Performing Department
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Non Technical Summary
The "Advancing Next Generation Livestock Farmers and Ranchers: Land Transitions, Capacity Building, and Access to Capital" project by the Siskiyou Economic Development Council is designed to support and nurture the next generation of livestock farmers and ranchers in Northern California and Southern Oregon. This project aims to ensure the continuity of agricultural lands by assisting in land transfer and succession planning, while also equipping new owners/operators with the necessary resources for long-term success.Primarily geared towards beginning farmers and ranchers focusing on sustainable meat production, the project provides technical assistance, financial and risk management training, natural resource planning, marketing strategies, mentorship, and peer-to-peer training. The focus is on developing a sustainable and innovative meat supply chain that is ecologically balanced and profitable.The need for this project is intensified by the challenges of wildfires, drought, supply chain interruptions, and declining market conditions, threatening the future of multi-generational livestock producers. Moreover, a significant percentage of agricultural lands are expected to change hands in the near future, and many current owners lack a feasible succession plan.By serving rural and disadvantaged businesses in a geographically dispersed region spanning across 13 counties, the project aims to help stabilize and grow the regenerative niche meat supply chain. This project represents an important intervention and resource in a region where livestock operations contribute significantly to farm revenues and property values. The Siskiyou Economic Development Council, alongside strategic partners, has identified key focus areas and leveraged existing trainings and workshops to address these regional challenges effectively.
Animal Health Component
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Research Effort Categories
Basic
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Applied
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Developmental
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Goals / Objectives
Major Goal:The major goal of the "Advancing Next Generation Livestock Farmers and Ranchers: Land Transitions, Capacity Building, and Access to Capital" project is to equip beginning livestock farmers and ranchers in rural northern California and southern Oregon with comprehensive technical assistance and resources. The project seeks to facilitate effective succession planning and land ownership transfers, enhance access to capital and financial acumen, promote climate-smart production practices, and foster capacity building, all geared towards ensuring the long-term viability and resilience of ecologically balanced and profitable farms and ranches in the region.Objectives:Succession Planning: Develop and implement effective succession plans for approximately 20% of retiring farmers in the project region within three years.Land Ownership Transfers: Assist at least 100 beginning farmers and ranchers in securing land from retiring operators through viable transfer strategies by the end of the project.Access to Capital: Facilitate access to capital for at least 70% of the project's beneficiaries, with a 25% increase in the average amount of capital accessed by the end of the project.Financial Training: Provide financial and risk management training to 100% of project beneficiaries, with at least 80% demonstrating improved financial management skills within a year of training.Capacity Building: Through mentoring and peer-to-peer training, improve capacity in areas such as natural resource management, diversification, and marketing strategies among at least 75% of project participants.Climate-Smart Production Practices: Achieve adoption of climate-smart, pasture-based, and regenerative practices by 60% of the farmers and ranchers involved in the project.Niche Meat Supply Chain Development: Increase the number of niche meat producers using regenerative practices by 30% over the course of the project.Regional Resilience: Reduce the region's agriculture business recovery time from crisis by 20% by the end of the project.Support for Disadvantaged Businesses: Extend project benefits to at least 50% of the identified rural and disadvantaged businesses in the project's target counties.Collaboration and Leverage of Existing Resources: Collaborate with at least five strategic partners to leverage existing resources and achieve at least a 30% increase in project implementation efficiency.Safeguarding Agricultural Heritage: Ensure that 20% of the agricultural lands that are about to "age out" have feasible succession plans by the end of the project.Economic Stability and Growth: Achieve a 10% growth in the region's regenerative niche meat supply chain, translating to increased farm revenues and property values by the end of the project.
Project Methods
Project Execution:The project consists of various initiatives targeting beginning livestock farmers and ranchers. The execution of this project will be primarily through education, training, technical assistance, and financial support.Technical Assistance: A major part of the project is providing one-on-one technical assistance to the target group. This includes expanding existing programs and partnership collaborations, focusing on priority areas relevant to livestock producers.Workshops and Cohort Training Courses: The project will host workshops and training courses (both in-person and virtual) on key areas like succession planning, financial and risk management, natural resource management, diversification and marketing strategies, etc. The project will also provide specific business training and peer-to-peer strategy sharing to small cohorts.Online Resource Base: An online resource hub will be established, providing farmers and ranchers access to existing curriculum and resources pertaining to successful farm operation.Capital Assistance: There will be dedicated efforts to assist participants in identifying and securing capital to establish, expand, or grow their business.Unique Aspects:What sets this project apart is the comprehensive support provided to beginning farmers and ranchers - from technical and financial assistance to education and training, and the establishment of an online knowledge center. The emphasis on a tailored, hands-on approach, combined with online resources, is a unique combination that caters to various learning styles and needs.Analysis and Evaluation:The project will leverage various tools, including the Neoserra platform and SBDC metric tracking system, to systematically measure and track progress and results. These will be supplemented by feedback from farmers, focus groups, and surveys to continuously evaluate the effectiveness of project resources and support services.Each objective has clear, measurable outcomes with set targets. For instance, the number of new farm startups, amount of capital obtained, number of farmers with improved access to capital, improvement in climate-smart production practices, and increased business knowledge. This outcome-based approach provides a robust framework for project evaluation.The impact on the target audience will be assessed based on changes in knowledge, actions, and conditions. This includes changes in knowledge of land transitions, capacity building, and access to capital, changes in action like the number of farms created, and conditions like capital secured and improved business outcomes.Efforts to Impact Change:The project is designed to effect change in the knowledge, actions, and conditions of the target audience. By providing resources, support, and training in key areas, the project aims to empower beginning livestock farmers and ranchers to establish and grow their businesses successfully.The results of these efforts will be quantified and evaluated using the outcome-based reporting plan mentioned earlier. This will provide an accurate measure of the project's impact on the intended audience and inform future interventions.