities. The project provided participants with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions regarding entering, establishing, and managing successful agriculture enterprises. The activities were designed to enhance participants’ success in agribusiness startup, business expansion and sustainability augmented by peer-learning and support services and experiential learning opportunities. Formative and summative evaluation measures for program improvement and overall evaluation were included. Program sustainability was addressed through strategic partnership engagement beyond the life of the project. Ease of replicability of the program has been engineered into the design of the program. Even though the project grant period has ended, the program is still being delivered. Through the program 572 individuals increased their
awareness and understanding of business and strategic planning, value added
enterprises, conservation, economics decision making, risk management, animal
production, vegetable production, and soil and pasture management. The program
has held 80 hands on learning/field days with 1034 attendees. The program has
held 9 one day workshops across the state with 531 individuals in attendance.
Hours of agriculture production course work attended in excess of 440 hours and
1300 hours of hands on hours completed. Webinar attendance for the 3-year period
was 4926 participants. The website page was viewed/accessed 107, 751 times. One thousand six
hundred and six unique individuals were directly served through the program.
One hundred and twenty-six individuals started farming, 725 individuals were
helped to prepare to start farming and 126 improved their farming success.
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Award Amount: $750,000
Institution: Texas A&M Agrilife Extension
Project Director: Erin Kimbrough (erin.kimbrough@ag.tamu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $599,971
Institution: University of Arkansas
Project Director: Dan Donoghue (ddonogh@uark.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Farming offers a viable avenue for
veterans assimilating into...
Farming offers a viable avenue for
veterans assimilating into society capitalizing on skills that made them
successful in the military. Through previous BFRDP projects, our team has
supported hundreds of veterans through research and training opportunities
yet there continues to be a critical need to train and support the next
generation of new farmers. We continue to network with the veterans
that have participated in our bootcamps, internships and workshops and asked
them for their priorities for our program. The top requests from these
new farmers were to have more extensive training past initial boot camp
programs; and to provide the training we have for other livestock species to
include beef cattle production. Therefore our objectives for this
proposal are to: 1) enhance existing courses and add training modules for
pasture beef production to our New Farmer Online Training Program; 2) provide
a more comprehensive suite of training opportunities including Armed to Farm
2.0 Boot Camp, and intensive internship opportunities; and 3) expand custom networking
and mentoring systems to effectively support a new generation of farmers.
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Award Amount: $744,113
Institution: South Dakota State University
Project Director: Ken Olson (kenneth.olson@sdstate.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
We addressed the primary goal of BFRDP “enhance food security,...
We addressed the primary goal of BFRDP “enhance food security, community development and sustainability by providing beginning farmers and ranchers … with knowledge, skills and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations, and enhance their sustainability”. This project provided training and mentoring that assisted 48 beginning beef cattle producers from 28 different operations in South Dakota to become economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable. It was a collaborative partnership of SDSU Extension, 4 South Dakota producer organizations, 3 rural banks, and 19 beefSD alumni that served as peer mentors. It was comprised of:
- Instructional workshops (topics included livestock production, natural resource stewardship, marketing, finance, legal, and leadership)
- Case studies of four alternative beef production systems and management practices
- Evaluation of post-weaning performance of participants’ calves
- Mentoring from peers, established beef cattle producers and agriculture professionals
- Web-based interaction using social networking and webinars
- Travel-study trips to study other segments of the beef cattle industry
The intensive 24 month program was highly successful. It presented producers tools to make wise management decisions that contribute to ongoing agricultural production, land stewardship, and rural community viability. Impacts to the producers are numerous and will have long term implementations and outcomes to the beef industry in South Dakota. Satisfaction with the program was 4.68 out of 5. Quotes on the overall impact: “Absolutely loved this program and we are so honored that we were chosen to be apart of this program and we can't wait to be able to implement everything we have learned and strive to continue networking, advocating, and improving our operation daily.”
“… I never would have even thought about 75% of the things we've done from going through a packing plant, feedlots, legislative sessions, white table cloth suppers, and the networking aspect....Its broadened my horizons so much”
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: CFFM - UMN
Project Director: Robert Craven (rcraven@umn.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2019 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $49,995
Institution: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Project Director: Jessica Groskopf (jgroskopf2@unl.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $1,000,000
Institution: University of Minnesota
Project Director: Robert Craven (rcraven@umn.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
This project has developed a Clearinghouse that will help beginning...
This project has developed a Clearinghouse that will help beginning farmers and ranchers be more successful. The Clearinghouse has assembled educational materials, online courses, software tools, stories, and the ability to connect online into a well-organized website where beginning producers can quickly obtain the information, training, and connections they need. FarmAnswers.org has had over 86,000 individual visitors since it was launched, with those visitors viewing documents on how to get started farming through improving their farming success. Other BFRDP projects have used the Clearinghouse to share educational materials both with beginning farmers and other projects. And finally, the Clearinghouse has established an outcome-based reporting system to enable BFRDP projects to share the results that they have achieved with their BFRDP funding.
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: University of Minnesota, Center for Farm Financial Management
Project Director: Kevin Klair (kklair@umn.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The purpose of this Educational Enhancement Team project is to...
The purpose of this Educational Enhancement Team project is to develop new resources to help beginning farmers and ranchers improve the financial and business management aspects of their operations, as well as better-equip educators to guide them through this process. This project will: - Develop and improve delivery of farm financial and business management tools and programs to help beginning farmers and ranchers better understand and manage the financial aspects of their businesses
- Improve the ability of organizations to deliver farm financial and business management training to beginning farmers and ranchers
- Evaluate ways to improve the Farm Answers clearinghouse to make it even more valuable to beginning farmers and ranchers
This project will fulfill the two goals of EET projects. It will identify gaps in farm financial and business management tools and programs and address ways to make Farm Answers more valuable to beginning farmers. It will also develop curriculum and deliver train-the-trainer workshops to better equip BFRDP projects to help beginning farmers in farm financial and business management.
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Award Amount: $589,610
Institution: Louisiana State University AgCenter
Project Director: Carl Motsenbocker (cmotsenbocker@agcenter.lsu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $564,000
Institution: The Kohala Center
Project Director: Melanie Willich (mwillich@kohalacenter.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
While Hawai‘i has abundant
agricultural lands and a 12-month growing season,...
While Hawai‘i has abundant
agricultural lands and a 12-month growing season, the state imports >80% of
its food from markets located at least 2,300 miles away. Despite the increasing
interest in local food production, few farms become established by beginning
farmers due to a lack of agricultural and business knowledge and the inability
to access start-up capital. The objectives of this project are to (1)
train beginning farmers/ranchers, with a particular focus on socially
disadvantaged farmers, (2) facilitate access to financial and production input
resources, including farm leases and microloans, and (3) expand TKC's online
database of resources. We initially developed a 20-session training
program, including 39 hrs of classroom instruction, 30 hrs of on-farm
instruction, and 36 hrs of farm visits. The total program comprised of 188
hrs, including BFRDP-supported workshops island wide. Addressing evaluations, we
adjusted our training program to an 18-session format that includes 45 hrs of
classroom instruction, 45 hrs of on-farm workshops, and 30 hrs of farm visits.
Sessions were held twice a month. For graduation, participants fill additional
68 hrs instead of the 83 hrs in 2017 with additional workshops supported by the
BFRDP or offered through CTAHR or other appropriate agriculture-related
workshops, online education, business planning, and farm internships and
development, depending on the individual participant's needs. Across the three
cohorts, a total of 61 individuals started the program and 49 of those
participants completed it. A total of 23 public additional island wide public
lectures and workshops attracted 447 community members. Technical assistance including
business planning, agricultural production, and farm financing was provided by
TKC's Rural Cooperative Business Development Services (RCBDS) team to 45 individuals
and businesses.
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Award Amount: $250,000
Institution: GENERATION INFOCUS FOUNDATION INC
Project Director: Tiffany Ray (tiffany@generationinfocus.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $599,533
Institution: Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA)
Project Director: Kelly Coleman (kelly@buylocalfood.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
This
renewal Standard BFRDP project built upon a successful Development Grant...
This
renewal Standard BFRDP project built upon a successful Development Grant (PD: Kelly Coleman, award 2012-49400-19591). The lead agency (CISA) managed this state-wide project through an established network of five collaborating
agricultural community-based organizations (CBOs): Berkshire Grown, Central
Mass Grown, Northeast Harvest, Southeastern MA Agricultural Partnership and
Sustainable Nantucket. One hundred percent of federal funds went to CBOs.
The long-range goal of
this project was to improve the sustainability and profitability of beginning
farm businesses in Massachusetts by providing tailored technical assistance. During this grant we served 521 beginning farmers in the following topic areas: entrepreneurship
and business training (priority C), financial and risk management
training (priority D), and diversification and marketing strategies
(priority F). Activities included 81 workshops, 19 networking events, and 343 one-on-one assistance consultations, plus detailed program evaluation.
After participating, farmers continued to have access to on-going technical assistance
and peer support through the collaborating organizations. As a result, 92% of participants (520/568 surveys) “moderately increased” knowledge and 66% of
participants (374/568 surveys) “substantially increased” knowledge in the areas of
marketing, business planning, financial analysis, diversification, or
value-added production. By the end of the project we had collected data to confirm that 119 farmers implemented a change (78% of the 134 respondents) and 23 have already seen an increase in their income by at least 5% (45% of the 51 respondents to this question). We believe the success of these outcomes will improve the economy and
food security of the region.
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Award Amount: $626,230
Institution: NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
Project Director: Angel Cruz (aecruz@ncsu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $491,950
Institution: University of Maryland Extension, Baltimore City Office
Project Director: Neith Little (nglittle@umd.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $749,979
Institution: Hoola Veteran Services
Project Director: Emily Emmons (emily@hoolafarms.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $473,915
Institution: Appalachian Sustainable Development
Project Director: Kathlyn Baker (kterry@asdevelop.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The project applicants represent a regional coalition joined across the...
The project applicants represent a regional coalition joined across the Tennessee and Virginia border in a region called the “Heart of Appalachia”. Our coalition represents a 20-year track record of building the local food economy from farm to fork, across all economic classes, across all ages. Through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program we improved start-up opportunities for beginning farmers and ranchers to establish and sustain viable agricultural operations and communities. The coalition developed 4 main objectives in response to feedback from beginning farmers served by our organizations.
- Enhance Regional Coalition: The Coalition increased networking and communication channels through quarterly meetings, an active working relationship between the Program Coordinators, and the development of a mentor learning infrastructure that continues to be successfully executed.
- Whole Farm and Local Market Education: In total 106 students participated in ARC&D's Winter Business Intensive and Field School. An additional 800 individuals particpated in the virtual Summer Field School held in 2020. A demonstration garden showcased the challenges and benefits of wholesale organic production. Over the grant period, 12,500 lbs. of produce was harvested and approximately 966 individuals visited the sites.
- Internship-Mentorship Networking: Farmer and Rancher Mentoring (FARM) was created for adult and youth beginning farmers. Throughout the project period, 47 interns (200 hour and 70 hour) successfully completed the internship program. 31 farmer mentors participated in the educational experience.
- Peer-to-Peer Circles: Peer learning circles are designed to create an educational and support network for farmers. A Women’s Farmer Roundtable was established in October 2018 in Tennessee and are still meeting regularly to date in 2020.The group plans to continue meeting after the project period.
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: Grow Food DBA Viva Farms
Project Director: Michael Frazier (michael@vivafarms.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program 2021 Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $595,133
Institution: Clemson University
Project Director: Dave Lamie (dlamie@clemson.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
As a collaboration of organizations, coordinated and led by Clemson...
As a collaboration of organizations, coordinated and led by Clemson Extension, we are working toward the continuation and further development of the South Carolina New and Beginning Farmer Program (SCNBFP). Clemson Extension launched the SCNBFP in 2011-2013 with the assistance of BFRD funding; an abbreviated program was reintroduced in 2015 without federal assistance. The long-term goals of the SCNBFP are to increase the initial success and long-term viability of new and beginning farm businesses --- and to build long-term statewide and sub-state regional program delivery capacity --- in order to help create and support the cadre of next generation farm operators in South Carolina. The target audience for our proposal is new and beginning farmers in South Carolina (27 of 46 counties are Strike Force communities), including those considered socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers, with a particular focus on non-conventional, specialty crop, and value-added operations at both the novice and intermediate levels. We recently completed the first two years of our three year grant-funded program serving 92 program graduates and 1,163 others through our regional network of workshops across the state. The program continues to attract a diverse array of entrepreneurial beginning farmers interested in learning how to create successful farm businesses and we continue to provide the service or providing the resources they require to the best of our abilities.
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Award Amount: $238,441
Institution: NCAT
Project Director: Tammy Howard (tammyh@ncat.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Over the course of Building Farm Foundations and Planning for...
Over the course of Building Farm Foundations and Planning for Success: Beginning Farmer Training for Military Veterans, we have complete 4 -40 hour Armed to Farm trainings with 90
participants from throughout the Intermountain and North Western US. In addition we did a follow up
training for Armed to Farm Alumni titled Armed to Farm 2.0 a Lean Canvas Enterprise
Planning model with 13 hours of training. This training had 13 Armed to Farm graduates that
wanted to dig into their business plan or try out planning for a new enterprise. Of the 90 veteran participants in
the Armed to Farm training, 23 have started farms and our post training evaluations indicate that 60 made positive changes
to their business planning and production practices as a result of
the trainings.
In an effort to increase the success
of our Armed to Farm graduates, we provided one on one technical assistance at
the trainings as well as follow up technical assistance as needed. This included 55 individual technical assistance sessions by NCAT
staff and our project partners throughout the course of the project. We
have watched a network of veteran farmers grow and solidify through the efforts
of NCAT, the veteran participants, and our project partners. We have a Montana based email
listserve to promote agriculture events of interest for Armed to Farm alumni to
attend. 25% of the Armed to Farm alumni in Montana have joined the national
Armed to Farm Facebook group and participate regularly. Our partner Vilivus Training Institute's efforts to recruit a
veteran apprentice on their organic grain farm, did not materialize. Vilicus
Training Institute, instead, provided mentoring and guidance on organic certification,
USDA program participation, and cover cropping strategies to 10 veteran
farmers.
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Award Amount: $231,679
Institution: National Center for Appropriate Technology
Project Director: Margo Hale (margoh@ncat.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The
National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) partnered with Sterling
College, Farmer...
The
National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) partnered with Sterling
College, Farmer Veteran Coalition of Vermont (FVC) and United Farmer Veterans
of Maine, University of New Hampshire (UNH) Cooperative Extension, Maine
Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) and New Entry Sustainable
Farming Project in Massachusetts to educate and support military veterans in
the Northeast U.S. who are beginning farmers. Our project, Building Farm Foundations and Planning for Success: Beginning Farmer
Training for Military Veterans in the Northeast U.S., has served hundreds of beginning farmers who are military veterans in Vermont, New
Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and other Northeastern states. In the first year of the project we provided training to more than 250 military veteran beginning farmers in each year of our project. These trainings consisted of one-day workshops on various production topics in locations
throughout the Northeast, and an intensive training through the
week-long Armed to Farm program, NCAT’s sustainable agriculture training for
military veterans. The project supported veterans chosen to participate in Sterling College’s six-week Summer
Agriculture Program and Farmstead workshops and provided registrations to MOFGA’s beginning farmer
trainings. The project also offered farm business planning assistance to
military veterans through workshops and one-on-one technical assistance. We worked to build and strengthen the network of
military veteran beginning farmers through outreach and supporting existing
networks.
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Award Amount: $594,372
Institution: University of Vermont Extension
Project Director: Beth Holtzman (beth.holtzman@uvm.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $599,796
Institution: Trustees of Tufts College
Project Director: Jennifer Hashley (jennifer.hashley@tufts.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Existing apprenticeship and mentoring programs desire shared guidelines and best...
Existing apprenticeship and mentoring programs desire shared guidelines and best practices to meet clearly articulated learning goals for producers apprenticing and gaining management skills on commercial farms or ranches. Agricultural career pathways beyond apprenticeship also need development. A national learning network to develop shared curriculum and best practices helped elevate the quality of 50+ apprenticeship programs serving over 1,000 producers. This 3-year project brought together leaders in the field of agricultural apprenticeship facilitation to identify gaps and develop new resources and training materials for nonprofits, CBOs, and commercial farms or ranches looking to improve their management or facilitation of apprenticeship learning programs. The project team of 5 core partners and advisors from 24 organizations researched existing apprenticeship program design, curricula, and operations to understand best practices and successes/challenges, liaison with the Department of Labor to understanding formal Apprenticeship requirements for diverse agricultural sectors, and developed a comprehensive “Designing and Delivering a Quality Legal Apprenticeship Program for Beginning Farmer and Ranchers” Toolkit for national distribution. A national “Apprenticeship” clearinghouse website houses project materials, operates a technical assistance referral service, and hosts farm/ranch mentor training modules. Eight national webinars and conference presentations are posted and describe administering quality apprenticeships, and highlight case studies on successful apprenticeship programs. Five regional training-of-trainer workshops for farm and ranch mentors and three annual national conferences supported Apprenticeship programs to share best practices, receive ongoing professional development, evaluate resource materials, and set agendas for future programming. Producer support services for post-apprenticeship programming were explored.
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Award Amount: $299,946
Institution: Community Food & Agriculture Coalition
Project Director: Annie Heuscher (annie@missoulacfac.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Montana's farmers are under significant climatic and market
pressure to create...
Montana's farmers are under significant climatic and market
pressure to create success from limited resources and opportunities. However,
with new partnerships developing across the state to assist beginning farmers
and ranchers (BFRs), support for start-ups is poised to be greater than ever
before. This project has prepared BFRs to take advantage of this expanded
support and enhance on-farm success by providing them with the variety of
business, production, financial, and networking resources they need. Over the past three years, our network has offered 96
workshops and field days for BFRs focusing on business and production topics,
reaching 1,335 participants over 2,500 hours. Of
these participants, approximately 64% had limited resources and 20% considered themselves socially disadvantaged. Our state-specific online clearinghouse,
FarmLinkMontana.org has had almost 90,000 page views by over 14,500 users. The
site includes more than 50 pages of business, legal, financial, marketing, and
production planning resources, as well as tools to connect beginning farmers
and ranchers with land, mentorship, and on-farm employment. We have connected five BFRs with community-based financing through Kiva loans with those farmers
raising $33,600 altogether. Through these and other tools supported by this
project, at least 52 new farms have been started in Montana. These programs are tied together by a focus on
developing collaborative partnerships with organizations from around the state.
Together, our network has developed Montana-specific resources to increase use, by both producers and service providers, of the tools and strategies
available to assist BFRs in making informed decisions for their operations. This project has created a sustainable platform to ensure a positive
future for Montana's next generation of farmers.
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Award Amount: $746,424
Institution: Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
Project Director: Nicole Tautges (ntautges@michaelfields.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $330,828
Institution: North-South Institute
Project Director: Samuel Scott (nsied2002@aol.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The
project’s long term goal bundles USDA Programs and offer them...
The
project’s long term goal bundles USDA Programs and offer them using a
cooperative and agribusiness development approach to increase the participation of 35 New and
Beginning Farmers and Ranchers (BFR) in three selected Treasure Coast counties
in Florida (this was expanded to a fourth county). This is accomplished by providing education, outreach, technical assistance, facilitation of resource mobilization and training
in production and marketing of selected specialty crops, small livestock and honey
bee enterprises. The ultimate goal is to use the principles of cooperative and agribusiness development,
leadership and management to form agribusinesses and cooperative to serve 35
out-grower farms owned and operated by beginning underserved producers. The project is implemented in
three phases over 36 months: Phase I- Information dissemination, Cooperative
and Agribusiness development, & Planning, Phase II- Training and Technical Assistance, and
Demonstration and Phase III- Facilitate Asset Acquisition Assistance and Evaluation. The partnership has completed phases one and two, with the development of three agribusiness groups on 275 acres (including 86 acres of out of
production citrus land) in the pre-cooperative stages developing farms ranging
from 5-20 acres.
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Award Amount: $297,506
Institution: First Nations Development Institute
Project Director: Jackie Francke (jfrancke@firstnations.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
In
Year 2, activities included 5 workshops and trainings that were...
In
Year 2, activities included 5 workshops and trainings that were conducted by
First Nations and/or the three livestock associations. In Year 2, 117 producers
attended and/or received technical assistance to advance their knowledge on
conservation, ranching, marketing, processing, and much more. In
Year 1, the livestock associations were slow to report as a result in Year 1, 8
trainings were not reported they are summarized in the impact report. In
summary, the project proved to impact the advancement of the three livestock
association and their capacity to manage their nonprofits. With technical
assistance they increased their knowledge on grants management, nonprofit
management, community outreach and engagement, and financial management.
The
project also enabled the 3 livestock association to expand their outreach to
Native American producers and explore potential new partnerships. As a result
of their outreach, ND14R Ranch established a new market for cattle that did not
meet the criteria to be deemed source-verified beef. Rather than taking the
cattle to a sale barn they discovered a new market that has enabled them to
receive higher sales that they would not otherwise receive at the sale barn.
They also established a new partnership in the Navajo Agriculture Products
Industry (NAPI) to finish off short sale calves to increase their weight and
quality.
In
addition, as a result of research conducted under the project, Point of Pines
Cattle Association increased their cattle sales. In 2017, upon initiation of
the grant project, the livestock associations were surveyed to identify the
status of their organization, cattle herd, sales, and producers they serve.
When surveyed in 2017, Point of Pines Cattle Association indicated that they
were receiving $0.88/lb on their cattle sales. In 2019, at the conclusion of
the project and through market research their cattle were selling for $1.25/lb.
Unlike private land
owners, Native American producers manage their farms and ranches on trust
lands. To do so, many are required to obtain a grazing and/or land use permit
from the BIA if the permit was passed down to them by parents and/or
grandparents. As such, livestock associations provide a means for Native American
producers to continue ranching in some instances without a grazing permit
because the land has been allocated for the association. The associations serve in a quasi-cooperative
capacity, managing all the producers’ cattle collectively, coordinating cattle
sales, and maintaining herd health. While First Nations indicated that ranching
startups was not applicable, five agribusinesses were initiated, with four of
the businesses engaged in ND14R Ranch.
At time of final project reporting, First
Nations learned that the executive director, Colleen Tessey of the Grasshopper
Livestock Association was recognized with a Governor’s award for her
contribution to Arizona agriculture and her work with the Grasshopper Livestock
Association. She will be recognized at the 5th Annual Arizona Ag Roundtable on December 2, 2019 which will be
attended by the Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue.
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Award Amount: $299,979
Institution: ECO City Farms
Project Director: Margaret Morgan Hubbard (mmh@ecocityfarms.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2019 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $49,697
Institution: Chemeketa Community College
Project Director: Gaelen McAllister (gaelen.mcallister@chemeketa.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $251,237
Institution: Organic Seed Alliance
Project Director: Micaela Colley (micaela@seedalliance.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Organic seed production represents a lucrative and growing specialty agricultural...
Organic seed production represents a lucrative and growing specialty agricultural market. The specialized skill set required to
produce high quality organic seed serves as a barrier to entry into this market. Beginning farmers need specific production and
business knowledge in order to take advantage of this opportunity. This project is training beginning farmers in organic seed
production through seed intensive workshops, written manuals, and by facilitating internships on established organic seed
operations. The long term goals of this project are to a) increase the number of beginning farmers who grow organic seed, and
to b) improve beginning seed producers' practices to increase their profitability, decrease their financial risk, and improve their
conservation practices. To support these goals, this project has trained over 400 beginning farmers in organic seed production
by a) providing a bilingual day-long organic seed intensive workshop and additional organic seed workshops at 3-day
conferences in 2014 and 2016 and bilingual recordings post events, b) providing print and on-line copies of written manuals on
organic seed production, c) supporting structured seed internships on seed farms, and d) conducting six webinars on seed
production. These goals and objectives support BFRDP priority topics by providing beginning farmers with production, business,
marketing, and conservation strategies. Our target audience includes limited resource beginning farmers, socially
disadvantaged Latino beginning farmers, and immigrant and other farm workers. 35% of the budget is dedicated to reaching
and serving this target audience. The project team has worked extensively with beginning farmers in the past, delivering
multiple Organic Seed Growers Conferences, introductory seed production workshops, training manuals, and an online
database linking organic seed producers with seed purchasers.
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Award Amount: $500,352
Institution: Sierra Harvest
Project Director: Molly Nakahara (molly@sierraharvest.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $100,000
Institution: World Farmers Inc
Project Director: Maria Moreira (mmoreira@worldfarmers.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The long-term goal of this one year Development project was...
The long-term goal of this one year Development project was to build the agricultural capacity among beginning, immigrant, and refugee farmers in Massachusetts to operate their own independent farming enterprises, to increase farmer ownership rates, and to build environmental stewardship. The Flats Mentor Farm (FMF) is a program of World Farmers (WF) which provides land and agriculture production infrastructure for beginning farmers while they evaluate the sustainability of farming as a way of life for themselves and their families. This one year development project proposal helped achieve the following objectives: 1) Provide technical assistance to beginning farmers according to their level of capacity in the three phases of the Flats Mentoring Program; 2) Provide tools and develop skills on financial and risk management; 3) Increase beginning farmer participation in USDA programs. In the area of training and technical assistance, this project addressed the immediate needs identified by the immigrant and refugee farmer participants at FMF to better understand the complexities of farming in New England: crop production practices, entrepreneurship and business training, financial and risk management, marketing strategies, food safety practices and outreach to USDA programs. The FMF beginning farmer training model is built on 30 years of experience in working hands-on with refugees and immigrants. The FMF program is based on a model of assessing and defining farmers in the three identified levels of beginning farmers’ capacity and providing training and technical assistance that respects each culture, and the capacity of each farmer to participate on both physical and emotional level.
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Award Amount: $100,000
Institution: Center of Southwest Culture, Inc.
Project Director: Arturo Sandoval (vocesinc@gmail.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The Center of Southwest Culture's Cooperative Center (CODECE) project received...
The Center of Southwest Culture's Cooperative Center (CODECE) project received $100,000 in USDA funding to provide technical assistance to underserved communities--specifically for Indigenous communities--to form two new farming cooperatives. The cooperatives will not only be sustainable over the long-run, but they will also serve as a community-wide collective investments that will provide members with meaningful returns to help augment their existing incomes. CODECE targeted underserved Native American communities who are threatened by poverty and lack of economic opportunity, but have access to arable land and water rights. CODECE formed cooperatives with an emphasis on members having a relationship based on kinship. Forming organic farming cooperatives is an effective way for beginning farmers to efficiently leverage resources and increase profitability. Several successful 'buy local' campaigns such as Farm-to-Table and Farm-to-Restaurant have created a situation where the demand for local and organic produce far outstrips the current supply. The farmers grew organic produce, that is overall more profitable and in higher demand. The funds were used to conduct the following activities: guide members in the production of more profitable crops like organic fruits and vegetables; implemented production and management strategies to enhance land stewardship among these farmers; provided hands-on technical assistance in incorporation, by-laws and articles of incorporation; provided basic business training in budgets, taxes and other business-related activities; provided farm plans, including sequential planting, crop rotations, crop selection for optimum market share; provided access to investment capital; connected members to organic food markets; and developed a long-term professional relationship with these new cooperatives to ensure their longevity and viability. We incorporated two farming cooperatives during the life of the grant. In addition, the project created 10 new jobs.
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: Virginia State University
Project Director: William Crutchfield (wcrutchfield@vsu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $591,773
Institution: Western Colorado Food and Agriculture Council DBA Valley Food Partnership
Project Director: Penelope Powell (penelope@valleyfoodpartnership.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program 2021 Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $749,891
Institution: Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
Project Director: Ryan Dennett (rdennett@mofga.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
This project, which built on previously successful BFRDP funded initiatives,...
This project, which built on previously successful BFRDP funded initiatives, provided targeted services that measurably improved the sustainability of Maine’s beginning farmers. The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) goals were to: 1) Continue enhancing the effective Journeyperson Program; 2) Develop and launch a program to address the unique needs of “advanced-beginners (5+ years of experience);” and 3) Implement innovative strategies to increase overall reach, accessibility, and impact of our farmer training programs.
1) Success in training farmers, as well as providing the skills needed for a demanding marketplace, has always been the hallmark of MOFGA’s Journeyperson Program (JP). During the past ten years, 240 new farmers have graduated from the program. Equipped with innovative production, management, and marketing skills, these farmers have created more than 140 farm businesses.
2) In early 2019 we developed and launched the Maine Farm Resilience Program for advanced- beginning farmers needing to work through a strategic pivot point in their business trajectory. Among countless other resources, we provided mentors, technical service providers and an educational stipend to 24 advanced-beginning farmers to appropriately scale their businesses and help them get back on track.
3) We capitalized on the success of our peer-learning programs to create a broader network of support for beginning farmers; what began as in-person “Regional Gatherings” morphed into online “Producer Meetings” at the advent of COVID. We fostered closer relationships with military veteran and immigrant farmers by working with related organizations. These efforts culminated in 431 beginning farmers participating in these programs.
Overall, and as a direct result of BFRDP’s support in the past three years, we trained 80 Journeypersons on 59 farms. Our Agricultural Services Specialists provided on farm technical assistance to 145 farms. We conducted workshops, trainings and educational events for a total of 2,232 educational engagements with farmers.
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Award Amount: $505,144
Institution: University of Idaho
Project Director: Iris Mayes (imayes@uidaho.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The purpose of Cultivating Success: A
Comprehensive Beginning Farmer Training and...
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.
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Award Amount: $49,486
Institution: Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust Inc
Project Director: George Spring Buffalo (chiefgeorgespring@gmail.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $750,000
Institution: Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship
Project Director: Joseph Tomandl, III (joe@dairygrazingapprenticeship.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
“Dairy
Grazing Apprenticeship: A National Program for Training New Dairy Farmers”...
“Dairy
Grazing Apprenticeship: A National Program for Training New Dairy Farmers” was
a renewal Standard Grant building on work previously supported by USDA-NIFA’s
Beginning Farmers and Rancher Development Program through a 2010 Development
Grant “GrassWorks Apprenticeship Program: A Pilot Project for Training
Beginning Farmers” and a 2011 Standard Grant “GrassWorks Apprenticeship
Program: Career Paths for Beginning Farmers.” Accomplishments of this project
include establishment of Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA) as a national
program under the United States Department of Labor-Office of
Apprenticeship, strengthening of DGA in all states by developing a systematic
approach to providing services to participants, and development of programming
in Missouri, especially, but also with partner organizations covering the
states of Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
Pennsylvania, and Vermont.
Our target audience consisted of current dairy farmers seeking to
transition out of farming or grow their operation by investing in the next
generation and aspiring dairy farmers who are seeking a pathway to independent
farm ownership. Among aspiring dairy farmers are young people, students, women,
veterans, hired hands, herdsmen, farm managers, and farm workers. Barriers for
aspiring dairy farmers include a lack of a) skills and experience in
sustainable methods; b) opportunity to farm full-time, as dairy production
requires, while learning; c) training in financial management and business
planning; d) familiarity with agricultural infrastructure; and e) access to
capital, land, and cattle.
The first formal
Apprenticeship for farming in the nation, DGA directly addresses barriers to
commodity-scale dairy farming by combining paid, work-based training on private
dairy farms with related instruction and providing support for aspiring farmers
to transition into independent dairy farm ownership. Over the course of this
project, DGA provided a combine total of more than 79,000 hours of on-farm
training and 5000 hours of related instruction to over 70 Apprentices.
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Award Amount: $596,625
Institution: Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship
Project Director: Joseph Tomandl (joe@dga-national.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Dairy
Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA) is National Apprenticeship under the U.S.
Department of...
Dairy
Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA) is National Apprenticeship under the U.S.
Department of Labor. The first formal Apprenticeship for farming in the nation,
the two-year 4000 hour program combines paid on-farm training with related
instruction to facilitate the transfer of knowledge, skills, and farms to the
next generation. This BFRDP-EET project aims to establish DGA as a standard
career pathway for economically and environmentally sustainable commodity-scale
dairy producers.
Originating
in Wisconsin in 2010, DGA has steadily expanded in response to significant
interest from dairy farmers, as well as universities and community based
organizations. The project allows DGA and its partners to strengthen the
program and improve capacity to deliver high quality comprehensive work-based
training by meeting the following objectives: 1)
Providing training and support to DGA Masters (train the trainer) to improve
Apprentice learning experience. 2) Provide continuing training and resources to
DGA graduates to facilitate their transition to farm ownership. 3) Develop and
receive accreditation for DGA's own related instruction curriculum that is more
fully integrated with the experiential learning aspects of the Apprenticeship,
ensuring consistent quality and access nationwide. Other
collaborators: Cornell University Extension, the Pennsylvania
Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Maine, University of Maine Extension, University of Vermont Extension, Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota. Federal
funds allocated to NGO/CBO/SAEOs: 85%. Budget
toward veterans and underserved audiences: Among current 33 DGA Apprentices:
seven female (21%), two veterans (6%), and twelve farm workers (36%). Previous BFRDP projects for PD Joseph Tomandl, III:
2010 Development Grant #2010-49400-21902, 2011 Standard Grant #
2011-49400-30540; 2014 Standard Grant # 2015-70017-22879
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Award Amount: $100,000
Institution: Sustainable Farming Association
Project Director: John Mesko (john@sfa-mn.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
During this project, we focused our efforts on those individuals...
During this project, we focused our efforts on those individuals who do not have direct access to a farming operation in their immediate or extended family. Most of our participants were from non-farming backgrounds. Several of our students were mid-career professionals seeking an alternative work situation. Numerous intake programs were held to develop interest in and awareness of the program. Two Farm Skills 101 Sessions were held, each consisting of 3 on farm, hands on, skills based trainings. Fifteen people participated in these events. Subsequently, several networking sessions were held around various intermediate and advanced farming concepts. These networking sessions helped beginning farmers to build confidence in their knowledge gained and skills learned, while simultaneously building their personal contact network of trusted professionals and honest critics. A mobile Deep Roots Training Pod was developed and stocked with tools and equipment necessary for delivering current and future Farm Skills 101 training. An online educational platform was developed via social media for fostering deep learning in classic agrarian literature, as well as connecting students with community members, leaders and mentors. As a result, over 180 people received instruction in beginning farmer skills and concepts. Specifically, 34 students participated in evaluated portions of the program and affirmed they have or will: - demonstrate knowledge of resilient business management and marketing.
- understand the skills required for different types of farming.
- apply foundational natural and social science knowledge relevant to establishing and maintaining a farm business.
The results of this program have been published in our e-newsletter as well as our annual report.
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Award Amount: $681,628
Institution: Mississippi Delta Council for Farm Worker Opportunities, Inc.
Project Director: DONALD GREEN (mdcfwoi@cableone.net)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
In the second project year, Delta
Farming Start delivered technical assistance,...
In the second project year, Delta
Farming Start delivered technical assistance, mentoring, and intensive,
targeted training in farming start-up, farming practice and management, AG
related business, and other critical areas to 45 selected participants.
Participants are 100% African American, limited resource,
socially-disadvantaged, small farm and ranch or are currently farmworkers.
Participants are also 100% focused on specialty crop production. Participants
completed quarterly 2-day training, received and will continue to receive
ongoing one on one coaching and visits to their farms, soil testing with
financial resources for soil preparation, tilling, row creation, and precision
seeding equipment through the Delta Farming Start program for the life of the
project. Participants were either prepared to start small independent farm
operations or other agriculture-related self-employment, or to grow and
diversify their existing limited resource farming operations.
In addition to 1,698 hours of training, coaching and mentoring, the MDC
Delta Farm Start, BFRDP project year 2, Delta Farm Start has provided 1) 45
micro grants of $500 to participants for start-up or expansion expenses
covering 102 acres of participant land, 2) access to 44 acres of donated
land, 3) access to tractors, tilling and precision seeding equipment, at
low or no cost to participating farmers, 4) connection to irrigation and
hoop house resources, 5) connection to processing plant, 6) MDC
cold transportation and cold storage for product, and 7) secured
aggregate buyers for participants. (*Note: Please See Steps section below for
additional detail on services provided to participants.) Individual participant earnings project year 2 ROI: Delta Farm Start project year 2 return on micro grant investment to farmers (ROI) = 812% Of 45 funded
micro-grants of $500, a $22,000 investment, grant recipients as well as an additional 10 participants who were
not grant recipients but existing farmers have jointly increased their total
annual earnings by $178,636.
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Award Amount: $300,000
Institution: Texas Agriforestry Small Farmers and Ranchers
Project Director: Igalious Mills (igalikemills@swbell.net)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $750,000
Institution: Alabama A&M University
Project Director: Duncan M Chembezi (duncan.chembezi@aamu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $524,632
Institution: Prairie View A&M University
Project Director: Billy Lawton (bclawton@pvamu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
This project has recruited and enhanced the sustainability of new...
This project has recruited and enhanced the sustainability of new and beginning farmers and ranchers in Texas by helping them develop successful farm and ranch operations using the "Model Farm Concept". (1) We have established and in the process of starting model farms on our campus farm and in several of the counties that we have agents located. The model farms includes High Tunnels for year round vegetable production, one acre commercial gardening plots (43,560 Initiative), strawberries, grafted cucumber production, sweet potatoes and peas production. We have also conducted workshops and field days to expose producers to these production areas and to connect them to mentor farmers/ranchers as well as USDA personnel. (2) We have provided scale-appropriate instructional and experiential training in production, business management and marketing; via field days, bus tours and workshops. We have engaged producers in hands-on-learning some examples of this have been the Agriculture Field Day, Small Farm Outreach Workshop, Soil Health Series, and Agroforestry Workshop. (3) We have developed an effective partnerships between Beginning Farmers and Ranchers (BFRs) and USDA, State agencies, CBOs and other successful farmers by creating mentorship opportunities and facilitating information sharing on programs and services available to them. (4) We have developed a BFR database in which we delivered targeted program and marketing information as well a disseminated information to our target audience. This has been a joint effort between the Agricultural and Natural Resource (AGNR) unit of our Cooperative Extension Program (CEP) and the two prominent CBOs working closely together.
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: The University of Arizona
Project Director: Russell Tronstad (tronstad@ag.arizona.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
This proposal emphasizes the priority topic areas of: basic...
This proposal emphasizes the priority topic areas of: basic livestock and crop farming practices; entrepreneurship and business training; financial and risk management training; diversification and marketing strategies; curriculum development; mentoring; and resources/referral. Our target audience will directly reach 7 larger reservations in AZ and limited-resource Beginning Ranchers and Farmers in the southeast, central, northeast, and northwest regions of the State. BRs have never been targeted from these regions before and many new BRs (42 districts @ about 7/district) plus ranch hands have been identified through the AZ Assoc. of Conservation Districts. Of the 17 locations proposed, 5 locations include growing the enterprises of BFs that started during the PDs last BFRDP. To address the desire for more resources and expertise through one-on-one assistance, 6 County Ag Agents and 6 Tribal Agents have been brought on board. As requested from prior participants, we are also integrating several farm and ranch field days into our management schools. Each BF and BR participant will be solicited to attend a management school every quarter. To develop synergies between BFs and BRs, content that is relevant for both crop and livestock producers (e.g., FSA loan programs, niche marketing, recordkeeping) will be provided in-between crop and livestock oriented curriculum at the same locations when possible. We expect to reach at least 355 unique BFs and BRs. Management topics proposed include: livestock nutrition, mineral supplementation, reproduction, pests, diseases, irrigation, and frost cloth as a moisture, pest, and marketing tool for specialty crops.
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Award Amount: $442,616
Institution: North-South Institute
Project Director: Samuel Scott (nsied2002@aol.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2019 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $748,347
Institution: Kansas State University
Project Director: Allen Featherstone (afeather@ksu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $652,852
Institution: University of Georgia
Project Director: Julia Gaskin (jgaskin@uga.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The overall goal was to increase the number of small...
The overall goal was to increase the number of small to mid-scale sustainable farms in Georgia. To do this, we developed a comprehensive, statewide training program for beginning farmers that can be easily sustained into the future. We leveraged resources through partnerships with UGA Extension, Georgia Organics, Fort Valley State University, Georgia Department of Agriculture, the UGA Small Business Development Center, and the Ag Credits Union of Georgia. The program includes Small Farm Business Planning Training/AgAware Training, a Small Fruit & Vegetable Production Training or Small Ruminant Production Training, and a Hands-on internship/mentorship/incubator opportunity. We have hosted the full program in 10 counties throughout Georgia and two other counties offered just Small Farm Business training, overall we had 447 unique participants take part in the program. We met or exceeded 11 of our 14 goals for the program: - Small Farm Business Planning Training/AgAware Attendance: 367 (Goal=350)
- Number that improved business practices: 359 (Goal=350)
- Small Fruit and Vegetable Production Attendance: 117 (Goal=150)
- Small Ruminant Production Attendance: 90 (Goal 45)
- Number that improved production practices: 200 (Goal=195)
- Number Hands-On participants: 57 (Goal 69)
- Number that completed all three steps: 43 (Goal 69)
- Number of facilitated webinar courses: 12 (Goal=7)
- Number of courses developed: 3 (Goal=3)
- Number of new farmers as a result of program: 90% CI [31-102] (Goal 35)
- Number of beginning farmers in program: 143 (Goal 35)
- Number of beginning, minority farmers: 139 (Goal 12)
- Number of trainers trained to teach: 20 + 10 assisted (Goal=11)
- Number of farmer networks strengthened: 12 (Goal=7)
The program will continue to run in Georgia and can be used as a frame work for other states as well.
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Award Amount: $536,612
Institution: ASAP
Project Director: Molly Nicholie (molly@asapconnections.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The goal of this project was to enhance the viability...
The goal of this project was to enhance the viability of new and beginning farmers (NBFs) in WNC by providing them with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to start and/or grow successful farm operations focused on direct market opportunities. In achieving this goal, project activities provided NBFs with training, technical assistance, and resources to develop and implement direct marketing strategies in four key areas: - Marketing - we helped NBFs build and establish their farm brand (farm identity, values, story), and develop and implement a marketing plan (through communications and direct market channels). 150 NBFs learned and implemented new direct marketing strategies, project goal was 160.
- Farm business planning - we helped NBFs use farm business financials and recordkeeping to manage and develop direct market business plan. 112 NBFs learned business planning/recordkeeping strategies, project goal was 100.
- Production for direct markets - we helped NBFs develop applicable production planning and management strategies including crops/varieties to grow, food safety, post harvest handling, and pest/disease control options. 77 NBFs developed and/or implemented crop plans for direct market channels, project goal was 90.
- Development of market opportunities - we helped drive consumer demand for, and connection to, direct market channels (CSA, agritourism, farmers markets). 231 NBFs participated in (and benefited from) print and radio direct market promotions featuring CSAs, farmers markets, farm tours, upick, and other direct markets, project goal was 160.
Despite the challenges introduced by the advent and continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the need to adapt workshop and resource content and format to meet the demands of an unprecedented time, it is apparent this approach to assisting New and Beginning Farmers (NBFS) in western North Carolina was ultimately successful as the majority of project deliverables were met or exceeded.
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Award Amount: $427,740
Institution: Tyonek Tribal Conservation District
Project Director: Christy Cincotta (ccincotta@tyonek.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
This project provided training, education, outreach and technical assistance to...
This project provided training, education, outreach and technical assistance to Alaska Native Beginning Farmers and Ranchers associated with tribal conservation districts throughout Alaska. The primary goal for the project was to enhance food security in Alaska Native Villages by increasing knowledge, skills, and tools for Alaska Native socially disadvantaged beginning farmers and ranchers to create sustainable agricultural systems and informed decisions on its operations in communities. To achieve the project goals, TTCD developed, organized, and implemented a mixed-method Education/Training and Outreach Program aimed at Alaska Native Beginning Farmers and Ranchers. TTCD held in-person workshops, implemented and modeled conservation practices, created planning and business resources, and created videos that were shared with beginning farmers and ranchers. Project staff and partners provided support and technical assistance linking Alaska Native Beginning Farmers and Ranchers with resources and programs that enhance and support the start up of local farms in Alaska Native Villages to provide food, encourage community development, and support jobs for local farmers. Goal #1 - Improve food security in low income rural Alaska Native Villages (ANVs) that have limited access to supermarkets. Objective 1.1 - Develop, organize, and implement a mixed-method Education/Training Program for Alaska Native Beginning Farmers and Ranchers (ANBFR). Objective 1.2 - Develop, organize, and implement Outreach Program to Alaska Tribal Conservation Districts (ATCDs) and ANBFRs in their community. Goal #2 - Encourage low cost, sustainable, and effective farming methods for socially disadvantaged ANBFRs in ANVs. Objective 2.1 - Document and share low cost conservation practice demonstrations in Tyonek's Farm using local resources to be duplicated by other ANVs and ANBFRs. Objective 2.2 - Create a business plan to support business operations and development for Tyonek's Farm and as an educational tool for the Education/Training and Outreach Programs. Objective 2.3 - Provide technical assistance to ANBFR on planning, programs supporting local food production, and funding opportunities.
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Award Amount: $743,029
Institution: ISED Solutions / Third Sector New England
Project Director: Hugh Joseph (hughjoseph@comcast.net)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
ISED Solutions started its EET award collaboration
with 20 refugee farming...
ISED Solutions started its EET award collaboration
with 20 refugee farming incubator projects (RFIPs) nationwide, to review
beginning farmer curricula and programs for refugees, identify the gaps and develop, pilot test, and
distribute specialized curricula, course workshop modules, and multiple instructional
tools and manuals for instructors and technical assistance providers. We also focused increasingly
on specialized methods – skills development that also lacking among RFIPs
personnel, and that lacking these can put refugee projects and farmers at a large developmental
disadvantage. Achievements related to the major
objectives were: *Established three EET project teams: Developers, Evaluators (Testers) and Advisory team. *Collected over 100 existing curricula, identified gaps, and establish development priorities. Posted onto a Google drive for partner and staff access and use. Converted / upgraded more than 30 to post to website for brand access. *Planned and initiated development of 26 new modules incorporating audience content with instructional methods targeting farmers, and/or instructor training or guidance tools targeting trainers. *Planned and began developing comprehensive skills and capacity development for RFIP trainers / instructors, via written guidance, webinars, conference calls, readings, and meeting presentations. *Organized six multi-day meetings to bring together all partners, and also connect with other incubators, in sync with the New Entry/NIFTI annual conference in the fall. *Supported a Community of Practice development approach via national meetings, webinars, conference calls, emails, resource sharing, and joint planning and development of resources designed for use by any or all interested refugee farming incubators. *Began dissemination via Farm Answers, New Entry / NIFTI, IRC, and other partners. *Attended USDA/BFRDP grantee meetings every year. As of Years 3&4, we posted over 60 new and expanded resources. These are available here: https://nesfp.org/new-american-resources. Also, a comprehensive teaching handbook was developed for staff who are providing (T&TA) in immigrant and refugee farmer-training programs. There have been over 4500 downloads.
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: Oregon State University
Project Director: Garry Stephenson (garry.stephenson@oregonstate.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The
long-term goal of our project is to increase the number...
The
long-term goal of our project is to increase the number of beginning farmers
and ranchers in Oregon who achieve financial
and environmental sustainability and “graduate” into their second decade
of farming feeling stable, confident, and successful. The focus is on farm profitability
and environmental sustainability. Our proposed project is significantly shaped
by our research for the past three years on the stages of development of farms
and farmers, which identified four distinct stages in which farmers seek and
are ready for different types of information, training, and mentoring. Using this
framework, the objectives for this proposal build on and expand our current
program and will make our educational programs and materials available to other
regions and audiences. 1) Develop new advanced-level online modules for
instructional learning, online and classroom, and refine an existing basic
module based on farm developmental stages. 2) Continue current and add new
advanced-level experiential learning demonstration projects at our three
established teaching farms located in regions with high demand for BFR
programming. 3) Continue successful facilitation of farmer networks organized
by gender, geography and cropping system. 4) Support and actively engage with
the statewide Beginning Farmer and Rancher Working Group of the Oregon
Community Food Systems Network. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we have successfully adapted our approach to educational workshops, field days, and meetings using virtual technology.
This
project includes two collaborating non-profit organizations: Oregon Tilth, Inc.
and the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Working Group of the Oregon Community Food
Systems Network.
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Award Amount: $167,942
Institution: Northwest Natural Resource Group
Project Director: Kirk Hanson (kirk@nnrg.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The long-term goal
of Empowering New Forest Owners in the Northwest...
The long-term goal
of Empowering New Forest Owners in the Northwest is to promote forest
stewardship and market strategies that improve the health of forest ecosystems
while increasing economic prosperity for new forest owners. Forest ownership is
changing in Oregon and Washington as companies and larger ownerships divest
their timber holdings closest to metropolitan regions; thereby fragmenting
large tracts into smaller ownerships. Often these former industrial timber
plantations consist of single species, even-aged stands, with dense stocking
intended for short rotations (25-40 years).
Many new forest owners are not aware that these heavily altered
forests need active management to improve ecosystem functions and reduce
vulnerability to pests, diseases, and wildfire. New owners indicate purchasing
forestland for privacy, aesthetics, wildlife, and as an investment.
Ecologically-based forest management involves practices that align with new
forest owners’ objectives, such as uneven-aged, multi-species silviculture,
that increases biodiversity, and optimizes timber production for niche markets.
Northwest Natural Resource Group (NNRG) along with our partners, West Multnomah
Soil and Water Conservation District, Build Local Alliance, University of
Washington, state agencies, extension educators, natural resource
professionals, and other non-profits developed educational materials, hosted
workshops paired with forest tours, provided one-on-one site visits, coaching
and management planning, and timber harvest assistance targeted to beginning
producers.
We engaged >540 workshop participants, provided 144 site visits across 5,000
acres, developed stewardship and marketing plans for 36 producers owning 1,770
acres, assisted 39 producers in conducting conservation practices including
invasives species control and young stand thinning, helped 4 producers prepare
to complete harvests, and assisted 6 producers in completing commercial
thinning harvests that contributed >$220,000 to the regional economy.
The ultimate outcome of this project is a growing network of
forest owners who are empowered to actively steward their land for optimized
forest products, resilience, ecosystem services, and other values.
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Award Amount: $523,355
Institution: Community Food & Agriculture Coalition
Project Director: Bonnie Buckingham (cfacinfo@missoulacfac.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Montana is a challenging place to start farming. A short...
Montana is a challenging place to start farming. A short growing season combined with long distances to small markets create a difficult environment for beginning farmers and ranchers (BFRs). Nonetheless, over the past four years of our work with BFRs, we have seen high levels of enthusiasm, commitment, and hard work towards starting agricultural operations. It is an exciting time to work with beginning farmers in Montana. The goals of this project are two-fold: to increase the number of successful and sustainable beginning farmers and ranchers in Montana by providing an effective and comprehensive array of classroom-based, on-farm, and one-on-one training and technical assistance opportunities; and to increase the ability of those BFRs to succeed by enhancing existing resources and creating new, Montana-specific resources focused on targeted needs, including land access, financing, and a broader network of support services. We will achieve these goals through a coordinated set of workshops serving farmers throughout the first ten years of operation, technical assistance to complete business plans and access financing, and development of new financing tools and statewide resources through Farm Link Montana and a network of service providers. Ultimately, this project will not only increase the number of BFRs in Montana; it will give BFRs the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations. This project follows work funded by various USDA agencies, including BFRDP, and will enhance the networks and services those projects kickstarted and institutionalize these programs for long-term sustainability of BFR support in Montana.
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Award Amount: $299,353
Institution: The Food Group
Project Director: Laura Mirafuentes (lmirafuentes@thefoodgroupmn.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
This project builds on the success of two previous BFRDP...
This project builds on the success of two previous BFRDP awards to Minnesota Food Association (MFA), now a program of The Food Group known by our farm name, "Big River Farms". The Big River Farms training program is a national leader in providing land-based, intensive and experiential training to beginning farmers from diverse backgrounds, including immigrants, refugees, women, limited-resource farmers, and African-, Asian-, and Hispanic-American farmers. The goals of this project are to: 1) Continue offering beginning, socially disadvantaged farmers comprehensive training in organic vegetable production, with access to land and markets; 2) Utilize partnerships to improve training curriculum, develop new tools, and increase accessibility of the farmer education program. This project continues the successful Big River Farms training program, incubator farm, and annual conference for socially disadvantaged farmers (the largest in the country), while developing enhanced services in the areas of farm business management, financial risk management and goal-setting. Video technology has been utilized to increase the accessibility of our training curriculum for a variety of farmer audiences. This project includes partnerships with Land Stewardship Project (LSP), Hmong American Partnership (HAP), and New Entry Sustainable Farming Project's National Incubator Farm Training Initiative (NIFTI) to reach more farmers and share new tools created. This project was designed to address specific needs expressed by beginning SDA farmers and was informed by results from past projects, particularly the need for more assistance with farm financial viability over the long term.
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Award Amount: $355,538
Institution: KNOX, Inc.
Project Director: Lindsay White (lindsayw@knoxhartford.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $282,902
Institution: High Desert Food & Farm Alliance
Project Director: Katrina Van Dis (katrina@hdffa.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $538,271
Institution: WINSTON COUNTY SELF HELP COOPERATIVE
Project Director: Frank Taylor (fltaylor@bellsouth.net)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $597,599
Institution: Future Harvest - Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture
Project Director: Sarah Sohn (sarah@futureharvestcasa.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, of Maryland's 12,400...
According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, of Maryland's 12,400 farms, 20 percent are owned by people 65 years or older - a percentage that rises with the addition of farms owned by 55-65 year olds. With agriculture the largest industry in Maryland, contributing 350,000 jobs, the mass loss of farmers and their expertise in the upcoming 5-10 years, coupled with land-access obstacles for new farmers, could create a labor and farming vacuum with grave effects on the state's economy. What's more, agriculture remains the single largest source of sediment and nutrient pollution to the Chesapeake Bay, contributing 40% of nitrogen and 50% of phosphorus, according to the Chesapeake Bay Program. Much of this can be reduced by farmers well trained in cover cropping, drip irrigation, buffers, rotational grazing, and other conservation innovations that also allow them to remain profitable.
The Ensuring New Farmers' Long-Term Commercial Success: A Comprehensive Beginner Farmer Training Program for Maryland project collaborative developed and implemented a comprehensive program for first-year and intermediate-level farmers that included: 1) a supportive mentor community and resources for farmer success over the long haul; 2) specialized training in grazing, urban farming, and restaurant marketing for those interested; 3) a market outlet for new Baltimore area farmers, Chesapeake Farm to Table, which is set up to work with and train new farmers; and 4) needs-based mini-grants and flexible apprenticeship scheduling to meet needs of socially disadvantaged and low-income farmers. The project played a critical role in growing a new farmer workforce well-trained in practices that ensure long-term economic success, reduce agricultural pollution to the Chesapeake Bay, and build soil health.
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Award Amount: $582,400
Institution: University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Project Director: David Handley (david.handley@maine.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program 2021 Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $49,999
Institution: Kansas Rural Center
Project Director: Ryan Goertzen-Regier (ryangr@kansasruralcenter.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $150,000
Institution: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Project Director: Juli Obudzinski (jobudzinski@sustainableagriculture.net)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
As interest in new farmer training continues to grow across...
As interest in new farmer training continues to grow across the country, and more new farmer training projects launch every year, it is imperative that we better understand how to design the most effective and successful new farmer training programs, as well as demonstrate the impacts federal investment have on growing the next generation of farmers. Since the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) was first created in 2008, over $145 million has been invested to support nearly 300 new farmer training projects impacting farmers in every state across the country. While each project is required to track and report outcomes and impacts, until this evaluation was conducted, no national-level analysis had ever been completed of BFRDP as a whole. Our project team developed and published the first-ever comprehensive evaluation of BFRDP funded projects by analyzing qualitative and quantitative data from project reports, surveying BFRDP project leaders, writing successful project vignettes, and assessing the long-term impacts of completed projects. With this project, we sought to better understand both the short and long-term outcomes and impacts of BFRDP as a whole, and to better understand the factors that lead to more successful new farmer training projects.
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Award Amount: $599,820
Institution: University of Callifornia - Santa Cruz
Project Director: Daniel Press (dpress@ucsc.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The long-term goal of this project is to support the...
The long-term goal of this project is to support the development of strong, effective, and long-lasting farmer and rancher training programs to ensure that beginning farmers and ranchers (BFRs) can enter the field and establish successful farming businesses. This educational enhancement team project aimed to meet this goal by equipping BFR training organizations nationally with tools and skills to effectively conduct evaluations that clearly document program impact, improve programming, and enable program staff to identify and respond to farmer needs. Such documentation and program improvements was intended to increase participants' success and provide the accountability needed for the long-term viability of BFR programs. Over the entire project term, from September 1, 2018 to August 31, 2022, the project served over 222 unduplicated individuals (not all sessions could be assessed) who attended 7 webinars and 18 learning community sessions (there were 577 including duplicates). Additionally, many more have accessed our online materials. From post session surveys, 95% at least somewhat agreed that the knowledge gained was useful, and 88% reported they at least somewhat agreed they were inspired to make changes or improvements to their program’s evaluation efforts. There were 49% that reported that they used something they learned from engaging with the GREW project sessions or resources.
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: Utah State University
Project Director: Kynda Curtis (kynda.curtis@usu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $749,689
Institution: Renewing the Countryside
Project Director: Jan Joannides (jan@rtcinfo.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program 2021 Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $799,742
Institution: ISED Solutions / TSNE MIssionworks
Project Director: Hugh Joseph (hughjoseph@comcast.net)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Educational Team
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $552,142
Institution: Practical Farmers of Iowa
Project Director: Sarah Carlson (sarah.carlson@practicalfarmers.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $554,548
Institution: Organic Farm School
Project Director: Sebastian Aguilar (sebastian@organicfarmschool.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
This project served new and existing beginning farmers and ranchers...
This project served new and existing beginning farmers and ranchers (BFRs) on islands in NW Washington State and beyond through providing education and training, access to land and technical assistance. A collaboration of five organizations, this project worked to improve and expand the resources and opportunities available to these BFRs. This project worked through five objectives including; 1) offering numerous workshops on a variety of topics such as poultry processing, forage production, business planning, food safety and more, 2) expanded a full-time farmer training program to include more thorough training on livestock and forage production as well as expanded mechanics, financial management and marketing training, 3) created a program to assist BFR access to available and/or underutilized farmland, 4) offered technical assistance on business planning, financial management, and marketing, and 5) created a mentoring program linking regional elder farmers to local BFRs.
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Award Amount: $384,649
Institution: Land Stewardship Project
Project Director: Amy Bacigalupo (amyb@landstewardshipproject.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Title: Farm Beginnings from Regional to National: Beginning Farmers and...
Title: Farm Beginnings from Regional to National: Beginning Farmers and Viable Farms Initiative Project Director, Amy Bacigalupo, Land Stewardship Project (LSP) Project co-Director, Peg Schaeffer, Angelic Organic Learning Center (AOLC) Project co-Director, Frank James, Dakota Rural Action (DRA) The long-term goal of the Farm Beginnings Collaborative (FBC) is to expand the use of farmer-to-farmer training models as a proven approach for increasing the number and viability of farms producing food for local and regional food systems. To reach this goal we have prioritized the following objectives for the next three years: ? Identify gaps and improve financial planning education for beginning farmers; ? Replicate Farm Beginnings with 3 to 5 new organizations joining the FBC; ? Expand the capacity of Farm Beginnings programs to reach socially disadvantaged farmers; and ? Increase the use of USDA programs by beginning farmers. As a result of this project we have increased the knowledge of 14 beginning farmer trainers in financial planning education; we helped 5 farmer training organizations adopt curriculum that is equitable and inclusive for diverse audiences (DE&I); provided training that moved 6 organizations from neutral to somewhat skilled with using DE&I curriculum and we published "Farm Beginnings: Improving Financial Skills for Beginning Farmers" and provided training to over 95 beginning farmer trainers. We helped 5 organizations adopt Farm Beginnings tools and curriculum and NOFA Vermont joined the Farm Beginnings Collaborative. The long term impact of this project will be that there are more successful beginning farmers served through expanded and improved farmer-to-farmer training programs that are connected to the Farm Beginnings Collaborative from resources generated through this project.
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: Alcorn State University
Project Director: Elizabeth Myles (emyles@alcorn.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The overall goal of the Farm Management Educational Program (FMEP)...
The overall goal of the Farm Management Educational Program (FMEP) was to recruit, train and equip 300 new, beginning farmers and ranchers (BFRs) with the tools and resources necessary to generate and implement a feasible farm plan, becoming sustainable in vegetable and meat goat production. The objectives for year 1 were to provide educational training and hands-on demonstration in basic crop and livestock production; financial management and risks mitigation; market diversification and risks mitigation; food safety and biosecurity; and to bring awareness of programs and services of the current farm bill.
In year one, we proposed that 300 participants would learn the fundamentals of farming. However, we exceeded our goal by 58% and serviced 513 participants who learned valuable farm fundamentals in the 5 risk management areas of production, financial, marketing, human resource and legal risks. As a result of these training modules in year 1, participants have utilized farm management tools to sustain their operations, which we did not expect to see until later in the program. Some of the farm management tools utilized by participants was how to organize and set up their farm record system, implementing strategies learned from the hands-on training (developing and implementing a vaccination schedule, checking animals for anemia using the goat famacha chart). Another outcome from year 1 (Cohort I) was the number of participants who were concerned about their land and property rights. They were given valuable information on how to clear up issues with heirs property with a direct contact to the Mississippi Center for Justice. In year two, there was 154 NBFRs (Cohort II) signed up for the online course in the summer of 2020, and 100 participants successfully completed it. The participants received their user names and passwords and proceeded with the course activities. The first set of modules were offered June 1 - July 3, 2020 and provided participants with insight on Farm Fundamentals of Livestock and Vegetable Production; Financial Management; Marketing; Food Safety, and available USDA programs and services. The current modules on Farm Business Plan Development were offered during the period of July 23, 2020 - November 27, 2020 and provided individuals with educational resources to generate and implement a feasible farm plan. The participants rated all virtual zoom trainings through a real time evaluation zoom poll that instantly tabulated results shared at the end of each session. In year three, participants will have the opportunity to implement their Farm Business Plans, utilizing accessible resources. To date, participants have developed over 60 Farm Business Plans that are being reviewed and prepared for implementations. The year three training schedule is complete and the virtual training dates are February 4, 2021 - July 29, 2021. The outputs for this project include farm management tools necessary for viability. The outcomes will enhance the capacity of new farmers and ranchers to implement a realistic farm plan, market a quality product, explore the many beneficial opportunities in the farm bill, and have a more productive workforce.
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Award Amount: $100,000
Institution: Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
Project Director: Kristy Urquhart (kristy@appalachian.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The Farm Pathways: Access to Land, Livelihood, and Learning project...
The Farm Pathways: Access to Land, Livelihood, and Learning project filled gaps in regional agricultural services for beginning farmers by providing comprehensive training and innovative land access opportunities in Western North Carolina (WNC) and creating a replicable model of collaborative farmer training that can be used across the United States. The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC), the Organic Growers School (OGS), and WNC FarmLink (WNCFL). The three project partners developed capacity to create the farm production, business, and land access curriculum and resources that beginning farmers in the region need to start successful farm enterprises. Specifically, the partners built the foundation for Farm Pathways, in order to support beginning farmers in the following ways:
1.) SAHC developed capacity to build the Farmer Incubator Project into a comprehensive, robust program that includes hands-on production workshops, reduced land rental rates, farming infrastructure, and farm equipment training and leasing for beginning farmers to start their own businesses. Furthermore, SAHC created a strategic plan to expand the Farmland Access Service, which provides beginning farmers with access to affordable farmland in WNC. The strategic plan lays the groundwork for acquiring viable farmland parcels, placing them under conservation easement and deed restriction, and then leasing them to beginning farmers and/or re-selling to farmers at agricultural value (Buy-Protect-Farm/Lease).
2.) OGS designed, built, and implemented the Beginning Farmer Training Curriculum (BFTC) to provide practical, whole-farm business, financial, and marketing planning to beginning and expanding farmers. This BFTC program is in partnership with Farm Beginnings by using their curriculum. In addition, OGS expanded Apprentice Link (AL) and Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) programs, which offers experiential, peer-to-peer production & farm management training and mentoring. These programs reinforce one another and are strategically aligned.
3.) WNCFL expanded programming to increase personalized one-on-one consultation, provided group workshops to help beginning farmers negotiate equitable leases and prepare logistically and financially for long-term land tenure and purchase, which is a major obstacle for beginning farmers.
4.) Complex social problems are often solved through a collaborative approach across organizations. SAHC, OGS and WNCFL are poised to build a solid team for that collective impact. During this one-year development time frame, these three groups worked together to create a cohesive structure, trust-based professional relationship, and a cooperative workflow for implementing the Farm Pathways project. We developed our joint capacity in further defining our target audience and their needs, coordinated training curriculum and timelines, designed a joint outreach and marketing plan, and outlined a comprehensive evaluation and assessment toolkit to ascertain impact. For all three organizations, the end goal was to meet the needs of beginning farmers in our region so that they may create viable farm businesses.
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Award Amount: $593,930
Institution: Farm School NYC / Just Food
Project Director: Onika Abraham (onika@justfood.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
During
Farm School NYC’s three-year USDA BFRDP grant from 2016-2019, we...
During
Farm School NYC’s three-year USDA BFRDP grant from 2016-2019, we achieved the
following objectives: - 257 students gained knowledge and skills through courses to produce food sustainably and develop and manage innovative marketing activities. We organized over 55 Citywide Certificate courses—1,197 hours of instruction—at more than 20 farms in New York City and the Hudson Valley that improved participants’ knowledge and skills to produce food sustainably and manage marketing activities. We also conducted 24 workshops and immersive trips.
- 29 students gained more intensive on-farm training through our Farm Intensive Certificate Program.
- 41 students gained in-depth, hands-on experience through 140+ -hour apprenticeships to produce food sustainably and develop and manage marketing activities at 17 different farms in urban and rural settings.
- 45 alumni gained additional information, skills, and networking opportunities to support their entry into farming. We developed a variety of networking and continuing education events for alumni, including two new advanced skills courses – Soilless Production and Mushroom Production, two sponsored conferences, Farm School NYC’s CRAFT programming, two Summer Solstice Food Justice gathering, and end-of-season gatherings and student graduations. Moreover, we engaged alumni as teachers for courses – more than 25% of our teachers by the last year of this grant.
- 99 Regional farm apprentices and junior farm staff participated in our urban-based Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) program. We launched the first urban CRAFT program in the Northeast, with 99 participants at 22 events.
- 21 low-resource students eligible for our two most subsidized tuition levels completed Farm School NYC’s certificate program. This low resource group is 76% female, 5% gender nonconforming, 43% African American, 24% Latinx, and 14% Asian. This comprises 75% of those graduating, reflecting Farm School NYC’s demonstrated commitment to serving limited resource and socially disadvantaged New York City communities, and our outreach, selection and tuition strategies.
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Award Amount: $589,508
Institution: World Farmers
Project Director: Maria Moreira (mmoreira@worldfarmers.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
World Farmers' project centered on increasing farmers’ agricultural capacity as...
World Farmers' project centered on increasing farmers’ agricultural capacity as they take their operation to the next level, and seek to transition beginning immigrant and refugee farmers onto independent land. The target audience for this project was the 354 immigrant and refugee farmers in our Flats Mentor Farm program. Throughout this project, World Farmers and collaborating organizations achieved the following objectives: 1) Provided farm transition planning assistance for immigrant and refugee farmers; 2) Transitioned small-scale or subsistence farmers to the next phase of their operations; 3) Conducted training and technical assistance in the areas of crop management and pest identification; 4) Assisted in farmer land acquisition efforts. This project and all its partners were dedicated to providing customized support to each farmer as they establish their individual farming enterprise, and to strengthen and enhance a new social fabric that welcomes new and diverse community members.
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Award Amount: $750,000
Institution: Seattle Tilth Association
Project Director: Andrea Dwyer (andreadwyer@seattletilth.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The Tilth Alliance Farm Works (TAFW) Agricultural Training and Incubator
Project...
The Tilth Alliance Farm Works (TAFW) Agricultural Training and Incubator
Project expanded opportunities for farmers in the Puget Sound Region
(Washington). Beginning farmers,
including socially disadvantaged and limited resource farmers, veterans, and immigrants have been recruited through strong
partnerships with community groups, as well as other social service providers
and young farmer networks. Project participants completed a 20 week farming and business operations course with hands-on
and classroom components, tailored to meet the
cultural background and language of the participants. At the end of the
training, participants had access to land leased at heavily subsidized rates,
as well as on-site technical assistance at the nearly 13-acre incubator site. Beginning farmers benefit from the shared
infrastructure and learning community that is maintained with farmers working alongside
each other as well as from socializing and sharing at communal meals. Farmers also
benefited from support in developing markets, including selling their
product to Tilth Alliance Produce, a food hub operating a CSA and subsidized CSA for low-income participants.
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: ALBA
Project Director: Christopher Brown (chris@albafarmers.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
1. Project Title: Farmer Education and Enterprise Development (FEED) Project2....
1. Project Title: Farmer Education and Enterprise Development (FEED) Project
2. Project Director(s): Chris Brown and Nathan Harkleroad of ALBA
3. Project Description: The FEED goal was to educate and train 150 beginning and socially disadvantaged (BSD) farmers to plan, launch, and/or sustainably establish independent organic farm businesses. ALBA exceeded its goal by training 250+ participants through workshops and technical assistance, and incubating 86 farm businesses. Of these 86 farm businesses, 57 continue to farm in 2019. FEED primarily served low-income Latinos in the Salinas Valley – many of whom are immigrant farm workers -- helping them achieve the dream of farm ownership and economic independence. ALBA was able to achieve this goal with its 100 acres of organic land; a well-qualified team; an intensive, multi-year farmer development program; and, most importantly, the determination of its participants. Furthermore, ALBA coordinated with four longstanding partner organizations to expand services to farmers, including during the transition off ALBA’s land. FEED’s objectives focused on all stages of BSD farmer development from start-up through farm incubation and transition from ALBA land and finally to maturation. Obj. 1: Farmers receive intensive education and TA to prepare for and launch farm businesses.
Obj. 2: Farms strengthened through intensive production and business development services.
Obj. 3: Farms receive transition and business consulting services to firmly establish independent farm businesses off of ALBA ground.
The FEED consortium provided a comprehensive farmer development program leveraging the agricultural skills of BSD farmers to capitalize on growing markets for locally-produced, organic food. FEED combined affordable access to resources, intensive production and business assistance and linkages to loans and key business services needed to establish a farm business.
4. Collaborating Organizations: a. California FarmLink b. Carlson Food Safety Consulting c. Community Alliance with Family Farmers d. Kitchen Table Advisors
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Award Amount: $711,000
Institution: World Farmers
Project Director: Maria Moreira (mmoreira@worldfarmers.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The long-term goal of this three-year Collaborative project is to...
The long-term goal of this three-year Collaborative project is to increase the agricultural production capacity of beginning, immigrant, and refugee farmers via farmer-to-farmer mentoring, training and technical assistance on aspects of crop production and marketing necessary to operate successful sustainable farming enterprises, increase farm ownership rates, and promote environmental stewardship. The target audience for this project is the 250+ beginning, immigrant, and refugee farmers who farm at Flats Mentor Farm in Lancaster MA.
World Farmers is partnering with UMass Extension, Growing Places, Nashoba Regional High School, Lancaster Agriculture Commission, Lancaster Community Center, and Rural Coalition to achieve the objectives in this project. Through these partners’ support, World Farmers has been able to do the following: Provide technical assistance to beginning farmers according to their level of capacity at Flats Mentor Farm; Educate on pest identification and effective organic pest management; Support in soil health rejuvenation; Implement food safety protocols according to Commonwealth Quality; Cultivate innovative marketing strategies; Provide tools and develop skills on financial and risk management; Expand the Farmer-to-Farmer Flats Mentoring model; Embrace the energy of high school youth through an internship program; Assist farmers at the farmers’ markets; Familiarize farmers with USDA programs.
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Award Amount: $519,443
Institution: Kentucky State University
Project Director: Siddhartha Dasgupta (siddhartha.dasgupta@kysu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
This project is a collaboration
between Kentucky State University (KSU)...
This project is a collaboration
between Kentucky State University (KSU) and multiple community-based
organizations (CBOs) in Kentucky who provide agricultural training to serve veterans
and the socially disadvantaged. We just completed the first year of this project and trained 175 BFs. We trained them in how to start farms, production, and business planning. Most BFs started farming operations: 35
refugee BFs started a market garden at Louisville Grows CBO's 5-acre farm and sold their crops to a nearby grocery store (called Save-A-Lot Store). Another CBO, the International Center at Bowling Green,
Kentucky, received a multi-year lease for a 5-acre farm from the city
government. This farm will be used next year to teach refugee BFs about
commercial-scale produce farming by Mr. Tehran Jewell, Kentucky State
University 1890 Land Grant Extension Area Agent and veteran commercial
produce farmer. During 2017, we experienced much success in refugee BFs starting vegetable production, sales, and, in essence, making money. Several refugees were surprised at the income potential of small-scale and urban farming, in conjunction with direct-to-consumer sales. Some realized that they could earn more through this type of farming than from their minimum-wage jobs. This year, refugee BFs at the
International Center started an intensive hydroponic salad greens
project: they learned how to construct a high
tunnel, start seeds in Rockwool cubes, mix the correct amount of
hydroponic fertilizer, etc. These BFs have developed marketing plans and found two local outlets for their products.
Another
CBO, serving minority and impoverished BFs in the Appalachian Kentucky, started a catfish enterprise. Local catfish farmers were struggling with marketing
because they did not have wholesale outlets and did not have the
resources to make retail sales. This created an opportunity for this
BFRDP project to collaborate with another NIFA 1890 Capacity Building
project
which was investigating fish
transportation and holding systems. BFs at
this CBO were provided with a fish tank, and they started holding and
marketing catfish locally. This provided a means of risk management
via enterprise diversification for BFs who were only selling produce. Next year our BFs will receive more forest farming and risk management training.
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Award Amount: $735,353
Institution: Highline College
Project Director: Bobby Butler (bbutler@highline.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $669,796
Institution: American Farmland Trust
Project Director: Julia Freedgood (jfreedgood@farmland.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
According to USDA’s 2012 Census of Agriculture, the number of...
According to USDA’s 2012 Census of Agriculture, the number of beginning farmers and ranchers (BFRs) reached a 30-year low in 2012 – down 20 percent in just five years. One key reason for the decline is finding, affording and securing appropriate land to purchase or rent. More than 40 percent of U.S. agricultural land is owned by principal operators and principal landlords over age 65 years . While this land is likely to change hands in the next 20 years, according to the 2014 Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land Survey (TOTAL), agricultural landowners only plan to transfer about 10% of their land in the next five, mostly through gifts or trusts. Only about 2 percent is projected to be sold on the open market. The future of American agriculture hinges on the successful transfer of farm and ranch land to the next generation. While many resources are available to support BFRs in production, marketing, and business planning, relatively few exist to help BFRs gain access to land. Farmland for the Next Generation is filling this gap. Its goal is to help BFRs secure land tenure from retiring producers as well as institutional and non-operating landowners. So far, we have evaluated existing curricula and resources, drafted a curriculum map, course outcome summary and comprehensive curriculum to meet the needs of diverse populations, regions, and agricultural systems. We selected 25 Land Access Trainers (LATs) through an open and competitive application process who will work with us to pilot the curriculum with 500 BFRs, help evaluate, validate and ultimately extend to other trainers. We delivered a first training on the curriculum to the LATs. Based on their feedback and input from our Educational Enhancement, we revised and refined the draft curriculum for the LATs to pilot with 500 BFRs in Year 3.
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: NFO, Inc.
Project Director: David Reed (dreed@nfo.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2019 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
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Award Amount: $513,959
Institution: FARRMS
Project Director: Stephanie Blumhagen (info@farrms.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
FARRMS: Growing Together is strategic partnership between FARRMS and many...
FARRMS: Growing Together is strategic partnership between FARRMS and many organizations in the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnestoa. Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota (LSS), contributed significant matching resources as the fiscal sponsor of Growing Together, a community gardening organization based in Fargo that serves new Americans. The project trained new farmers in North Dakota by providing an annual Farm Beginnings course, internship opportunities, farm tours, and workshops. The project also provided resources to help Growing Together expand their reach. An advisory council called the New Farmer Task Force provided project oversight. Special emphasis wass on serving New Americans in the Red River Valley.
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Award Amount: $538,988
Institution: Central State University
Project Director: sdasgupta@centralstate.edu Dasgupta (sdasgupta@centralstate.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
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Award Amount: $596,517
Institution: Southside Community Land Trust
Project Director: Margaret DeVos (margaret@southsideclt.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Feed Rhode Island: Growing Sustainable Farms seeks to increase the...
Feed Rhode Island: Growing Sustainable Farms seeks to increase the number and success of limited resource and socially disadvantaged beginning farmers in the state. Southside Community Land Trust (SCLT) accomplishes this goal by leading an experienced team to undertake four objectives: provide training and technical assistance, manage multiple incubator sites, offer on-farm apprentice training, and facilitate a land transfer working group. Partners include RI Department of Environmental Management, Brown University, RI Land Trust Council, Nature Conservancy RI Chapter, Northeast Organic Farming Association, Northern Rhode Island Conservation District, Young Farmers Network, and University of Rhode Island. Through this program, the organization leverages the experience and relationships of program partners into meaningful outcomes that would otherwise take years to achieve. Technical assistance and training for urban and rural farmers launches them onto their own farms. It moves urban farmers onto larger plots of land. It leads to new behaviors that increase production and strengthen co-operative marketing while improving sales and boosting Rhode Island's economy. Support for an expanded apprentice program increases the number of people who are prepared to begin their own farm businesses. Effective management of incubator space, combined with execution of a broadly supported land transfer strategy creates new independent farms in a state where land values are astronomically high. Feed Rhode Island: Growing Sustainable Farms helps SCLT create significant change quickly in Rhode Island.
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Award Amount: $693,918
Institution: Hawthorne Valley Association
Project Director: Rachel Schneider (rachel@hawthornevalleyfarm.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The 2015-2016 of our Beginning Farmer/Rancher Development Project has...
The 2015-2016 of our Beginning Farmer/Rancher Development Project has gotten us off to a great start in fulfilling both the stated mission of the proposal and in meeting our target numbers and diversity of participants. The idea behind this project was to bring together a substantial group of project collaborators to create a beginning farmer training pipeline for participants with 0-7 years of farming practice and to help them to gain in knowledge, skills and planning capabilities in a consistent way, depending on their point of entry. These potential farmers would help to grow the urban/rural connection within the Hudson Valley of New York. Aspiring and beginning farmers are not a homogeneous group. They come with particular strengths and challenges and this project aims to meet them where they are at. As we originally planned, this project specifically targeted aspiring and current farmers from socially disadvantaged and veteran communities who often are only marginally connected to existing beginning farmer offerings. In our first year we were able to bring a greater diversity of aspiring farmers to the Hudson Valley. Interested participants passed through explorer, planner, start-up and enterprise stages of programming according to their farming experience. Specialized training allowed groups with particular needs such as veterans, young African American or Latino aspiring farmers or formerly incarcerated individuals to enter the farmer training pipeline having already worked through the unique set of issues they face in their own communities. This project has also allowed the project collaborators to deepen their work together. In this case seven organizations partnered to implement the project goals: Hawthorne Valley Farm, Grow NYC FARMroots, the Bard Prison Initiative Re-Entry Program, Soul Fire Farm, the Black Urban Growers and Heroic Food. As service providers for target audiences, the more we work together, the more we can meet specific needs and challenges of our stakeholders. This year were able to run 4 planning and production skills workshops, to train facilitators and initiate a Community Garden Internship Program for formerly incarcerated individuals, to run two separate workshops for veterans and to have this training culminate in our Farm Beginnings whole farm planning program. Through this 6-8 session program more advanced farmers were able to plan out their farming enterprises in order to meet the challenge of providing an ongoing sustainable living for themselves and their families as they continue their farming careers. Finally, we were able to offer a Farm Mentorship Program so that graduates from Farm Beginnings could spend time with a farm mentor of their choosing to target specific area of interest or skill building they might have. We continue to be grateful to the USDA Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program for allowing us this opportunity to help bring aspiring and current farmers of diverse backgrounds into the Hudson Valley.
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Award Amount: $726,231
Institution: UTRGV
Project Director: Juan Raygoza (juan.raygoza@utrgv.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
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Award Amount: $200,000
Institution: First Generation Farmers
Project Director: Allison Cecchini (alli@firstgenerationfarmers.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Our goal is to support Beginning Farmers with the foundational...
Our goal is to support Beginning Farmers with the foundational production skills, business knowledge, and confidence they need to build farm enterprises that respond to the ever-growing metropolitan demand for sustainably grown, source-identified produce. Within one year of receiving this grant, we have not only equipped beginning farmers with the knowledge to start their own farm, but helped 1/3 of those people gain the confidence to start their own farm next year.
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Award Amount: $352,095
Institution: ECO City Farms
Project Director: Margaret Morgan Hubbard (mmh@ecocityfarms.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Final Project Summary:Our three-year training project amplified, deepened and extended...
Final Project Summary: Our three-year training project amplified, deepened and extended the knowledge and experience ECO City Farms acquired over the previous six years of offering intensive on-farm internships and apprenticeships, urban agriculture continuing education certification courses, gardening and master composting courses, nutrition education workshops, herbalism trainings and summer-long youth education programs. We test-drove a replicable curriculum and methodology and over three years trained 54 new and aspiring farmers, 88% of whom fit the USDA classification of "socially or economically disadvantaged," and we worked to transform these novices into confident and competent urban farmers. ECO's educational approach included extensive practical hands-on experiences, one-on-one mentoring/training, farm visits, and a comprehensive culturally-appropriate curriculum incorporating the crop production, farm management, business, and marketing knowledge needed for graduates to roll up their sleeves and farm.
ECO's project consisted of all the elements required to become a successful sustainable urban farmer: Intensive beginning and more advanced classroom training on a wide range of relevant farming and business topics; Certification of successful completion of the intensive classroom training by Prince George’s Community College and ECO City Farms; Extensive hands-on experiential training in actual farm work; Witnessing farming in all seasons and at a variety of scales; Training in the use of a variety of farm implements and construction tools; Experience of processing and marketing of crops grown; Supportive cohort and a network of local farmers and mentors; and Opportunity for employment at ECO City Farms with an experienced farmer close at hand and salary.
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Award Amount: $583,799
Institution: Winston County Self Help Cooperative
Project Director: Frank Taylor (fltaylor@bellsouth.net)
Funding Opportunity: 2019 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
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Award Amount: $793,732
Institution: UC Davis School of Vet Med-Cooperative Ext
Project Director: Maurice Pitesky (mepitesky@ucdavis.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Free-range and pastured poultry operations are gaining increasing popularity and...
Free-range and pastured poultry operations are gaining increasing popularity and are particularly attractive to beginning farmers because of the relatively low start-up costs. However, there are significant challenges associated with economic viability, animal welfare, food safety, environmental management and training. The UC Davis Pastured Poultry Farm has created the Pastured Poultry Producers Training and Outreach Innovation Hub (3P I-Hub), which focuses on multiple training opportunities for beginning farmers including interested military veterans with respect to five areas: 1) husbandry, 2) housing, equipment and predator management 3) food safety, 4) environmental management and 5) business management and marketing. The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA/NCAT) helped facilitate recruitment of beginning farmers in California and Oregon. Further recruitment of military veterans who are new or beginning farmers was done via collaborations with the UC Davis Veterans Affairs Office and the Farmer Veteran Coalition. ATTRA/NCAT was involved in course development and teaching in addition to UC Davis faculty. The efficacy of the training program was evaluated via surveys, and Social Network Analysis was used to identify successes and gaps in recruitment. Based on our Social Network Analysis (SNA) surveys, our 2017-2018 workshops resulted in 40% of the attendees increasing their knowledge sharing network following our workshops. One of the primary challenges of beginning farming is developing a knowledge sharing network, so this result is encouraging.
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Award Amount: $599,392
Institution: University of Missouri - Kansas City
Project Director: Angela Cottrell (cottrella@umkc.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program 2021 Awards
Summary
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Project Director: Juan Raygoza (juan.raygoza@utrgv.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The goal of
this Standard BFRDP project, the Frontera
Beginning Farmers and...
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.
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Award Amount: $681,459
Institution: University of Arkansas
Project Director: Janie Hipp (jhipp@uark.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
This project brought together American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native...
This project brought together American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian beginning farmers and ranchers for an intensive 10-day summit hosted by the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) at the University of Arkansas School of Law. The “Generation Indigenous Food and Agriculture Summit” is a collaborative program developed by IFAI and delivered by IFAI’s PD Janie Hipp & Co-PD Erin Shirl as well as Intertribal Agriculture Council, Farm Credit Council, and the National FFA. Through a comprehensive educational program incorporating classroom and experiential learning, Native BFR learned farm financial management and risk management principles. Post-event, Native BFR have taken advantage of a sustained mentorship network created through the Summit program that encourages them to either begin or remain in farming and ranching.
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Award Amount: $71,080
Institution: Global Garden Refugee Trainig Farm
Project Director: Linda Seyler (globalgardenfarm@gmail.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Global Garden Refugee Training Farm (GGRTF) developed and delivered 2...
Global Garden Refugee Training Farm (GGRTF) developed and delivered 2 six-week courses to prepare displaced refugee farmers for farming and farm business management in the Midwestern U.S. Fifteen farmers participated in the training, which was a first stage toward preparing them to develop farm business plans in preparation for establishing successful vegetable farms. Lesson plans were developed for another two topics: Season Extension and Soil Management. Teaching materials were designed to be appropriate for displaced refugee farmers with limited or no English and potentially low literacy in any language. In-class interpretation was provided for all sessions. Course content addressed both the prior experience and knowledge gaps unique to newly arrived displaced refugee farmers. During the 2015 growing season which followed this project's conclusion, participating farmers increased their income from produce sales at market by 214% over the previous year. Other factors besides this project contributed to this increase, especially participants' improved English language skills, but the farmers also grew a wider variety of cool season crops, and improved both their produce displays and customer service. Since the conclusion of this project, lesson plans developed for this project have been improved, expanded, and contributed to ISED Solution's 'Educational Tools and Methods for Beginning Refugee & Immigrant Farmers' which is developing and testing curricula and instructional methods for assisting displaced refugee farmers with continuing their careers in farming here in the United States.
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Award Amount: $597,867
Institution: Jannus, Inc.
Project Director: Katie Painter (katiepainter.ised@gmail.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Global Gardens trained beginning farmers who have cultural, linguistic, or...
Global Gardens trained beginning farmers who have cultural, linguistic, or economic barriers to success which might prevent them from otherwise becoming successful farmers or accessing more mainstream farmer training programs. Our long-term goal was to create sustainable, profitable, independent small farm businesses. Our focus is mainly on organic or spray-free vegetable production with direct sales through farmers’ markets and Community Supported Agriculture projects (CSAs), and wholesales to local Boise restaurants. A small farm-to-school program and sales at a local grocery store were also established during the project period. Global Gardens is a land-based incubator farm program which provides land, water, and other infrastructure for beginning farmers’ use, as well as training and marketing support. Supporting objectives included assisting farmers with land leases on incubator farms or independently, increasing the size and number of available incubator plots, providing classroom and field training, marketing support by facilitating farmers’ market, CSA, and wholesale participation, financial literacy training, and mentoring opportunities. The project included nine paid on-farm internships for beginning farmers. Target audiences were refugees resettled in Boise, ID, and Native American residents of the Duck Valley Reservation. Both groups were comprised of limited resource and socially disadvantaged individuals. Outcomes include increases in knowledge of sustainable vegetable production, marketing, and financial literacy for participating farmers, establishment of new, refugee and Native-owned farms and new land leases, and increased productivity and farm income for those already farming. Participation in this program promoted increased integration into the larger community, and the development of decision making and business management skills that will empower participants to succeed in on-farm and off-farm pursuits.
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Award Amount: $598,095
Institution: Global Growers Network
Project Director: Robin Chanin (robin@globalgrowers.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The Global Growers Farmer Development Initiative has strengthened the local...
The Global Growers Farmer Development Initiative has strengthened the local supply chain by establishing a pipeline for beginning farmers through an incubator farm program track and an independent farm program track. The primary focus has been on farmers who are underserved and underrepresented in our communities, including refugees/immigrants, limited-resource farmers, military veterans, and farmers of color. Two incubator farm sites offered land-based education programs to support the development of new farm businesses. Independent beginning farmers had access to a direct assistance program to develop and implement individual action plans and benchmarking. Participating farmers also had access to direct and wholesale markets. The Initiative leveraged strategic partnerships to create access to land, knowledge, resources, and markets that increased the number of producers of sustainably grown, nutritious food for local distribution and prepared beginning farmers to be competitive in their local marketplace. The cumulative experience and expertise of participating organizations and their shared vision enabled the Initiative to efficiently achieve the outcomes detailed herein and to build capacity to sustain the program beyond the project period.
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Award Amount: $599,972
Institution: University of Hawaii, CTAHR
Project Director: Janel Yamamoto (janelnoy@hawaii.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
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Award Amount: $394,150
Institution: GoFarm
Project Director: Eileen ORourke (eileen@gofarmcoop.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2018 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The proposed GoFarm Incubator Expansion Project is an extension of...
The proposed GoFarm Incubator Expansion Project is an extension of GoFarm's nonprofit mission to support beginning farmers in increasing the local supply of fresh food in Colorado. The goal of the project is to scale up GoFarm's incubator pilot project to support a sustainable incubator program that expands the capacity of beginning farmers to launch new sustainable farming businesses and enhance their success and sustainability. The target audience is beginning farmers who have limited resources and/or military veterans who are interested in learning more about specialty crop production in an urban environment. GoFarm will collaborate with our established partners, Jefferson Conservation District, Denver Botanic Gardens, and Colorado State University Extension to offer three educational track options to program participants. These tracks (externships, internships, and apprenticeships) require a varying level of commitment and training to provide participants an option that best fits their needs. Participant training will occur through classroom courses, in-field workshops, individual mentoring and technical assistance. The most intensive educational track, the apprenticeship, requires a two-year commitment during which the farmer will be given free access to an urban farm-training plot. These farmers will receive a stipend and revenue from the sale of specialty crops produced on their plots. Apprentice graduates will complete the program with everything they need to launch their own farming business- 1) knowledge and skills required for running a farming business, 2) long-term access to farmable land, and 3) priority access to a consumer market through GoFarm's Local Food Share Program.
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Award Amount: $599,684
Institution: Appalachian State University
Project Director: Anne Fanatico (fanaticoac@appstate.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $707,726
Institution: Center for Transformative Action
Project Director: Joanna Green (joanna@groundswellcenter.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Our Project
Goal is to increase the number, diversity, profitability, and...
Our Project
Goal is to increase the number, diversity, profitability, and environmental
sustainability of beginning farmers (BFs) in the central New York region. Prior BFRDP
support established Groundswell as an outstanding regional center for new
farmer training, technical assistance, and business incubation. Having substantially exceeded all our target
numbers of trainees and new businesses launched in that Project, we are expanding our
programs and audiences to: 1.
Increase the technical, business management skills of BFs. 2.
Provide intensive business incubation support to selected BFs and increase
regional incubation capacity. 3.
Connect BFs to existing wholesale markets, and develop new marketing opportunities. 4.
Support cooperation among farm businesses, and develop cooperative models for farm
business ownership, management, and business transfer. 5.
Increase the impact of farmer-to-farmer mentoring by increasing farmers' skills as educators and mentors. 6.
Provide entry-level, on-farm learning experiences for diverse “Explorers,” with
priority on immigrants, refugees, people of color, veterans, and limited
resource trainees. Our 2015 Programs included: - Farm Business Incubator Program (year-round)
- Farm Business Planning Course (10-weeks)
- Finger Lakes CRAFT (6 months)
- "Year-Round High Tunnels" technical
course (10 months)
- Draft Animals Practicum (2 days)
- Single-session workshops (Farmer Educator Training, Explore Your Farm Business Idea, Get Ready for Market, Landseekers Meeting)
- Finger Lakes LandLink (ongoing)
- Farmer Networks (Cooperative Farming Network, Finger Lakes Orchards Exchange, Homestead Farmers & Gardeners Network, Farmer-2-Farmer
Network)
- Individual mentoring in
production, marketing and business management (year-round)
- Press Bay Holiday Market Days (new market serving mostly BFs)
In 2015 we served a total of 176 unique individuals who participated in our programs and/or received individual consultations and mentoring. 39 of those individuals participated in more than one program. At least 15 of our trainees began farming commercially in 2015, and at least 8 new farm businesses were launched.
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Award Amount: $577,965
Institution: Practical Farmers of Iowa
Project Director: Greg Van Den Berghe (greg@practicalfarmers.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The long-term goal of this project is to help
beginning farmers...
The long-term goal of this project is to help
beginning farmers enter, establish, build and manage successful farms, thereby
increasing the diversity and sustainability of farms, access to healthy food,
and vibrancy of communities in Iowa and Nebraska. Goals by the end of this
grant: Help 1,310 beginning farmers develop the knowledge, skills and tools
needed to create viable businesses by providing them farmer-to-farmer
education, mentoring, technical assistance, network building and outreach. Throughout this grant project, 205 farmers have reported they were able to
start farming and 579 reported they were able to improve their farm businesses
as a result of grant activities. Our supporting objectives are to increase
beginning farmers' knowledge and skills through: 1) Education, advice, support
and outreach to 365 aspiring farmers; 12 aspiring farmers start farming by end
of grant; 2) Education, advice, support and outreach to 525 farmers who have
been farming 0-5 years; 315 will continue and improve farm businesses; 3)
Education, advice, support and outreach to 420 farmers who have been farming 6-10
years; 14 continue and improve farm businesses; 4) Outreach to 200,000 people
with information about the opportunities and challenges beginning farmers face.
Practical Farmers of Iowa is uniquely positioned to achieve this ambitious
project.
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Award Amount: $391,596
Institution: PASA
Project Director: Franklin Egan (franklin@pasafarming.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
In this project, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA)...
In this project, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) built key partnerships to reinvigorate dairy farming in the mid-Atlantic region through formal apprenticeship in grass-based dairy and the promotion and education of sustainable grazing practices. Towards formal apprenticeship, 18 experienced grass-based dairy farmers in the region were recruited and certified as Master Graziers within the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA), the first formal, registered apprenticeship for farm management in the U.S. These Master Graziers then hired 18 Apprentices within DGA, combining paid on-the-job training with technical coursework and related instruction. In supporting this related instruction for Apprentices, as well as the professional networks of Master Graziers, PASA partnered with the Pennsylvania Grazing Lands Coalition (PAGLC) to develop over 30 in-person and virtual educational events around the management of intensive rotational grazing practices, as well as the economics of such systems, serving hundreds of beginning and experienced farmers directly. Another partner for PASA on this project was the Center for Dairy Excellence (CDE), the leading non-profit dedicated to dairy in Pennsylvania. PASA partnered with CDE and their dairy intern program by including three grazing dairies in the program to provide a stepping stone program towards formal apprenticeship for beginning farmers. PASA also worked with CDE and Penn State Extension in providing six beginning graziers, as well as four experienced dairy graziers, with financial consulting services, ultimately launching multiple new farm businesses. Finally, PASA collaborated with scientists at the USDA-ARS Pastures Lab in using their Integrated Farming Systems computer model to help Masters and Apprentices, alike, understand the environmental and economic impacts of their operations.
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Award Amount: $750,000
Institution: University of Wyoming
Project Director: John Hewlett (hewlett@uwyo.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $744,951
Institution: Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture
Project Director: Sara Elliott (sarae@stonebarnscenter.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Stone Barns Center's beginning farmer training program, the Growing Farmers...
Stone Barns Center's beginning farmer training program, the Growing Farmers Initiative, focuses on preparing new farmers to pursue economically and ecologically resilient farm
enterprises in a rapidly changing world. We have sought to strengthen the rigor of our
ecologically based farming curriculum so that we develop perceptive, adaptable farmers
who will also champion sustainable agriculture and help others succeed. Our programs include apprentice training, workshops, conferences, and online learning. We delivered high-quality,
experiential-based technical training in the science and business of agriculture for our group of nine to twelve apprentices during their nine-month training here. Apprentice workshops met weekly and covered essential topic including soil science and management, plant botany, landscape design and ecology, engine mechanics, animal husbandry, and farm business planning. These sessions, open to young farmers from throughout the region, were taught by Stone Barns staff and other experts. Our conferences and online learning platforms exposed farmers from
across the U.S. to the principles of resilient farming. In total, the
2015 and 2016 and 2017 Young Farmers Conferences welcomed 850 young farmers from 38 states, 22%
on scholarship, and covered topics on crop production, business
management, animal husbandry, land access, and more. Each workshop was
approximately 90 minutes and the majority of participants requested that the
workshops be offered again the following year. We also hosted Poultry School in these years for 350 farmers. Last, our E-Learning tools have reached a wide audience, with 105,286 unique views in the past three years (average 25 minutes viewing
time).
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Award Amount: $566,141
Institution: Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association
Project Director: Carol Goland (cgoland@oeffa.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The project has laid the foundation to help aspiring farmers...
The project has laid the foundation to help aspiring farmers advance to become new farmers through an apprenticeship program, and help early career farmers achieve more success to persist in farming through advanced skill-building educational opportunities. The ultimate goal of this project is to increase the number of organic and sustainable farms in Ohio. For aspiring farmers, we offered intensive on-farm apprenticeships to develop farming skills, and complementary activities such as classroom instruction, network building, field days, and support to assess and address individual learning needs. For early career farmers, we provided workshops at OEFFA's annual conference and farm tours to gain additional farming skills and knowledge of production, business, and financial management. Some took advantage of mentorship with experienced farmers. We offered on-going direct technical assistance to over 600 farmers through phone calls and emails. Through the Farmland of Opportunity event and farm tours, we provided a space for beginning farmers and experienced farmers to ask questions, share ideas, and network. In addition, OEFFA created an online networking platform through Facebook to allow participants to continue sharing and learning through social media. In collaboration with Tecumseh Land Trust, OEFFA coordinated two farm succession and transition planning workshops for landowners to work through legal, tax, business, and communication challenges associated with transferring land to a new owner. In partnership with the National Young Farmers Coalition, OEFFA offered training. OEFFA has been trained as a Land Access Trainer by the American Farmland Trust to deliver land access programs and technical assistance to beginning farmers regionally. OEFFA joined the Farm Beginnings Collaborative, a national alliance of regional organizations who offer a licensed whole farm planning curriculum to beginning farmers. OEFFA staff and farmer-leaders delivered this Farm Beginnings curriculum to farmers from 13 farms who successfully graduated.
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Award Amount: $750,000
Institution: The Regents of the University of California
Project Director: Jennifer Sowerwine (jsowerwi@berkeley.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Building on the successes of two prior BFR projects, the...
Building on the successes of two prior BFR projects, the Growing
Roots project provided in-depth, culturally- and regionally-appropriate
training to support the economic and ecological viability of the next
generation of diverse California farmers and ranchers. Our focus was on five
Northern California regions comprising ten counties. There are five core partners: UC Berkeley, National Center
for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE), Sustainable
Agriculture Education (SAGE), and Alameda County Resource Conservation District
(ACRCD), who collaborate with ten “learning hubs” (farmer training sites) and
Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs and NRCDs) to offer workshops, field
days, farmer tours, networking events and one-on-one technical assistance. Our key outcomes were (see Progress Notes for some context on statistics): - Improved ecological production practices, business planning and marketing strategies, food safety programs and sales among our target farmers and ranchers.
- Increased BFR networking and access to resources, assistance and farmland itself.
- Increased knowledge among at least 521 BFRs, with 75% planning to adopt one or more new practices after attending our workshops, and 44% having done so within 6 months.
- Increased knowledge of at least 87% of all participants in our education programs, where 70% intended to implement what they learned.
- Increased knowledge and access to culturally-appropriate resources for Latino, Mien and Hmong farmers.
- Increased the farm success of at least 921 unique farmers and ranchers.
- Increased capacity of 4 new agricultural learning hubs.
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Award Amount: $369,500
Institution: Calypso Farm and Ecology Center
Project Director: Susan Willsrud (calypsosusan@gmail.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The Growing Self-Reliant Farmers project serves aspiring and beginning farmers,...
The Growing Self-Reliant Farmers project serves aspiring and beginning farmers, series about starting and and managing their own small-scale diversified farms through Calypso Farm and Ecology Center's 5-month, immersive Farmer Training Program, Beginning Farmer Council and share curriculum. Calypso Farm & Ecology Center, a grass roots, diversified educational farm founded in 2000, piloted the Farmer Training Program in 2012 to equip aspiring growers with the practical skills and confidence to start their own successful farms. The farm-based program offers hands-on training and is unique in its focus on creative, production and business skills through a wide array of topics, including: all aspects of ecological agriculture as well as blacksmithing, mechanics, carpentry, food preservation, wool processing, bee keeping, value added products, extensive whole farm and business planning, animal husbandry and more. Collaboration with the Folk School Fairbanks, a community-based organization focused on hands-on education, brings in a variety of expert instructors to teach many of these topics throughout the program. The Beginning Farmer Council, made up of farmers who have been in production for 5 years or less, serve as an advisory board for the Farmer Training Program and Whole Farm Planning curriculum. By 2019, the Farmer Training Program will serve 18 beginning farmers and 100 beginning farmers will participate in the program through hands-on public workshops and the Whole Farm Planning series.
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Award Amount: $159,626
Institution: Minnesota Food Association
Project Director: Laura Mirafuentes (lmirafuentes@thefoodgroupmn.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The Growing Sustainable Farms: Training, Land
and Resources for Beginning Socially-Disadvantaged...
The Growing Sustainable Farms: Training, Land
and Resources for Beginning Socially-Disadvantaged Farmers project was a
collaborative effort led by Minnesota Food Association (MFA) to create
opportunities for socially-disadvantaged farmers to launch farm enterprises,
and to increase the sustainability of farms operated by socially-disadvantaged
farmers with up to 10 years’ farming experience. The project reached more than 400 immigrant and minority farmers, in collaboration with numerous
other community-based organizations in the Midwest. In-depth training and comprehensive
support services were provided to a smaller group of approximately 20 farmers
each year who were preparing to launch or building their own independent farm
businesses. This training program will continue beyond the conclusion of this BFRDP grant, and will continue to include: classroom sessions on business
planning, financial management and marketing; field sessions and workshops
demonstrating organic vegetable farming techniques; 1:1 technical assistance;
access to high-quality land with needed equipment and infrastructure; and
multiple opportunities to connect with and learn from other farmers. MFA also
hosts a large annual conference developed for farmers from historically
underserved populations.
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Award Amount: $640,143
Institution: Fort Lewis College- Old Fort at Hesperus
Project Director: Beth LaShell (lashell_b@fortlewis.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
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Award Amount: $750,000
Institution: The University of Arizona
Project Director: Russell Tronstad (tronstad@ag.arizona.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
This project emphasizes the priority topic areas of basic crop...
This project emphasizes the priority topic areas of basic crop farming practices, entrepreneurship and business training, financial and risk management training, diversification and marketing strategies, curriculum development, resources, vocational training for veterans, farm safety and awareness, and in the other subject areas advanced training for soils and irrigation, hoop house operation, and food safety. Our target audience includes Native American tribes in Arizona and New Mexico, limited resource producers, youth, veterans, and other beginning farmer participants. This grant is based on successful partnerships with University of Arizona Cooperative Extension and tribal agents, and NGO/CBO partners who were identified during the previous BFRD project. About 40 percent of the budget is allocated to support our NGOs/CBO partners. Lessons learned and feedback from participants of our previous grant indicated a need for more in-depth science-based curriculum to address plant production topics including soil and fertility management, salinity, irrigation, crop selection for different seasons, and integrated pest management. On the business and marketing side participants wanted information on farming as a business first, conducting market surveys, economics of equipment selection, working towards organic certification, tax information and strategies, zoning and regulations for farmers, and farm workers and food safety. This Standard BFRDP empowers beginning and limited resource producers to learn these skills through ongoing hands-on demonstration, instruction, and curriculum. The third year of our project emphasizes individual mentoring to better enable participants to adopt production processes learned to their own operations and implement their proposed business plans. We have engaged over 250 participants to date in our current project and are building on our previous experience to assist participants in adopting the skills and knowledge gained through the program. Our project goal is to have participants complete a production and/or business plan for a specialty crop small farm enterprise.
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Award Amount: $750,000
Institution: Cultivating Community
Project Director: Craig Lapine (craig@cultivatingcommunity.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Cultivating Community’s “Growing Together” employed a multi-sector strategy to create...
Cultivating Community’s “Growing Together” employed a multi-sector strategy to create an increasingly robust,
economically productive farm economy in Maine. First and foremost, the project provided intensive, customized, land-based training to four cohorts of New
American farmers at varying levels of expertise, as well as to other beginning
farmers and to youth agricultural interns in our food-based leadership
programs. As part of this training, we connected program graduates to the
expertise of our partners in the region, to address critical issues such as
land access and stable land tenure. Second, we provided support and
facilitated a new kind of training for Maine’s agricultural service-providers
that enabled them to better understand and meet the needs of New American
and other low-resource and/or socially disadvantaged farmers. As the capacities
and skills of beginning farmers and agricultural service-providers
simultaneously developed, a continually increasing number of low-resource,
socially disadvantaged, and other beginning farmers attained increased success in
operating independent farm businesses. We also tested, defined, and advanced best practices for the
support and inclusion of low-resource farmers seeking agricultural
services, and we disseminated new learnings locally, regionally, and nationally.
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Award Amount: $99,966
Institution: Providence Farm Collective Corp.
Project Director: Beth Leipler (providencefarmcollective@gmail.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $659,621
Institution: SDSU Extension West River Ag Center
Project Director: Jason Schoch (jason.schoch@sdstate.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The goal of this grant was to address food sovereignty...
The goal of this grant was to address food sovereignty (and security) for three South Dakota Reservations, through increased producer capacity in production and marketing, enhanced access to/utilization of local produced foods by individuals and organizations on the 3 targeted reservations. Initially written as 60 individuals trained in consumer horticulture 30 individuals trained in ranch management/livestock systems and 180 individuals trained as "new beginners." Although the original project director and program manager primarily focused on beef cattle livestock in year one, the current project director and his team adjusted the program to include smaller acreage systems (both livestock and horticulture) to reflect the fractionated land access realities on the ground for 98% plus of tribal populations on these reservations. The end result is as follows: 2015: just 18 participants looking to become producers or start farming or improve their success were involved in the program (11 in livestock and 8 in commercial horticulture) across all three reservations. 2016: increased to 49 (through the transition towards a small acreage agricultural systems to replace "commercial horticulture." 2017: increased to 503. (218 in BFR small acreages and/or Introduction to Bison; 151 in home growing (gardening); another 63 in BFR stakeholder meetings and public events, and 47 youth participated. Additionally 24 non-native adults participated in our small acreages program. The math alone tells the story. The corrections we made to the program in 2016 set the stage for a fully functioning BFR program in 2017. Helped to Prepare to Start Farming: 863 tribal individuals (home growing/gardening) Started Farming: 403 (small acreages ag system participants plus commercial horticulture and large livestock/ranching participants who had never farmed or were just getting started). Improved Farming Succcess: 16 (participants who had been a producer for more than 3 years before the program began). Total: 1,282
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Award Amount: $404,650
Institution: Glynwood
Project Director: Liz Corio (ecorio@glynwood.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The average age of a farmer in the US is...
The average age of a farmer in the US is roughly 58 years old and increasing. New entry farmers face persistent challenges, including access to affordable land, working capital, agricultural training and business mentoring. In recent years, US agriculture has witnessed as much as a 20% decrease in the number of new farmers who have been on their operation less than ten years. Therefore, not only are principal farm operators getting older, fewer new farms are making a go of it. This project is designed to address these problems by helping new entry farmers (year 0-1) and growth stage farmers (years 2-8) in New York's Hudson Valley build sustainable profitable businesses, allowing them to bring or keep farmland in production. The Hudson Valley Farm Business Incubator helps new and growth-stage agricultural entrepreneurs with business and financial planning, farm mentorship, market connections, training in technical skills and leadership, and support in accessing farmland. Over the course of the four year project, Glynwood helped launch and/or grow 18 new and beginning farm businesses, with another 800 farmers benefiting from workshops, tools and resources developed through the project.
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: CISA
Project Director: Kelly Coleman (kelly@buylocalfood.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $292,645
Institution: Orange County Partnership for Young Children
Project Director: Kelly Owensby (kowensby@transplantingtraditions.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The Orange County Partnership for Young Children (OCPYC) began operating...
The Orange County Partnership for Young Children (OCPYC) began operating the Transplanting Traditions Community Farm (TTCF) in 2010 as an incubator farm for refugee farmers in NC and has
developed a comprehensive five-year program education plan to meet the
multi-tiered needs of limited resource and socially disadvantaged farmers from
entry level to graduation. The goals for the proposed grant are to 1) Increase
the number of farmers operating farm businesses in N.C. 2) Increase profit and
marketing opportunities and independence for farmers 3) Assist farmers as they
progress in the incubator from entry to advanced levels and graduation. 4) Improve
farmer’s production practices.
TTCF leveraged its expertise in working with low literacy refugee
farmers with the strength and joint capacity of its community partners and collaborators
to ensure the success of the proposed grant.
TTCF expanded the farm to eight-acres and allowed 10 new beginning
farmers to enter the program. Intermediate and advanced farmers expanded businesses
and profit by 75%. This expansion required additional agricultural
educational programming which TTCF fulfilled through adding additional educational
opportunities to the multi-tiered needs of the entry, intermediate and advanced
level farmers who participate in the incubator. These educational programs included classroom trainings, hands-on trainings,
technical assistance in the field, field trips to local farms and participation
in the local Carolina Farm Stewardship Association annual conference.
TTCF worked with partner organization NC State University to
develop a database for tracking farmer advancement and educational program
metrics and worked with Dr. Dara Bloom and Dr. Annie Hardison-Moody on improving
evaluation methods and analyzing data metrics.
TTCF worked with partner organization RAFI (Rural Advancement Foundation
International) to provide business planning and business analysis for advanced
farmers nearing graduation.
4. Additional partners: NC State University and Rural Advancement Foundation
International. 5. 100% of funds are allocated to NGOs, CBOs and SAEOs 6. 100% of budget allocated to socially disadvantaged, limited-resource
farmers
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Award Amount: $472,434
Institution: Adelante Mujeres
Project Director: Silvia Cuesta (scuesta@adelantemujeres.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2019 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $597,252
Institution: Cultivating Community
Project Director: Craig Lapine (craig@cultivatingcommunity.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Cultivating Community’s Increasing, Incubating, and Scaling-Up Businesses of New American...
Cultivating Community’s Increasing, Incubating, and Scaling-Up Businesses of New American and Veteran Farmers in Maine is providing unprecedented land access, new opportunities for product diversification and market access, and four levels of training to New American, military veteran, and other small-scale producers in order to create an increasingly robust, economically productive farm economy in Maine. First, we are expanding our gardener-to-farmer pipeline, teaching ag competencies and providing opportunities to sell to market to youth agricultural interns, interested advanced gardeners, and veteran and New American Farm Explorers. Second, we providing intensive, customized, land-based training to three cohorts of Incubator Farmers at varying levels of expertise. As part of our training of our most advanced farmer cohort, graduates of our training program, we are working with partners in the region to address critical issues such as land access and stable land tenure. Finally, are providing resources, conferences, and discrete training opportunities to other small-scale farmers in Maine and to refugee and immigrant farmers across the U.S. As the capacities and skills of all these beginning farmers develop, a continually increasing number of socially disadvantaged and other beginning producers will attain success in selling to market and operating independent farm businesses, while Maine will become more able to keep the 250,000 acres of farmland changing hands in agricultural production. This project builds on the success of existing training programs supported by a 2014 BFRDP and a 2009 BFRDP that have resulted in the creation of 52 new farm businesses to date. By project end, this BFRDP will result in the creation of another 30 new farm businesses, will provide intensive support to 12 new and beginning farmers, and will provide services to an additional 490 farmers and people exploring farming.
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Award Amount: $91,039
Institution: Tides Center
Project Director: Alan Brauer (abrauer@tidescenter.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $681,405
Institution: Purdue University
Project Director: Kevin Gibson (kgibson@purdue.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The primary goals of this project are to increase the...
The primary goals of this project are to increase the number
of farm startups in Indiana and to assist beginning farmers and ranchers,
particularly small farmers and Veterans, in improving their business or production
practices. During the three-year project, we delivered 21 farm tours 11
day-long workshops that were open to the general public. We delivered 4 farm tours
and 2 workshops that were developed specifically for military veterans. Each
tour included a morning session focused on a particular topic relevant to beginning
farmers and an afternoon tour of a farm. The workshops were developed by
Extension Educators and Purdue University staff and addressed multiple topics
relevant to BFRs. We led 5 field trips to premiere farms and programs outside
Indiana. Each field trip was attended by BFRs and Extension Educators. We
provided support and training to 62 Extension Educators during annual workshops
that focused on the needs of beginning farmers and military veterans and on
ways to work with these groups. We also developed a website specifically for BFRs in Indiana
and evaluated each event as well as conducted a final survey of all participants.
Cumulatively, we provided programming to over 1000 participants. Our final survey of participants suggests that
nearly a third of prospective farmers who attended our events started farming and
over 80% of attendees who were already farming indicated that they changed
their farming practices after attending our events. Our program has improved
infrastructure that will support beginning farmers, increased their access to
training and educational materials, and developed a community of Extension
Educators and farmers.
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Award Amount: $541,950
Institution: National Immigrant Farming Initiative Inc. Regional Office
Project Director: Rigoberto Delgado (rigo@immigrantfarmers.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Project accomplishments and impacts generated in this second year of...
Project accomplishments and impacts generated in this second year of the program: After last year BFRVSC (Beginning Farmer Rancher and Veteran Southwest Coalition) the need of training that focus on veterans was contemplated since El Paso, Texas is home of Fort Bliss where they received approximate 100 deployed veterans every month; NIFI partner with El Paso Verde a small scale hydroponic farm own by a veteran and created VFI (Veteran Farming Initiative) with a Sustainable Agriculture course designed to introduce military veterans and family members to the many areas of interest within agriculture. It is a two-week course offered four times this year, where participants explore career opportunities, tour and work at local farms and learn about different programs designed to assist beginning farmers and ranchers. September 11- 20 was our first completed course with four veteran participants. Two producer groups were created Chaparral Diversity Growers Associationwith producers from New Mexico; and“Vecinos Unidos”form with producers ofClint, Texas. During this secondyear of theproject: 145gained important knowledge at events or workshops, beginning farmers, ranchers and veterans learn about NRCS and FSA programs; 25improved their production practices;27 Veterans received support. Project accomplishments and impacts generated in this third year of the project “Initiating the Paso Del Norte Immigrant Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Network” NIFI continued partnering with El Paso Verde a small-scale hydroponic farm own by a veteran and VFI (Veteran Farming Initiative) continued with two more courses graduating 21 Veterans in Sustainable Agriculture. Each of them completed over 20 hours of classroom work, field labor and observation, and prepared their own business plan. Along the way, they made connections with each other, industry leaders, technical contacts, and potential customers. NIFI also made available on-going workshops and network forums to connect. A mobile app workshop was hosted just recently this summer to provide more support to budding businesses in our community. Where once, veterans wishing to pursue work with their hands in a non-traditional sense now feel connected to their land, the environment, and their community using Agro-prenuer skills and knowledge they received through VFI program. In addition to the positive impacts of the participants, we have bolstered good will among the El Paso community as well. Many Veteran-Service-Organizations in West Texas and Southern New Mexico now recognize us as an official training program for veterans. We are listed in the biannually published directory from the City of El Paso Veterans One Stop Office. We continue to receive regular inquiries about the program and many offices are interested in placing more of their consumers in our next trainings. The need still remains.
Two producer groups were created “Desert Growers” with producers from Chaparral, New Mexico; and “Patas Verdes” from Socorro, Texas.
Outputs in knowledge gains and actions as follows: #Farmers beginning their own independent farm enterprises = 29 #Farmers starting up with the intent to purchase their own farm operations = 40 #Farmers receiving entry-level production support such as seeds, seedlings, row cover, drip tape or other related training and supplies = 21 #Farmers improving production practices = 29 #Farmers accessing new markets = 12 #Farmers integrating new financial risk management practices = 9 #Farmers accessing credit = 3 #Farmers having new information on how to access land = 80 #Farmers accessing additional land during the project period = 5 #Farmers with new knowledge on improving soil quality = 156 #Farmers with new knowledge on cover cropping = 106 #Farmers with new knowledge on conserving water = 106 #Farmers with improved yields = 29 #Farmers adopting current best agriculture practices of which they had no prior knowledge = 12
During this third year of the project: 156 gained important knowledge at events or workshops, beginning farmers, ranchers and veterans learn about NRCS and FSA programs; 29 improved their production practices; 21 Veterans received support.
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Award Amount: $576,017
Institution: Renewing the Countryside
Project Director: Jan Joannides (jan@rtcinfo.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
With this project, Renewing the Countryside is completing a comprehensive,...
With this project, Renewing the Countryside is completing a comprehensive, multi-year project that addresses farmland access challenges facing beginning farmers in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. We and our partners have developed an integrated process that assists new, resource-limited farmers in accessing farmland that is a good match for their operation and offers secure terms.
Throughout the project our collaboration has: • Conducted eight farmland access literacy trainings (including 1 webinar) reaching 299 farmers. An abridged version was also presented to 360 college and university students. • Convened 44 farmers to attend in-depth farmland access bootcamps to become better prepared for pursuing their land access goals. (Three more bootcamps are scheduled.) • Connected 710 beginning farmers and 582 people who work with farmers to farmland access resources and information. • Launched the Farmland Access Hub, with eight Farmland Access Navigators that have provided in-depth support to 188 beginning farmers, 65 of which have achieved farmland tenure with support of a Navigator. • Initiated a media campaign reaching 40,000 people. This media campaign has helped to build awareness around the systemic farmland access barriers for beginning farmers and rally supporters together to help identify and implement regional initiatives to overcome such barriers. • Held a successful Farmland Access Summit, where 87 stakeholders including, policy makers, service providers and farmers discussed farmland access models, issues and solutions. • With support from Partners and our Steering Committee, we have participated in discussions leading to government financial and legislative support for beginning farmer land access support in both Iowa and Minnesota.
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: Michigan State University
Project Director: David Mota-Sanchez (motasanc@msu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
La
Cosecha, a Spanish
word for harvest, provided training for first and...
La
Cosecha, a Spanish
word for harvest, provided training for first and next generation socially
disadvantaged Latino farmers so they can become successful farmers in specialty
crop production, and crop diversification. The programming was very useful for beginning Latino farmers, farm laborers, their children, and interested
Latinos with non-farming backgrounds. During three years a series of workshops (16)
to train farmers were offered including: 1) IPM and production (145 farmers),
2) Access to USDA programs (25), 3) Vegetable crops (111), 4) 4-H introducing
Latino youth to agriculture and related activities (505), 5) Pesticide
education (81), 6) information of the program to farmworkers (2,893), 7) Pesticide
certification credits (354), and 8) GAPs and business and marketing (123). Thirty-one
farmers obtained the pesticide certification, 142 visits were performed to
field farms to address issues related to crop production, 50 field demonstrations
were performed by our outreach specialist on crop production, 30 farmers were
provided information on irrigation systems. In addition, communication via text messages
and phone calls were performed. Survey instruments to evaluate the impact of
the program were designed and performed too. Educational materials from MSU
Extension were provided. We established a successful bi-cultural and bio-linguistic
program for Latino farmers with different levels of knowledge and
skills. Currently, one of the main issues for many farmers is the variable
price of the blueberries in the market. In addition, lack of labor to harvest
the fruits in the past few years and this year has been a limiting factor in
the business operations. We believe that La Cosecha program and other similar
programs in the nation face the same dilemma: despite the success in training
beginning farmers the ability to have a long-term impact is limited due to the
relatively short term of the project.
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Award Amount: $599,147
Institution: Cornell University
Project Director: Anusuya Rangarajan (ar47@cornell.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Being prepared to hire, manage and retain
skilled employees is crucial...
Being prepared to hire, manage and retain
skilled employees is crucial for farmers across New York. The “Labor
Ready Farmer” (LRF) project, offers a team-based approach to address this
challenge by building the managerial skill-set of new farmers and Hispanic farm
employees wanting to climb the ladder from labor to management to farm ownership. The project’s long-term goal is to ensure that new farmers and advancing
employees in our region can access high-quality information, supportive
networks and proven tactics essential to effective management of labor.
These efforts support new farmers scaling up and Hispanic farm employees to
move up the ladder of management on existing farms through professional development
curriculum specific to the fruit and vegetable industry. For new farmers
(operating less than 10 years), effective management of labor is core to
scaling up produce businesses. Our training programs demonstrated the importance
of investing in the skill of valuable employees, while saving farm owners
money and creating positive on-farm impacts. Most importantly, we continue to create pathways for advancement and long term retention of key farm employees in the NY
fruit and vegetable industry, reducing employee turnover rates. The
curriculum developed by the project also features online courses and videos. The last phase of the project will include, Spanish plain language guides and visual
resources, virtual based English classes, regional face to face training
programs (ENY and WNY) and new HR consultant teams that will individually coach
25 selected participants.
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Award Amount: $49,104
Institution: Penn State Extension (The Pennsylvania State University)
Project Director: Christi Powell (cug137@psu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association
Project Director: nathan harkleroad (nathan@albafarmers.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2019 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $307,732
Institution: Foodshed Alliance A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Project Director: Eric Derby (eric@foodshedalliance.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $574,150
Institution: National Young Farmers Coalition
Project Director: Holly Rippon-Butler (holly@youngfarmers.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Our 2017 National Young Farmer Survey found land access to...
Our 2017 National Young Farmer Survey found land access to be the number one challenge that young farmers and ranchers face. Many
of these are first-generation farmers from non-farming backgrounds, who need
support to determine how land tenure decisions will impact the financial health
of their farm businesses. Although there are a number of financial planning
tools available, none are specifically focused on financial decision-making for
land access.
The goal for this project was to create educational tools and programs that enable beginning
farmers and ranchers across the country to make informed financial decisions
during the process of accessing land so that they will have a solid framework
on which to build strong, sustainable farm businesses. We achieved this goal by creating the Finding Farmland program, which consists of a unique calculator tool, a companion online course, and a workshop series, all focused on helping farmers approach the financial decisions related to land access.
The Finding Farmland Calculator (http://findingfarmland.org) is a web application designed to help farmers
and ranchers across the country make informed financial decisions during the
process of accessing land. The site was created in partnership with Fathom
Information Design, a technology and design firm that partners with clients to understand,
express, and navigate complex data through visualizations,
interactive tools, and software. The main feature of the website is a unique mortgage calculator that farmers can use to compare financing costs for different farm properties, or to compare different financing scenarios for a single property. Farmers can also enter financial information from their records and business plans to more comprehensively understand creditworthiness
and how purchasing farmland fits into their overall farm financial planning. The Calculator is used by farmers as a business planning tool and by lenders and technical assistance providers as a beginner farmer teaching tool. The Finding Farmland Course serves as a companion resource to the Calculator, in that
it provides instruction, context, activities, and suggested resources that
will help beginning farmers seeking land access to confidently approach the financial
decisions they will encounter. The
Course contains nine lessons, beginning with goal setting and land tenure
options, moving into financial planning methods and financing options, then
ending with lessons on different land access methods: leasing, buying, and
transfers. Each lesson features a blog post and podcast featuring expert guest presenters; an activity; an instructional video for using
topic-relevant features of the Calculator; and a compilation of suggested
external resources. The whole course is free and can be taken any time at your own pace. From
September 2017 to February 2019, Young Farmers organized and hosted eleven
full-day or half-day Finding Farmland Workshops for beginning farmers with partner organizations in
regions across the country. These workshops reached 269 farmers, and developed an internal staff capacity to present on topics related to financial decision making for land access at conferences, on webinars, with our chapters, and by request from partner organizations. This project reached more than ten thousand individual beginning farmers during the grant period, and has enabled the Coalition to develop an educational platform that will serve farmers and ranchers seeking land access for years to come.
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Award Amount: $654,902
Institution: Legal Aid of Nebraska
Project Director: Michelle Soll (msoll@legalaidofnebraska.com)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The
purpose of the renewal Legal Aid of Nebraska (LAN) Beginning...
The
purpose of the renewal Legal Aid of Nebraska (LAN) Beginning Farmer and Ranchers
Development Program (BFRDP) Standard Grant was to increase the number and
enhance the sustainability of farm and ranch enterprises in Nebraska,
South Dakota, Wyoming and the eastern Colorado StrikeForce
area. The project provided education and skills to beginning farmers and
ranchers with focused outreach to returning veterans; deliver business succession
planning to beginning farmers and ranchers engaged in transition with
established landowners; and provided information for beginning farmers
interested in small-scale, direct marketing operations. The project addressed the following Priority Topics for Standard Grants: 1) financial and risk
management training (including the acquisition and management of agricultural
credit); 2) diversification and
marketing strategies; 3) assisting beginning farmers and ranchers in acquiring
land from retiring farmers and ranchers; and 4) agricultural rehabilitation and
vocational training for veterans.
Program
Need: The target audience included all Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, and eastern Colorado transitioning landowners, beginning
farmers and ranchers and prospective beginning farmers and ranchers, regardless
of race, ethnicity, or socio-economic status. LAN will provide additional
outreach to veteran farmers and ranchers in this region. For over 45 years, LAN
has worked with a diverse range of farmers and ranchers including
disadvantaged, underserved, and veteran groups and has the experience and expertise
to address their concerns. Since the early 1980’s, Nebraska,
South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado have experienced a dramatic decline in the
numbers of beginning farmers and ranchers and an increase in the number of
landowners over the age of 65. According to the 2012 US Census on Agriculture,
in these states, the number of operators age 65+ is at least triple the number
of operators age 35 or under.
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Award Amount: $
Institution: University of Florida
Project Director: Amy Vu (amy.vu@ufl.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2022 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Education Projects
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $589,494
Institution: National Immigrant Farming
Project Director: Rigoberto Delgado (rigo@immigrantfarmers.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2019 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
...
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Award Amount: $744,810
Institution: Michigan State University
Project Director: Michael Hamm (mhamm@msu.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The overall project goal was to create a vibrant network...
The overall project goal was to create a vibrant network of beginning farmer training across Michigan catering to a range of perspectives and needs while moving everyone who desires to farm along the path of business viability. We especially targeted farmers with several years of experience, seeking to address key elements that often derail farming business success: land access, capital access, market access, business planning, and a strategy for scaling up. Intensive on-farm workshops facilitated and led by teams of farmers and other experts were the primary means of assisting farmers. In addition, we provided stipends to a cohort of beginning farmers and we created tools and other learning resources. Our initial strategy focused on two sites. The Michigan State University Student Organic Farm in East Lansing, MI build on nine years of training beginning farmers and the Genesee County Women in Agriculture Network established a training/demonstration farm site in Grand Blanc, near Flint, MI. We developed, conducted and evaluated training programs appropriate for both the sites and the participants. We also worked to engage Spanish-speaking farmers and identified many more of them than indicated by the most recent Census of Agriculture.
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Award Amount: $49,555
Institution: GROW North Texas
Project Director: Susie Marshall (susie@grownorthtexas.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
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Award Amount: $539,536
Institution: MOSES
Project Director: Sarah Broadfoot (grants@mosesorganic.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
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Award Amount: $692,433
Institution: University of Nevada Reno Cooperative Extension
Project Director: Staci Emm (emms@unr.edu)
Funding Opportunity: 2014 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The long-term goal of this StandardBFRDP Project Renewal is to...
The long-term goal of this StandardBFRDP Project Renewal is to enhance the capacity of Nevada’s beginning farmers and ranchers (BRFs) to own, operate and sustain viable agricultural operations. The short-term goal is to increase BFRs’ participation in USDA programs including farm loan purchases, entering new markets, starting and sustaining an agriculture operation, and entering into land leases. Training programs are organized to include the following specific objectives: 1)Increase Nevada’s BFRs’ communication, entrepreneurship, business and financial management skills necessary to own, operate and sustain an agricultural operation; 2) Increase Nevada’s BFRs’ basic farming skills; 3) Increase Nevada’s BFRs’ basic skills in livestock and poultry production; 4) Increase Nevada’s BFRs’ basic skills in viticulture; 5) Provide mentorship of BFRs following training programs to provide ongoing guidance and support for overall BFR business success; 6) Integrate USDA agricultural assistance programs into all BFR programs; and 7) Target socially disadvantaged and limited resource farmers and ranchers; and evaluate overall BFR program.
American Indians, military veterans, Hispanics, women and low-income individuals comprise significant proportions of Nevada’s total population and qualify as socially disadvantaged and limited resource BFR. More than 7% of the total budget is allocated to targeting these individuals through tailored curriculum materials, mentorships/outreach specialists with salary dollars allocated to hire specific expertise, including bi-cultural/bi-lingual individuals to work with and mentor socially disadvantaged and limited resource BFRs. Total funds requested for 3 years are $749,926. Due to the remote geographic location of many agricultural operations in Nevada, both long-distance and in-person education is critical to encourage BFRs to continually participate and accomplish project goals. Impacts will be measured through a combination of instruments and methodologies focusing on participatory evaluation producing both quantitative and qualitative project impacts.
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Award Amount: $539,275
Institution: ORGANIZATION FOR REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT SUCCESS
Project Director: Muktar Idhow (midhow@refugeesuccess.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2017 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
ORIS’s long-term goal for this project is to improve
beginning farmer...
ORIS’s long-term goal for this project is to improve
beginning farmer success and food security among refugee and immigrant communities in New Hampshire. We
do this by supporting beginning farmers with the knowledge, skills and tools
they need to make good farm business decisions and enhance sustainability. The
target audience is 100% immigrant farmers who have operated a farm or ranch for
fewer than 10 years. This funding addresses the needs of limited resource
beginning farmers and ranchers, socially disadvantaged beginning farmers and
immigrant farm workers planning to become beginning farmers or ranchers.
Year 1 progress: Hosted thousands of hours of orientations, informational meetings, and technical workshops. Expanded farm stands and CSA pickup sites; developed two new contract wholesale customers 4 farmers attended the 2017 Community Food Systems Conference 6 farmers from attended NASAP workshops Purchased 56.8 acres in Dunbarton; 7 acres actively cultivated Secured access to 4 acres in Concord for incubator farmers. Installed washing station and 12 gravity fed drip irrigation kits for beginning farmers.
Year 2 progress: Through 2,072 hours of training and technical assistance on
3 incubator farms, ORIS facilitated culturally and linguistically
appropriate outreach, business planning, peer-to-peer mentoring, and access to
9 farmer’s markets, 5 farm stands, 6 Mobile Market sites.
Year 3 progress: Through 2,054 hours of training and technical assistance on
2 incubator farms, ORIS facilitated culturally and linguistically
appropriate outreach, business planning, and access to 11 farmer’s markets, 1
farm stand, 20 Mobile Market sites, and CSA program that grew exponentially.
COVID-19 challenged ORIS’s training, recruitment, and
ability to connect refugee farmers other food systems players. Still, farmers embraced
COVID-19 safety, while significantly increasing their sales. Farmer
independence grew significantly. All farmers are eager to leverage the
successes of this year, invest in their plots, and continue building their
businesses.
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Award Amount: $310,419
Institution: Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service
Project Director: John Mesko (john@mosesorganic.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
In the New Organic Stewards: Expanding Community, Resources and Financial...
In the New Organic Stewards: Expanding Community, Resources and Financial Knowledge project the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), Renewing the Countryside (RTC) and local collaborators brought 1,130 new and beginning sustainable farmers in Wis., Minn., Iowa and Ill. together for learning opportunities. New and beginning farmers in communities throughout the Midwest met, networked, learned from each other, viewed successful organic operations, gained access to additional programs and resources, and learned basic sustainable farming and financial management practices. The emphasis of our offerings was creating a safe, comfortable, accessible, engaging environment of exploration to those just beginning their path to farming. Although according to the 2012 Ag Census the number of people entering farming continues to drop, we continue to see new entry into small, diversified farming systems by people with no farming background, or a gap in their farm history. With support, we feel that there is opportunity for these people to succeed in creating sustainable farming systems. We held four regional 2-day New Farmer U events, and numerous conference workshops and activities for new and beginning sustainable farmers. The book, Fearless Farm Finances, was updated and expanded and used as a training reference. One-day financial workshops, supported by the book, optional add-ons at the New Farmer U events, provided in-depth financial basics to strengthen the financial literacy and sustainability of beginning farmer attendees. A 15-lesson online course was developed, based on the book and using video and presentations from the one-day trainings, and offered as both a free access and fee-based teacher supported course. As a result of the project attendees chose to participate in additional educational programs, implemented new production methods, initiated financial recordkeeping and analysis to make their farms more profitable and sustainable and felt a greater sense of community and support on their path to farming. 678 of those involved made progress in their dreams of beginning to farm or further improved their existing farm operations.
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Award Amount: $749,997
Institution: International Rescue Committee
Project Director: Aley Kent (aley.kent@rescue.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2021 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
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Award Amount: $524,979
Institution: Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas
Project Director: Kristin Selby (kselby@catholiccharitiesks.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program 2021 Awards
Summary
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Award Amount: $380,433
Institution: Catholic Charities of Northeast KS
Project Director: Meredith Walrafen (mwalrafen@catholiccharitiesks.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas (CCNEK) in partnership with Cultivate...
Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas (CCNEK) in partnership with Cultivate Kansas City (CKC), is using BFRDP funds for a successful incubator training farm called New Roots for Refugees, and for new activities that support the scaling up of refugee farmers to meet wholesale demand in the Kansas City area. The long term goal is that refugees farm in Kansas City independently on land that they own or lease at a scale that they desire and manage. To reach this goal, we have identified the following objectives: Removal of Barriers to Marketing, Adapted and Increased Agricultural Skills, Financial Management and Farm Capitalization, and Whole Farm Planning.
The incubator farm program provides non-traditional lease agreements to gain access to land that require refugees to complete trainings and establish a path toward managing their own farm business. For each year of the program, refugee farmers take on additional responsibilities, taking the refugee farmer from dependency to independent farm business operator in 4 years. Specific emphasis is put on using equipment to maximize efficiency and profit, as well as teaching farmers how to plan infrastructure for their future farm sites. In our first grant year, we graduated 2 farmers onto their own land and helped them establish infrastructure at their new farm sites. We are on track to graduate another 7 farmers by helping them acquire land and develop infrastructure as well. From August 2016 to July 2017, New Roots farmers sold over $124,000 in produce to Kansas City metro area residents. CCNEK and CKC have been working together since 2005 to help refugees start farm businesses, providing infrastructure, training, technical assistance, and marketing support. CCNEK has a long history of working with refugees, while CKC brings agricultural expertise, making an effective partnership for serving refugee farmers.
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Award Amount: $49,890
Institution: GROW North Texas
Project Director: Susie Marshall (susie@grownorthtexas.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
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Award Amount: $570,327
Institution: Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association
Project Director: Rachel Tayse (rachel@oeffa.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2019 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
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Award Amount: $600,000
Institution: Angelic Organics Learning Center
Project Director: Pam Wilcox (grants@learngrowconnect.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Summary
The Open Books: Open Farmland project is led by Angelic...
The Open Books: Open Farmland project is led by Angelic Organics Learning Center, Liberty Prairie Foundation and Upper Midwest CRAFT farmer alliance. The project will bring farmer-led services to 217 beginning sustainable agriculture farmers and trainees. As requested by farmers, the project addresses two major barriers for beginning farmers: financial management training and land tenure. The long-term goal of Open Books: Open Farmland is to help beginning farmers in their first ten years of startup develop viable, financially robust farm businesses in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. The objectives of the project are to: - Create and launch farm finance working groups and a mentoring program that enhance farm financial management and improve the economic viability of at least 40 farms.
- Increase access to capital and related financing training for 24-48 farmers.
- Increase land access for beginning farmers using innovative farmland transfer strategies and create a link program to match retiring farmers with beginning farmers in need of land, resulting in at least 6 successful matches over the project period.
- Build the collective knowledge of best practices in improving farm economic viability; disseminate results with others.
Our primary approach to achieve these objectives is to design and integrate farm economic viability programs into established farmer-led farmer training programs. The collaborating farmer alliance and nonprofits are the leaders of innovative farmer training in the region and provide the only training that is farmer-led, focused on sustainable agriculture, and aimed at expanding the local food economy.
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Award Amount: $589,990
Institution: Rodale Institute
Project Director: Jeff Moyer (jeff.moyer@rodaleinstitute.org)
Funding Opportunity: 2020 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program 2021 Awards
Summary
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