Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
As a food insecure region with a growing population, as well as favorable climate and soils, there exists a clear need for increased agricultural production. The 2010 Community Food Assessment, completed by California Center for Rural Policy at Humboldt State University/Humboldt Polytechnic University provides a needs assessment which has informed NCGA and partners' approach to supporting and expanding the local food system and agricultural economy including: "More food access points, and improved transportation to them; fresh healthy foods are not consistently available in geographically isolated communities and affordable healthy foods are needed all over; purchasing policies make it hard for farmers to sell to institutions; agricultural leaders need more support and research. A 2023 NCGA Farm Services Survey(2) found that 58% have never worked with NRCS or RCD programs, and 89% report they need additional technical assistance, advising and access to grant funds and cost-share programs. NCGA's membership represents a wide range of diverse farming families ranging from brand new, younger farmers to 6th generation, multi-generational working historic farms. The report has informed the programming and curriculum included in the objectives of this project.In 2021 a comprehensive report, Assessing Regional Agricultural Production Capacity(3) conducted by students at Humboldt Polytechnic University, found that 78% of surveyed Humboldt County farmers and ranchers would increase wholesale production if they were given assistance in production planning and new market opportunities, and 50% indicated they have extra arable land that they would use to increase their production, given an increased market for their products. Of those interested in expanding production, one-third indicated a need for additional training to help with this growth, such as production planning, pest management, food safety, and season extension. This was prior to NCGA opening the local food hub, which has opened critical new markets for regional producers. The need for wholesale production planning, food safety plan creation, and business skill development will be met through this project.This project team will create a new and significantly expanded program with the same name as the successful Climate Resilient Farmer Training Program developed and implemented in 2022-2024 with funding from CDFA's Beginning Farmer and Farmworker Training Program. This project is in no way a duplication of that program, which was a 2-day workshop. This new farmer training program will use existing resources and develop new, innovative curriculum.This project builds on a foundation of existing close collaboration with local producers and agricultural service providers to understand and meet the unique needs and identify opportunities for technical assistance to further the goals of increasing agricultural productivity and workforce development by increasing the number of beginning farmers and ranchers participating in the local agricultural system.North Coast Growers' Association (NCGA) and Del Norte and Tribal Lands Community Food Council (DNATL) will work in partnership with University of California Cooperative Extension in Humboldt and Del Norte (UCCE) and College of the Redwoods (CR) to offer a series of 2, 15-month cohorts for the Climate Resilient Farmer Training Program and comprehensive technical assistance programming across Humboldt and Del Norte Counties with the goal to equip beginning farmers and ranchers with the technical and business planning skills necessary to own or lease and manage a farm of their design. NCGA, DNATL, CR and UCCE will expand upon existing technical assistance training opportunities and access to local, state and federal funding opportunities and resources to increase agricultural productivity and improve economic viability of farm and ranch business across this unique and geographically isolated region in far Northern California.91.5% of the federal funds requested will be allocated to non governmental and community-based organizations. 7% will be allocated to the University of California, Cooperative Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources, and 1.5% to College of the Redwoods, a California Community College
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
25%
Applied
50%
Developmental
25%
Goals / Objectives
GOAL 1 - New and Increased Agricultural Production. Outcome: Beginning farmers and ranchers are more skilled in basic livestock and crop farming practices.Objective 1: Implement a locally-tailored training program for beginning farmers and ranchers in Humboldt and Del Norte counties, Climate Resilient Farmer Training Program, that will include peer-to-peer learning through internships and/or mentorships with successful agricultural producers in the region, and culminate in the development of individual written crop/livestock production plans that incorporate climate smart and resilient practices. (Number served: 40)Objective 2: Provide expert instruction to beginning farmers and ranchers through workshops that addresses climate change through climate smart agricultural practices, disaster preparedness, and farm-scale seed saving and variety trialing via classroom, online, and in-field classes in crop and livestock production and connect beginning farmers and ranchers with existing resources, including farmanswers.org. (Number served: 140)GOAL 2 - Enhance Business Skills. Outcome: Beginning farmers and ranchers are better equipped to finance and manage their agricultural enterprises and enter new markets.Objective 1: Deliver business basics classes for farmers in partnership with the North Coast Small Business Development Center (SBDC) with additional support from Redwood Region Economic Development Commission (RREDC) expert financial advisors. (Number served: 140)Objective 2: Deliver workshops in preparing for farm financial benchmarking and the acquisition and management of agricultural credit. (Number served: 140)Objective 3: Provide training in requirements for farm employers and farmworker workplace support. (Number served: 140)Objective 4: Assist training program participants in developing written business plans. (Number served: 40)GOAL 3 - Promote Success Through Direct Technical Assistance. Outcome: Beginning farmers & ranchers apply training program materials and supporting resources to their individual farming operations.Objective 1: Train the trainer. Staff from NCGA and sub-awardees (DNATL, and UCCE) will undergo training so that they can provide technical assistance to program participants in the topics listed below. (Number served: N/A)Objective 2: Train farmers in soil sampling methodology, and provide soil health and nutrient analysis services to training program participants, along with individual technical assistance in interpreting soil test results so that participants can better manage the soil resource. (Number served: 140)Objective 3: Deliver farm food safety workshops that include food safety plan writing assistance, for improved compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act, including instructional videos. (Number served: 140)Objective 4: Provide innovative technical assistance in farmland access, including both leases and transfers of land from retiring farmers and ranchers with a continuation ofthe North Coast Land Match Program. (Number served: 140)Objective 5. Training in production-scale variety trialing and seed saving for locally-adapted seed will be delivered to farmers and ranchers by Organic Seed Alliance (OSA).Objective 6. Training in Climate-Smart Agriculture, hands-on. On-farm field day with expert-led workshops (Number served: 140)GOAL 4 - Increase farmer access to existing programs and funding. Outcome: Beginning farmers and ranchers are connected to federal, state, and local resources.Objective 1: Utilize the established North Coast Agricultural Collaborative to provide expanded technical assistance and services to beginning farmers and ranchers in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, targeting services that address the most significant barriers to sustainability. Members and participants of this collaborative include local staff from NRCS, UCCE, HCRCD, Organic Seed Alliance, the Yurok Tribe Food Sovereignty Program, United Indian Health Services' Potawot Garden, College of the Redwoods, and CDFA Farm to School. (Number served: 140)Objective 2: Assist beginning farmers with grant writing and application assistance to improve access to state and federal funding and programs available through NRCS, RCD and other agencies. (Number served: 140)
Project Methods
The North Coast Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program will be a collaborative effort involving several key partners. Each partner's role and time allocation are crucial for achieving the program's objectives.The program will be administered by NCGA, with support from UCCE, DNATL CFC, CR and other partners. Regular meetings will be held to ensure effective coordination and communication among partners. Maintenance of the project will involve ongoing monitoring and evaluation to assess progress towards objectives. Partnerships will be maintained through regular communication, collaborative decision-making, and shared resources.The team will communicate and collaborate through the following methods:1. Regular Meetings: Partners will hold quarterly meetings to discuss progress, address challenges, and make collaborative decisions. These meetings will ensure effective coordination and communication among all partners.2. Email and Phone Communication: Partners will use email and phone communication for day-to-day updates, sharing of information, and quick decision-making.3. Workshops and Training Sessions: Partners involved in delivering workshops and training sessions will collaborate closely to ensure that the content is aligned with the program's goals and objectives.4. Shared Documents and Resources: Partners will have access to shared documents and resources to facilitate collaboration and information sharing.5. Evaluation and Feedback: Regular evaluation and feedback sessions will be conducted to assess the program's progress and make necessary adjustments.Approaximately 10% of the funding will be allocated for monitoring and reporting.Innovation- NCGA's technical training program prioritized Climate Smart Agriculture to address climate resilience and adaptability in a changing climate, conservation and innovation to protect wildlife, workinglands and watersheds, crop biodiversity, healthy soils, low-water and dry-farm techniques, and low-or no-carbon growing practices among others.In August 2023, NCGA opened Harvest Hub, Humboldt County's first food hub, with a mission to support reliable, stable markets for local food producers. The Harvest Hub helps to make the North Coast region's food system stronger and more resilient by connecting local farmers to wholesale buyers such as schools, restaurants, food banks and pantries, Tribes, and community centers. NCGA contributes to emergency and disaster preparedness and response by actively supporting the local COADs and VOADs (Community Organizations and Volunteers Active In Disaster) and government offices of emergency response to ensure that local producers can supply individuals and families affected by natural disaster and emergencies, and to connect emergency response personal with local produce. Fostering workforce development and farm management training that centers farmworkers using modern approaches with consultation and training from "Not Our Farm". Harvest Box aggregates local products into a weekly, multi-farm CSA-style produce-box subscription program that provides a sustainable source of income for local farmers. The Humboldt County Harvest Box program serves approximately 100 local individuals and families weekly, and the Del Norte Harvest Box program has served 80 local individuals and families weekly.