Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
This project will build capacity and diversity in the FBMB National Database while collaborating to share tools and reports that enrich producers' understanding and use of benchmarking in times of volatile profit margins. Producers in all partner states will gain knowledge and skills from expanded: educational programs, farm financial data on ecological practices, and new benchmarking tools for their farms. Previously collected environmental sustainability data will expand to include Climate-Smart practices including cover crops. New and early career Farm Benchmarking professionals will be mentored live and online. North Carolina A&T State University will continue program expansion, while strengthening relationships with the 1890's Land Grant Center of Excellence for Food Systems, Rural Prosperity, and Economic Sustainability (CFSRPES) by building trust and educating minority farmers on financial concepts. This project addresses both FBMB objectives.Six partners including the University of Missouri Farm Business Management Analysis (MO), University of Minnesota Southwest Farm Business Management Association (SWMNFBMA), Minnesota State Farm Business Management Education Program (MN FBM), North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University (NCA&T), Illinois Farm Business Management (IL), and Wisconsin Technical College's Farm Business Instructors (WI) in five states will collaborate to maintain and grow the FBMB National Database, while expanding producer readiness for high risk decisions. This project will also address each of the five RFA-listed measures for these goals. All partners will work to: improve producer success in times of volatile profit margins, ensure uniform financial/benchmarking data, expand data publishing and outreach focusing on ClimateSmart practices, deliver mentorship/training, and advance small farm profitability.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Goal 1: Build capacity and diversity in the FBMB National Database• Increase FBMB National Database participation by a minimum of 2% or 50 farms.• Increase underserved and emerging farmer participation by 20 farms.• Submit at least 5 farms each from NCA&T and the MN FBM Urban Agriculture Program.Goal 2: Enhance and share instructional tools to address volatile profit margins and high-risk decisions to improve Farm Business Management (FBM) instructor knowledge and skills.• Enhance Cost of Production instructional tools.• Compile and publish economic characteristics and trend data for high return producers.• Increase confidence and retention of instructors through training on instructional aids.Goal 3: Collaborate to share financial impact of implementing Climate-Smart practices.• Increase knowledge of financial impact of ecological practices for 200 producers.• Compile and publish an all-partner Cover Crop and an Environmental Practices report.• Broaden outreach to at least 20 national stakeholders.
Project Methods
A technique employed will be to enhance and share educational tools to provide resources to increase the knowledge and skills of producers. Access to instructional materials will add value to the professional's toolbox when working with producers. Those tools will enhance delivery and provide more detailed explanations of Climate Smart practices financial data and guide high risk decision making with a Cost of Production focus.A second technique that employs a new emphasis is the development of a list of financial benchmarks of a high return producer that generates less than $100,000 of Gross Farm Income. Identifying these benchmarks in the FBMB National Database will benefit specialty crop and underserved, minority producers being emphasized in this project.A third technique is a 2nd year emphasis to present benchmarking concepts to the 1890's CFSRPES, with the addition of National Extension Network. These presentations will expand on the previously shared benchmarking concepts, demonstrate basic recordkeeping tools, and share successes from NCA&T in developing a program for underserved producers.The fourth technique that provides a new emphasis is expanding outreach efforts to enhance producer understanding of benchmarking concepts and ecological practices. Value will be added when each partner identifies new stakeholders and disseminates materials developed in this project. By publishing reports on the financial impact of using Climate-Smart practices and sharing enhanced instructional materials, more relevant benchmarking concepts will be available to these new audiences and in turn, the general public.A fifth technique will be to continue to build on past project successes. Best practices from previous collaborations will guide and strengthen mentoring activities, enabling the partners to enhance training for early career instructors and producers. Lessons learned from developing an initial series of video clips will add value to the clips developed in this project. Using knowledge gained from successfully incorporating the Plan-on-a-Page report into FINPACK, partners will have confidence in exploring new opportunities for instructional tools, and share successes.Combined, these techniques will maintain and expand participation in the FBMB National Database. All five techniques are the next natural steps in building on past experience.