Source: MIDWEST ORGANIC AND SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION SERVICE submitted to
FARMER ADVANCEMENT PROGRAM: ENHANCED MENTORSHIP AND BUSINESS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1031314
Grant No.
2023-49400-40906
Cumulative Award Amt.
$749,816.00
Proposal No.
2023-04914
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 15, 2023
Project End Date
Sep 14, 2026
Grant Year
2023
Program Code
[BFRDA]- Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, Standard
Project Director
Stern, L.
Recipient Organization
MIDWEST ORGANIC AND SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION SERVICE
PO BOX 339
SPRING VALLEY,WI 54767
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Since 1996, Marbleseed, formerly the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) has served as one of the critical organizations for promoting and educating farmers on viable sustainable and organic production. Together with our partners, we have successfully educated a community of thousands of diverse new and beginning farmers on sustainable and organic production practices and farm finances. Building off the foundation of the previous BFRDP projects (Fearless Farm Finances, New Farmer U events, New Organic Stewards program, mentorship and direct farmer support), Marbleseed seeks to support upper Midwest beginning farmers through content and learning opportunities that address business planning, production technical assistance, expanded mentorship, and systems for financing and land access. This current application builds on the success of the previous while expanding reach to socially disadvantaged farmers via incubator farms, new state partners, and other Marbleseed programs that directly engage historically underserved beginning farmers.With an estimated 700 million acres of farmland expected to switch hands in the next 20 years across the country, the need to train a new generation of farmers and to provide equitable access to land and capital grows more imminent. "Every time we lose several old people in the community, there are no young people coming to replace them. I think that we need to [...] figure out new ways to rebuild the community and to reanimate the person-to-person interaction...basically we need to mentor and transfer knowledge from one person to another" (Snyder et al., 2022, pp. 140). The good news is that, according to the 2017 Agriculture Census, attrition rates among beginning farmers have gone down and the number of women farmers has increased. This suggests the work done to support beginning farmers and underserved audiences by organizations like Marbleseed and our partners is making an impact. The Farmer Advancement Program will support a continued increase of successful beginning farmers, including underserved farmers, by supporting their learning needs in farm business management, product marketing, professional development, access to land and capital, and mentor relationships with more advanced peers. The project will have a general focus on socially disadvantaged and underserved organic farmers and ranchers, including farmers on leased and or in incubators, where higher concentrations of BIPOC and other socially disadvantaged farmers exist in higher concentrations due to their issues around land access and ownership. We involve BIPOC and other socially disadvantaged beginning farmers and ranchers in project development and design.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90360993020100%
Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
GoalThe overall project goal is to strengthen the viability of the organic farming sector in the Midwest through providing tailored levels and delivery models of educational opportunities and building community among diverse groups of beginning and intermediate farmers. This will be accomplished by providing farmers the opportunity to engage in culturally relevant adult learning where beginning farmers can learn from a mixture of interactions with their peers, experienced mentors, and experts in various fields. Over the course of 3 years, the project will reach at least 750 beginning farmers and ranchers in the Midwest (>40% of them historically underserved) by providing them with educational workshops, networking opportunities, and one-on-one mentorship from experienced farmers and experts. To make progress toward this overarching goal, the project will focus on three key objectives and their related outputs and outcomes:Objective 1 - Build community networks of beginning farmers across the upper Midwest via identification of relevant programming with project partners and a farmer advisory groupObjective 2 - Build sustainability of farming operations and careers of farmers by providing educational opportunities and matching experienced farmers and experts with beginning farmers to share knowledge, experiences, and skillsObjective 3-Increase access to land and capital through the various program components
Project Methods
EFFORTS:MentorshipOur mentorship program supports beginning farmers through varying stages of growth with education tactics targeted to their developmental stage.36 beginning farmers and ranchers will participate in our mentorship program where they will be provided year-round with support from trained mentors.WorkshopsSix educational workshops covering organic production, finance, marketing, and other relevant topics for beginning farmers and ranchers will be highlighted in a beginning farmer track at the annual Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference.Classes/Trainings3 in-person trainings will provide mentors and advanced beginning farmers with soft skills and information on navigating critical USDA and farm credit systems in support of land and capital access for farmer entrepreneurs.36 mentors will have regular interaction with the Farmer Advancement Manager during their mentorship year (12 per year). This coaching will result in deeper interactions and more effective learning between participants, therefore encouraging cohort development."New Farmer U" trainings and locally developed trainings in three states focused on business management.Webinars3 webinars will provide mentors and mentees best practices for educating new farmers, access to land and capital models, and advanced entrepreneurship and marketing topics.Curriculum DevelopmentRevision of"Fearless Farm Finances" training to ensure that it reflects current resources and is culturally relevant.Update the day-long "Fearless Farm Finances" training and business technical assistance training, and navigator training for mentors.Descriptions of Outcomes & EvaluationNumber of new farm start-ups or expansion of farm businesses: 30Evaluation: Online surveys to participants each year for 3 years.Number of new farmers who report increase knowledge of organic practices: 60% of farmers surveyedEvaluation:Conference attendees - Post-event paper surveys and online surveys 8-10 months after the eventsNumber of new farmers who will report increased confidence in farming as a business: 60% of farmers surveyedEvaluation:Conference attendees - Post-event paper surveys and online surveys 8-10 months after the eventsNumber of new farmers who will report more effective business management/marketing skills that result in expanded markets: 30% of farmers engaged in programmingEvaluation:Pre-conference Organic University for FAP participants and Mentorship Participants - Farm & Ranch Business Health Assessment pre and post, check-in phone calls, checking on progress toward goals, post-program interviews.Number of farmers who will report using more effective or efficient production practices: 60% of farmers engaged in programmingEvaluation:Mentorship participants - Pre and post post-surveys, check-in phone calls, an ASN app checking on progress toward goals, post-program interviewsNumber of farmers who secure land tenure through lease: 30% of farmers that receiveEvaluation:Mentorship and educational program participants--surveys, interviews, and Marbleseed communication vehicles or purchase of farmland off incubators or to scale up expanded mentorship (blog, Broadcaster, etc) of incubator farm managers and participants uplifting these stories of success

Progress 09/15/23 to 09/14/24

Outputs
Target Audience:During this period, theFarmer Advancement Program: Enhanced Mentorship and Business Technical Assistance (FAP) focused on serving the 5- 10 year farmer. These farmers and producers ready to take their business to the next level have notably not had opportunities in trainings, hands-on technical assitance and direct guidance from peers to do this. Through Marbleseed's mentorship program we have served farmers that are switching to agrazing system forlivestock, are establishing tree-nut orchards, are expanding into wholesale vegetable markets and are setting up an educational component of their farm. These are all activities that need more hands-on guidance than typical beginnng farmer programming that exists. Emerging farmers have been reached and benefited from this program with Sharing Our Roots, a partner on this grant, providing mentors that speak their language and are aware of their cultural growing techniquesfor their farmers. They also have provided trainings to these immigrant and BIPOC farmers that include interpretation into Kisii and Spanish. We Have Always Been Related has supported BIPOC farmers with direct technical assitance and has showcased cultural growing practices on their farm.Serving this growing population of farmers is critical. We have engaged with beginning farmers that are interested in building their wholesale capacity, hoping to build off of important work done with the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA) we have worked to understand their needs and how to best provide training, resources and connections. Overall, the Farmer Advancement Program has targeted farmers that are evolving, developing new markets and will be able to inspire other farmers in the future. Changes/Problems:While we have celebrated many accomplishments, we are looking forward to making up ground on some of our deliverables in this next period. We have had setbacks with onboarding some of our partners but have made-up ground so far in year two and will continue to. Special attention will be spent on the Farmer Advisory Groups to ensure we are providing the needed eduation at our New Farmer Universities, workshops at the Organic Farming Conference, finding mentors/mentees, etc. We have understood the importance of interpretation at trainings and events and look to find ways to bolster interpretation moving forward. We also understand that moving forward we need to translate promotional mateirals or have audio recordings of these mateirals to share with diverse farmer groups. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Program partner Sharing Our Roots has organized various trainings including-a Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) training where 25 farmers attended and recieveda certificate of completion.This was interpreted to Spanish and Kisii and farmers were given a handwashing station to bring to their farms. They also coordinated a Farmers Market Preparedness Training with Minnesota Farmers Market Association. They provided wholesale training via the LEAFF program at the Good Acre and worked to find new markets for farmers. This work to provide training and access to markets is critical to the farmers they serve. We Have Always Been Related provided finanical assistance to farmers to attend valuable trainings such as a Native Harvest workshop and Seed Saving workshop. The mentorship cohort was sent trainings and conferences that were seen as beneficial for them to attend, especially with their mentor, to grow their knowledge. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Marbleseed has connections to other organizations doing this important work of helping farmers thrive and providing opportunites to nuture the next generation of farmers. When organizing our conference, collaborating on trainings, field days and workshops or connecting at conferences, we discuss how to better serve beginning farmers. We write about our impact in our quarterly publication the Organic Broadcaster. We look to forge partnerships with many different organizations and share our findings while alsoexploringhow to best engage with beginning farmers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to form our 2025 mentorship cohort and kick off at the Organic Farming Conference in February. Also at the conference we will host workshops on-Unlocking Land: Innovative Lending and Business Solutions for Farmers,Building Wealth on a Small Organic Farm,Everything I Know About Starting a Farm (So Far) and many more. Affinity groups at the conference have grown since the last conference, and we are excited to have those opportunites for emerging farmers as well as having the BIPOC resource and networking room available again. We will run threeNew Farmer Universities in the next period in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Indiana which includes our Fearless Farm Finances course. Our project partners will continueoffering mentorship, trainings and technical assitance to farmers they work with. The farmer advisory group will be prioritized and help us understand our impact and continue to grow it. We will survey the farmers we have worked with and improve on our shortcomings to ensure we are helping these farmers thrive and rural communities can grow strong.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1- Beginning farmers have been connected through mentorship cohorts, networking at trainings and events and affinity groups at the Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference. The 2024 Marbleseed mentorship cohort was kicked off at the Organic Farming Conference in February, 2024. This space let the pairs introducethemselves and share what they were interested in learning as part of the program. Connections beyond their mentor lets these beginning farmers seek knowledge, grow and prosper. Sharing workshops, field days, trainings and other events through the mentorship cohort and with our project partners builds this community network and allows space for connections. We were also able to shareevents with the Wisconsin Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) program group which in 2024 consisted of 72beginning farmers, which made up 62% of the total group. Providing space for beginning farmers and emerging farmers is critical. At the Organic Farming Conference in 2024, we had a BIPOC resource and networking room. Affinity groups including a HMoob farmer meet-up, Latino farmer gathering and tribal producer meeting were organized to give space to these farmers. We also had a Young and Begining Farmer mixer at the conference. These spaces providesgenuine connection and allows farmers to attend more educational events. Objective 2: At the 2024 Organic Farming Conference we ran the followingworkshops with support for this grant:Understanding Techniques and Tools for Successful Farm Transfers,Farm Food Safety on Your Mind? Get Started on Your Farm's Plan Today andOvercoming Entry Barriers for Emerging, Beginning, and Immigrant Farmers. Many other workshops, as well as our Farmer Summits,were available for beginning farmer participants to attend. Our Farmer Summits have no strict pre-defined agenda. Guided by a facilitator, farmers collaboratively build an agenda based on the theme in real time, allowing them to freely explore topics driven by their curiosity, needs, and expertise. We have found this space incredibly useful for beginning farmers as they can be involved with sharing their experiences and asking important questions. At the conference, 5 mentors and 9 mentees came together for a mentorship meeting. These pairs worked through the 2024 season and will be joining the 2025 conference to have a wrap-up meeting. Objective 3: Throughout this year, Marbleseed staff engaged with land access hubs and attended the Midwest Farmland Summit. Staff were able to direct land-seekers to appropriate programming, resources, organizations and events. By working with incubator farms, we are able to support these organisations serve their farmers with rented land.Those partners are also providing tranining and resources for their farmers to find their own land and seek capital to grow their farm business.

Publications