Performing Department
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Non Technical Summary
Women are underserved and underrepresented in agriculture, which leads to ongoing barriers to accessing land, information, and crucial resources, and feeling isolated or unwelcome in agricultural networks and service offices. The goals for this project include: 1.) providing opportunities for beginning and intermediate (under 10 years) women farmers in the Midwest (IA, WI, IL, MN, and OH), to access local mentorship relationships and resources needed to make best decisions for their future business plans and/or current operations, and 2.) giving aspiring women farmers connections that boost interest, confidence and commitment in choosing farming as a career. Ultimately this project will result in greater success rates for the sustainability of women's farming operations and an increase in start-ups of women-owned and operated farm businesses.The Women, Food & Agriculture Network has been coordinating successful aspiring and beginning farmer programming for over 20 years, which has included facilitating one-on-one mentorships, mentor trainings, Learning Circles and other networking and training opportunities. In addition to these ongoing program offerings, this project will incorporate farm-sitting as a dynamic component, which will give aspiring and beginning women farmers valuable experience managing the day-to-day farm operations. Farm-sitting will also support experienced women farmers in leaving their farms to gain additional education and training opportunities.?
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
Goal #1: aspiring and beginning women farmers will build strong relationships with mentors who can help them achieve goals that support their long-term success as farmersObj. 1a: Over 3 years, link 60aspiring and beginning women farmers from 4+ Midwestern states to successful women producers tocomplete mentorshipsObj. 1b. Support mentee-mentor pairs to co-create and achieve learning goals and an educational plan for thementorshipObj. 1c. Complete mid and end of season evaluations with mentees and mentorsGoal #2: 100+ aspiring and beginning farmers access resources including trainings, materials, and connections that are necessary to succeed with their future farming pursuitsObj. 2a: coordinate, promote, and hold 3 Learning Circles/ year for 3 years (9 total)Obj. 2b: connect mentees to aligned organizations, complementary programming, field days, and other networking and educational events.Goal #3: mentees will grow their confidence in their ability to successfully manage farm operations, including their production systems, equipment, and businessesObj. 3a: 60aspiring and beginning farmers will receive hands-on training from mentors topractice new skillswith support from their mentorObj. 3b:30 aspiring and beginning farmers work on mentor farms as paid farm-sitters whilementors leave farmGoal #4: 20+ experienced farmer mentors have improved mentoring skills and practicesObj. 4a: Host annualmentor training workshops for mentorsto enhance educational praxis, confidence, and inclusivity
Project Methods
For our first objective, provide aspiring and other women farmers direct experience farming with successful women producers through mentorships, we will connect aspiring and existing women farmers through one-on-one mentorships. Since the late 1990's WFAN has demonstrated that mentorships have been extremely effective in providing women aspiring and beginning farmers on-the-ground experience and creating long-term peer relationships that further support vibrant farm businesses and local food economies.In the fall and winter we will solicit program applications, pre-interview applicants, and match aspiring and beginning women farmers with women who have been successful in their particular area of interest. Mentors will hold additional interviews. Once a match is confirmed, we'll work with them to find the best mentoring format that works for both parties and develop educational and work goals and objectives and set mentorship agreements. We will conduct evaluations during the season to track progress on goals and we encourage mentors to set regular meetings with their mentees. Mentorships range in duration to allow for flexibility with off farm obligations like families and other jobs but have a minimum requirement of 8-12 weeks.Evaluations from previous years show that these mentorships are highly regarded by mentees for increasing confidence to pursue farming as well as providing essential production and business training experience. From our 2019 and 2020 evaluations 81% of participants shared they are "very likely" to pursue farming as a career. Ultimately mentees are gaining skills and insight into the realities of farming as a small-scale beginning woman farmer. Mentorships also offer mentors ongoing opportunities to learn to be better teachers and farm managers, increasing their overall farm efficiencies and successes.For our second objective, coordinate, promote, and hold Learning Circles, we will host 9 Learning Circles with an estimated impact of reaching 120 aspiring and beginning women farmers, those in and outside our mentorship program. The aspiring and beginning farmer Learning Circle and mentor/mentee model were first piloted in a WFAN-awarded BFRDP grant. These events are peer-to-peer meetings in which every woman's knowledge and expertise is of value. In our many years of experience working with women, they tell us they much prefer learning from other women in settings where their experiences and perspectives are valued. At these meetings we spend time asking each woman to tell her story of her goals and dreams for farming. Attendees consistently report that this is one of the highlights of the event. We also have women consider issues essential to being successful producers, such as business planning, marketing, production and conservation. Information is shared in a social environment where we continually see women thrive, not through lectures.Another key aspect of these events is inviting resource experts to share beginning farmer program information, including federal and state USDA agency staff and representatives from other training programs. Women aspiring farmers may not reach out to these professionals on their own, either because they aren't aware of the services these professionals provide, they feel they aren't eligible or they potentially feel intimidated in accessing their services. Having them at the table allows participants to connect with these professionals more easily. From our 2017 Learning Circle evaluations, 90% of participants said they were likely to reach out to a resource professional they met. Further, we see these events as an opportunity to informally train agency professionals to work with women in uncommon but highly effective learning environments. This has a ripple effect of serving women customers more effectively in future interactions.Our third objective, provide mentees paid farm-sitting opportunities on mentor farms, is a program component in which 30 mentees will work as paid farm-sitters and grow confidence in their farm management skills, while making an income. While mentees will be building their skills and confidence over the course of their mentorship, being responsible for hands-on, short term farm management will provide a greater level of experience and exposure to farm tasks and responsibilities. We will take applications for farm-sitting and work with the farm-sitter and farmer on setting agreements to ensure success and safety. Mentees will meet the requirements of farm-sitting as determined by mentors and the Project Director and Project Manager.Farm-sitting will also lead to opportunities for mentors to leave their farms so that they can attend more educational events, including regional conferences, networking events, and workshops. Mentors and other women farmers in our network have told us that access to more education and training are vital to their sustained success and that it is difficult to leave their farms to attend because animals and crops need continuous care. These individuals often report that they were unable to identify or afford hiring additional help to watch over their farms so that they can travel to these educational events. In a Summary of Opportunities and Challenges Facing Fruit and Vegetable Growers collected by the Governor's Council for Agricultural Development of Connecticut (Interviews May-July 2012), availability of skilled labor was listed as a challenge.For our fourth objective, provide mentor training to enhance mentoring skills, confidence, and equity, with non-federal funds. In the last 20 years, WFAN has learned that a farmer's vast technical skills do not inherently make her a good mentor. WFAN will provide annual virtual mentor trainings for mentors in IA, IL, MN, OH, and WI. Our mentor trainings cover topics requested by farmer mentors on legal considerations of hosting mentees on farms, communication styles, establishing farm and mentoring agreements, teaching methods, equity in mentorships and on farms, logistics of hosting a mentee, among other topics. For the topic of legal considerations we will work with a lawyer to cover relevant considerations across our Midwest state cohort so that mentors and mentees understand the legal considerations of hosting a mentee and having employees on the farm. As each mentor's farm is the ideal place for mentees to gain on-farm experience, we ensure that issues such as liability and insurance are addressed.Mentors have consistently stated that our training helps them be a more effective mentor, which further improves their teaching and employer skills. Ultimately this results in better learning experiences for their mentees as well as improves overall farm operations and success. Mentees are also welcome to attend these events so that mentors and mentees are hearing the same information and also provides further networking with other program participants.