Source: LOST SIERRA FOOD PROJECT submitted to NRP
FEATHER RIVER FOOD SYSTEM INITIATIVE: BRIDGING DISCIPLINES AND BRIGHT FUTURES IN RURAL AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1031529
Grant No.
2023-38414-41221
Cumulative Award Amt.
$150,000.00
Proposal No.
2023-05203
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 15, 2023
Project End Date
May 14, 2026
Grant Year
2023
Program Code
[SPECA]- Secondary Challenge Program
Recipient Organization
LOST SIERRA FOOD PROJECT
429 MAIN STREET
QUINCY,CA 95971
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
SummaryThe Feather River Food System Initiative proposes to bridge and coordinate two fledgling technical agricultural programs in Plumas County, creating affordable and applicable curriculum and mentorship for students with a clear pathway from secondary and community college programs to two and four year post secondary farm and food systems programs and career opportunities. Feather River College (FRC) is a community college that offers an affordable one year certification in Ecological Farming. Plumas Charter School (PCS) is a public charter school that recently launched an Agriscience career technical education pathway. Lost Sierra Food Project is the project partner for both programs, providing a 2.5 acre diversified vegetable farm as the primary laboratory for learning. Through this proposal, we seek to recruit, inspire, and provide bridges between these programs and establish pathways between high school students, the local community college, and regional 4-year schools. This initiative benefits current and prospective students, many from underserved backgrounds, residents of Plumas County through community food security programming, and the future agriculture workforce by preparing students to address contemporary environmental and economic obstacles. This initiative seeks to (1) increase and enhance current teaching and coordination capacities to be multidisciplinary, applied, and vocational for existing agriscience programs, (2) promote and implement the inclusion of curriculum that includes immersive technical farming, qualitative methods through community research, and field based internship opportunities, and (3) mentor current and prospective students to transfer these technical and leadership skills to pursue higher education opportunities.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
8036099107050%
2050199302050%
Knowledge Area
803 - Sociological and Technological Change Affecting Individuals, Families, and Communities; 205 - Plant Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other; 0199 - Soil and land, general;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology; 3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
The objectives of the Feather River Food System Initiative are to: (1) Increase and enhance current teaching and coordination capacities to be multidisciplinary, applied, and vocational for existing agriscience programs, (2) Promote and implement the inclusion of curriculum that includes immersive technical farming, qualitative methods through community research, and field based internship opportunities, and (3) Mentor current and prospective students to transfer these technical and leadership skills via dual enrollment and articulated pathways to pursue associate and bachelor degrees within agriculture and food science.There are two major proposed NEW curriculum as a part of this initiative:The Oral History of Plumas County Food Systems Project - FRC and PCS programs will teach students skills in interviewing, transcribing, and understanding larger concepts within the food system and agriculture and sharing the results back with the community. With guidance from instructors, students will conduct intergenerational interviews to learn about the local food system changes over the last 50 years. This integration of qualitative methods through community research will equip students with communication and research skills that support community-based learning. This project will be a part of courses that investigate Sustainable Food Systems. The overarching goal is to learn about contemporary issues in food systems while maintaining the legacy and traditions of agricultural producers in the area. This project seeks to understand the evolution of agriculture and farming in Plumas County while helping youth understand viable careers in agriculture, and inspiring them to enter the agricultural workforce.Summer Job Training Program - Two PCS students and two FRC students will be intricately involved in the daily tasks of operations of the diversified vegetable farm and community food security programs offered by Lost Sierra Food Project. Interns will learn technical skills while assisting with weekly delivery of food donations to towns throughout the county, local school cafeterias, aiding in coordinating a 17 week Affordable Farm Bucks Program at the farm, and assisting with donations of produce to local food pantries and wellness centers.
Project Methods
The first step in accomplishing these goals will be increasing the capacity of our staff. Plumas Charter School currently has funding for a part-time CTE (career technical education) agriculture pathway coordinator. This grant seeks to expand the funding for this position to increase their capacity to recruit new students, coordinate and outline a clear pathway for students in the Agriscience pathway, and mentor agricultural pathway students to dually enroll at FRC and pursue higher education opportunities. Over the past two years, retention for the pathway coordinator has been challenging. Through the offering of a more robust position, we will be able to retain staff, increase institutional knowledge and capacity, and ensure a transition plan when the funding from this grant ends.In addition to the pathway coordinator, Lost Sierra Food Project will expand the capacity of our farm-based program coordinator. This role is critical to ensure that project partners are making the best use of current and prospective resources. The farm-based program coordinator will be responsible for supervising interns, student employees, and PCS and FRC courses on the farm. This coordinator will work with the PD, Co-PD's, PCS pathway coordinator, FRC ENVR Instructional Assistant, and Ecological Farming Certificate Instructors to bridge and collaborate on new and innovative curriculum. By adding funds to the capacity of this position, this proposal will be positioned for success, measurable outcomes, and transition plans when the funding ends.The current courses offered by Feather River College as a part of the Ecological Farming certificate are Introduction to Sustainable Food Systems, Soil Science, Ecological Pest Management, Season Extension Structures, and High Altitude Crop Production Summer and Fall. Plumas Charter School currently has an internship program and FRC has a student employee program. The LSFP farm-based program coordinator will mentor and supervise these students, including professional development workshops. Additionally, FRC has accreditation for three short courses: Fruit Tree and Berry Production, Small Animal Husbandry, and Farm Tools and Infrastructure. With this funding, we will be able to allocate resources towards recruiting and training new instructors for this program. PCS students will be able to dually enroll in the technical courses offered by FRC.

Progress 09/15/24 to 09/14/25

Outputs
Target Audience:LSFP's (Lost Sierra Food Project) target audience is the population of Plumas County, home to approximately 19,000 people. Our mission is threefold: 1.) to increase the access of local foods for Plumas County residents while prioritizing underserved populations, 2.) to provide workforce development programming surrounding ecological farming skills, and 3.) create educational food and farming opportunities. Our target audience is large and from an educational standpoint, includes k-12 students, college students, and adult education. Changes/Problems:Due to capacity reasons, the Feather River Food System Initiative scaled down the proposed teaching schedule with Plumas Charter School. Agriscience classes are still ongoing, but the project partner (Plumas Charter School) experiencedstaff turnover and recently hired a new Ag CTE staff member. PCS also reported difficulty in gaining interest from students and student involvement to create a robust Agriscience Pathway. In conjunction, the instructor responsible for teaching the Agriscience Pathway did not have the capacity to deliver these courses. To alleviate these capacity pressures, LSFP provided a staff member to PCS to assist in lesson planning, delivery, and in-class management. LSFP increased internship opportunities by 2. Originally, LSFP planned to employ 4 total High School interns across 2 summers. The program has proven to be successful and LSFP opted to hire 6 total interns across 2 summers. Due to capacity reasons, LSFP opted to replace the Oral History Project with Quincy High School and Plumas Charter School (QHS) Senior Project support. LSFP decided that our staff could be more effective by providing mentorship to multiple projects instead of a singular project. Our staff is currently outreaching to QHS staff and students offering project support. LSFP added one additional LSFP staff member to the NIFA budget to conduct outreach for the Feather River College Eco-Farm Certificate Program and increased hours for the LSFP Executive Director to conduct administrative duties and facilitate necessary meetings with project partners. Consultation services originally budgeted to design a webpage for the Oral History Project will be adjusted to help develop outreach materials for both FRC and LSFP as well as support FRC course instruction. LSFP Community Programs Manager actively outreaches for the FRC Ecological Farming Certificate Program via social media posts, flyers, and tabling events. LSFP contracts video production services to develop outreach material for the Summer Job Training Program. LSFP contracts local experts to assist LSFP Program Manager in teaching FRC students and community members on uses for hyper local produce and traditional plant knowledge (TEK). What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Feather River Food System Initiative has provided job training and professional development for both High School and college aged students on Rugged Roots Farm. Rugged Roots Farm is a 2.5 acre diversified vegetable farm that provides fresh, local produce to our community, serves as an outdoor classroom for all ages (k-12 and adult education), and a host site for events and educational workshops. Through summer 2024 and 2025, LSFP has employed and provided supervision for 6 high school students and 2 FRC students. The LSFP Summer High School Internship is the first employment opportunity for all 6 of the High School aged students. LSFP was able to provide job training in immersive regenerative agriculture by incorporating the interns on day-to-day work on Rugged Roots Farmcombined with educational elements. The interns engaged in hands-on learning including tool use related to the trade, soil health management, planting techniques, seeding techniques, skills related to weed management, irrigation repair, and produce harvesting and processing. The interns engaged in traditional learning by receiving lectures on non-profit outreach, grant management, agroecology, food access, and soil health. The interns gained skills in public interface by making food donations to local food banks and working farm stands that are open to the public. Starting May 2024 and continuing through August 2025, LSFP has provided supervision and direction to 2 Ecological Farming Student Assistants through Feather River College. Each college student began work with LSFP working in our greenhouse. During this time, the students gained job training related to greenhouse management including seeding techniques, temperature control, microclimate analyzation, watering schedules, and tool use and management. Both students assisted LSFP staff in transitioning from greenhouse duties to planting the vegetable starts on Rugged Roots Farm. On Rugged Roots farm, the Student Assistants learned professional skills in transplanting, season extension techniques, irrigation management, weed management, tool use and management, produce harvesting, and produce processing including sales and donations. Outside of vocational specific training, both student assistants engaged in lectures related to agroecology and developed new culinary skills. The summer 2025 Ecological Farming Assistant managed a small student garden on the FRC campus with guidance from the LSFP Program Manager. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?LSFP has engaged in partner meetings with local junior colleges (Feather River College and Lassen Community College) to discuss our project and results. Our staff has also engaged inpartner meetings with local farms and ag-based nonprofits. In addition, results from this initiative have been shared with LSFP donors, volunteers, and our community at large through a variety of media channels including our e-newsletter, the Plumas Sun (online news source) and social media. LSFP runs both an Instagram and Facebook page whereupdates on LSFP's workforce development programs are shared. Posts include what work and skills were accomplished by interns and student assistants. Combined, LSFP has 3.1k followers between the two social platforms. Our summer workforce development posts reached 184 people on Facebook and 1006 people on Instagram, reaching a combined total of 1190 people throughout 2024 and 2025. At the end of each season, the Program Manager conducts exit surveys to gauge how successful the program was from the perspective of the participants. Quotes from this survey are anonymous and shared via the LSFP website, social media platforms, and our Annual Report. LSFP continues to build on our outreach program, looking for new ways to increase our reach and broaden our community. LSFP also produces an Annual Report that is mailed to approximately 150 households and distributed widely throughout our community. Accomplishment metrics from the Summer Job Training Program were included in our 2024 Annual Report and will be included in our 2025 report. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This reporting period focused on implementing work plans for High School Interns and Eco-Farm Student Assistants as well as planning and implementing Ecological Farming Courses for FRC. After the summer work season comes to a close, LSFP Program Manager will debrief the Summer Job Training Programs with LSFP's Executive Director and look for opportunities for improvement. Discussions and meetings surrounding the improvement of the FRC Ecological Farming Certificate Program are ongoing with faculty and school administrators. Under goal 1 and 2, the LSFP Program Manager will work closely with Plumas Charter School (PCS) faculty to develop the PCS Agriscience Pathway. This will include gaining interest from students to participate in the pathway and supporting curriculum development and implementation. Under these same goals, LSFP Program Manager, Community Programs Manager, and Executive Director will outreach to current Quincy High School Seniors to help develop and mentor Senior Projects (projects required to graduate high school) related to agriculture. Over the remainder of the project, the LSFP Program Manager will work with the LSFP Community Programs Manager to develop a webpage dedicated to the workforce development programs hosted by LSFP and on Rugged Roots Farm. This webpage will include information and metrics on our workforce development programs, quotes from past participants, curriculum, program report, how to be involved, photos, and a video summarizing the program featuring past participants.. LSFP Program Manager will create a report summarizing the LSFP High School Internship (Summer Job Training Program). This report will include detailed instructions on how to employ minors, program curriculum and activities, necessary tools and supplies, past metrics, quotes, photos, and necessary resources. This document will be shared to the LSFP website and with community partners as an educational resource as well as a documentation of LSFPs programming. LSFP Program Manager will compile all curriculum, contact information, and necessary information relating to the FRC Ecological Farming Program to be shared to LSFP Executive Director and current FRC faculty. LSFP Program Manager will coordinate with local experts to design lessons focusing on Traditional Ecological Knowledge to FRC students and Rugged Roots Farm. Including and encouraging TEK in LSFP's farming practices is a part of our strategic plan. LSFP Program Manager and Executive Director will continue general administrative duties related to the Feather River Food System Initiative.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Programming for Lost Sierra Food Project's (LSFP) NIFA SPECA project titled Feather River Food System Initiative began in January 2024. The NIFA SPECA grant has allowed LSFP to hire a Program Manager that increased the organization's capacity to accomplish work under each three main goals. Under Goal 1, LSFP has supported teaching and coordination capacities to be multidisciplinary, applied, and vocational for existing agriscience programs. This work has been accomplished via 2 summer High School Internships (Summer Job Training Program) and 2 FRC Student seasonal hires. For the High School Internship, supervision and direction for 6 participating students resulted in 422 total hours of work dedicated to learning and implementing transferable farming skills. Supervision and direction for 2 FRC Student Employees (Ecological Farming Student Assistant) resulted in 340 hours of hands-on work dedicated to gaining and implementing farming skills. In terms of education, LSFP has supported 11 Plumas Charter School Agriscience lessons reaching 75 students. Under the Feather River College (FRC) Eco-Farm Certificate, 8 courses were taught reaching 44 students. Both the LSFP Summer High School Internship Program and the Plumas Charter School Agriscience Pathway are new programs in the second year of implementation. The LSFP Summer High School Internship Program (Summer Job Training Program)wrapped up in summer 2025. The LSFP Summer Internship Program includes work not only tied to site-specific farming, but provides transferable skills and applied knowledge. In summer 2024 and 2025, LSFP interns have learned to use a variety of both farm and building tools, interfaced with the community by making food donations to local community resource centers, developed new culinary skills, and learned retail skills by selling farm produce at LSFP Farm Stands. Alternative funding to continue the Summer High School Internship has been identified. Planning and implementation for the Plumas Charter School Agriscience Pathway has commenced with courses beginning August 28th, 2025 - these courses will continue throughout fall 2025 and spring 2026. Under goal 2, LSFP Program Manager has developed a documented and repeatable curriculum for immersive technical farming through a field-based Summer High School Internship (Summer Job Training Program). LSFP Program Manager has also delivered and documented repeatable curriculum for the FRC Ecological Farming Program across 3 courses. Under Goal 3, mentorship for the second iteration of the High School Summer Internship program officially wrapped up August 8, 2025. Mentorship for FRC student employees is being currently implemented. Outreach for dual enrollment (enrollment in Quincy High School or Plumas Charter School students in Feather River College courses) will continue throughout fall 2025 and spring 2026.

Publications


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

    Outputs
    Target Audience:LSFP's (Lost Sierra Food Project) target audience is the population of Plumas County, home to approximately 19,000 people. One of LSFP's missions is to increase access to local foods for all who are interested or in need. Our target audience is large and from an educational standpoint, includes k-12, traditional college students, and adult education. ? Changes/Problems:No problems encountered. LSFP has gained a new Executive Director, but this has not impacted the progress of this project. LSFP's Program Manager (Bethany Rouse) has recently been assigned to the Lead PD and AOR role. All necessary documentation has been submitted and approved. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Feather River Food System Initiative has provided job training and professional development for both High School aged students and college students on Rugged Roots Farm. Rugged Roots Farm is a 2.5 acre diversified vegetable farm that provides fresh, local produce to our community, serves as an outdoor classroom for all ages (k-12 and adult education), and a host site for events and educational workshops. Through summer 2024, LSFP has employed and provided supervision for 3 high school students and 1 FRC student. The LSFP Summer High School Internship is the first opportunity of employment for each of the High School aged students. LSFP was able to provide job training in immersive regenerative agriculture by incorporating the interns on day-to-day work on the farm combined with educational elements. The interns engaged in hands-on learning including tool use related to the trade, planting techniques, seeding techniques, skills related to weed management, irrigation repair, and produce harvesting and processing. The interns engaged in traditional learning by receiving lectures on non-profit outreach, agroecology, and food access. The interns gained skills in public interface by making food donations to local food banks and working farm stands that are open to the public. Starting May 2024, LSFP has provided supervision and direction to an Eco-Farm Student Assistant through Feather River College. This college student began work with LSFP working in our greenhouse. During this time, the student gained job training related to greenhouse management including seeding techniques, temperature control, watering schedules, and tool use and management. The student assisted LSFP staff in transitioning from greenhouse duties to planting the starts on Rugged Roots Farm. On Rugged Roots farm, the Student Assistant learned professional skills in transplanting, season extension techniques, irrigation management, weed management, tool use and management, produce harvesting, and produce processing including sales and donations. Outside of vocational specific training, the student assistant engaged in lectures related to agroecology and developed new culinary skills. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?LSFP and Rugged Roots farm is located in the small rural community of Quincy, CA. Due to our local culture, the most effective method of outreach is always word of mouth. It is difficult to gather and disseminate program metrics via means of "word of mouth". However, LSFP runs both an Instagram and Facebook page where we share weekly updates on LSFP's workforce development programs. Posts include what work and skills were accomplished by interns and student assistants. Combined, LSFP has 2.8k followers between the two social platforms. Our summer workforce development posts reached 159 people on Facebook and 167 people on Instagram, reaching a combined total of 326 people or roughly 11% of our followers. LSFP continues to build on our outreach program, looking for new ways to increase our reach and broaden our community. LSFP also produces an Annual Report that is mailed to approximately 100 households and distributed widely throughout our community. Accomplishment metrics from the Summer Job Training Program will be included in our 2024 Annual Report. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This reporting period focused on implementing work plans for High School Interns and Eco-Farm Student Assistants. After the summer work season comes to a close, LSFP Program Manager will debrief the Summer Job Training Programs with LSFP's Executive Director and look for opportunities for improvement. LSFP Program Manager will shift focus more heavily to goal 1 and goal 2. The Program Manager will look for opportunities to increase enrollment of the Feather River College Eco-Farm Certificate Program. This will include cross listing courses in similarly focused departments (Agriculture, Equine, Biology), encouraging dual enrollment of high school students in both secondary and college courses, and mentor students to pursue higher education. LSFP Program Manager will work closely with Plumas Charter School (PCS) faculty to develop the PCS Agriscience Pathway. This will include gaining interest from students to participate in the pathway and supporting curriculum development and implementation. LSFP Program Manager will be building the Oral History Project for FRC students during fall 2024 to be implemented in 2025.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Programming for Lost Sierra Food Project's (LSFP) NIFA SPECA project titled Feather River Food System Initiative kicked off in January of this year. The NIFA SPECA grant has allowed LSFP to hire a Program Manager that increased the organizations' capacity to accomplish work under each three main goals. Under Goal 1, LSFP has successfully increased and enhanced teaching and coordination capacities to be multidisciplinary, applied, and vocational for existing agriscience programs by coordinating a summer High School Internship program, planning and developing Feather River College (FRC) Eco-Farm Certificate courses as well as providing supervision and direction for FRC Student Employees, and coordinating with Plumas Charter School to develop an Agriscience Pathway for students in grades K-12. Both the LSFP Summer High School Internship Program (Summer Job Training Program) and the Plumas Charter School Agriscience Pathway are new programs. The LSFP Summer High School Internship Program is currently being implemented and planning for the Plumas Charter School Agriscience Pathway has commenced with courses beginning August 26th, 2024. Planning for the Feather River College Eco-Farm Certificate program courses is underway and will begin August 22nd, 2024. Each program has been designed to be multidisciplinary, applied, and vocational. The LSFP Summer Internship Program includes work not only tied to site-specific farming. The interns have learned to use a variety of both farm and building tools, interfaced with the community by making food donations to local community resource centers, developed new culinary skills, and learned retail skills by selling farm produce at LSFP Farm Stands. Under goal 2, LSFP Program Manager has developed a documented and repeatable curriculum for immersive technical farming through a field based Summer High School Internship. Under Goal 3, mentorship through the High School Summer Internship programming officially wrapped up August 13, 2024. Mentorship for current FRC student employees is being currently implemented. Work towards dual enrollment (enrollment in Quincy High School or Plumas Charter School and Feather River College courses) will be implemented fall 2024 and through 2025.

    Publications