Non Technical Summary
While California leads the nation with the highest production of agricultural products, its rate of new and beginning producers is less than half of the national average. The northern Sierra Foothills region of California boasts a rich agricultural tradition, yet beginning farmers and ranchers (BFRs) face significant barriers, such as limited access to land and housing, extreme weather events, deficientbusiness acumen and financial resources, and challenges to market entry. This projectaddresses these critical issues, which are essential for sustaining and growing the local agricultural economy. By implementing effective strategies to support BFRs, we aim to ensure the viability and resilience of small-scale farming in this rural region.The 'Expanding the Scope and Reach of Collaborative Outreach, Education, and Technical Assistance for Beginning Foothill Farmers and Ranchers' project employs various methods and approaches including collaborating with regional partners to expand educational outreach;providing technical assistance tailored to the needs of area BFRs;and offering comprehensive training programs, business development workshops, mentorship opportunities, and grant coaching. Furthermore, the project will result in the establishment of a regional farmer-ownedcooperative that willreduce operational costs and increase profits and market access for small-scale farmers.This project will empower beginning farmers and ranchers in the Sierra Foothills with the necessary skills, resources, and opportunities to establish and sustain successful agricultural enterprises. Achieving this goal will benefit the target region by increasinglocal food production andfood security, strengthening theregional rural economy,preservingagricultural landandimprovingland stewardship withsustainable farming practices, contributingtofood system resiliency, and providingviable farming and ranching livelihoods for various households.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
903	6030	3020	100%

Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
6030 - The farm as an enterprise;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;

Goals / Objectives
The Sierra Foothills have a rich agricultural heritage, boasting an array of products from livestock grazing, citrus, and vineyard operations in the lower elevations, to small-scale vegetable farms of a few acres tucked in the hills at higher elevations. These diverse micro farms play a key role as anchors of the local food economy, and their operators' expertise makes them invaluable resources and guides for Sierra Harvest Farm Institute's Beginning Farmer & Rancher program participants.Building on this strong agricultural foundation, the project aims to expand and enhance Sierra Harvest's (SH) programs for beginning farmers and ranchers (BFRs). The primary goals include broadening the reach of education, outreach, and technical assistance programs to support BFRs in various counties; improving financial strategies and market access; and addressing land and housing security. By collaborating with regional partners, formalizing grant coaching, creating farmer cooperatives, and participating in land access initiatives, the project seeks to provide BFRs with the necessary skills, resources, and opportunities to succeed and thrive in their agricultural enterprises.Goal 1: Expand the reach and scope of SH's current BFR education, outreach, and TA programs to more effectively assist a greater number of BFRs to begin and thrive in their enterprises.Objective 1.1: Collaborate with sub-awardees and partners across the region to expand access for participants from Yuba, Placer, El Dorado, Sierra, and Sacramento Counties to participate in SH's programming, and give BFR's the skills and resources to succeed.Objective 1.2: Deepen the impact for beginning ranchers with training on climate-smart agriculture through expanding partnerships with agencies and organizations specializing in these focus areas: Nevada County Resource Conservation District, Nevada County Farm Bureau, University of California Cooperative Extention, and Nevada County Department of Agriculture.Goal 2: Shepherd farm financial benchmarking; diversification and marketing strategies; and inter-farmer collaboration, support, and connectivity.Objective 2.1: Formalize the grant coaching program to pair agricultural grant experts with BFRs to gain skills to sort through grant opportunities, identify best-fit based on need and eligibility, prepare competitive grant applications, and successfully administer grant awards.Objective 2.2: Increase net farm income by reducing farm production costs and building revenue through the creation of a farmer-run cooperative in partnership with the BriarPatch Food Co-op..Objective 2.3: Provide direct-marketing training and access to institutional markets through relationship building via producer-buyer networking events, an online farm guide, Ag tours, and one-on-one marketing support; and through facilitation of and participation in the Nevada County Food Policy Council's (NCFPC) farm-to-institution strategic objective.Goal 3: Address the needs of beginning farmers for land and housing access and security.Objective 3.1: Participate in the Forever Farms collaborative to realize a vision for a sizable property under a conservation easement, with existing or allowance for housing, where multiple producers can live and operate in perpetuity.Objective 3.2: Analyze and redesign Sierra Harvest's Land Match program to effectively match BFRs with land-owners with arable land and housing.Objective 3.3: Continue promotion and referral to California FarmLink for favorable lease agreement support & access to loans for land purchase, operations, and equipment.

Project Methods
Project efforts include various workshops, field days, virtual and on-farm classroom instruction, mentorship and facilitation, and coaching and technical assistance. All effortswill be evaluated with a mixed-methods approach to capture short, medium. and long-term outcomes and understand the experiences and changes in knowledge, attitude, and behavior among program participants. JG Research and Evaluation (JGRE) will provide outside evaluation services for this project, developing and executing a comprehensive evaluation plan whichwill include formative and summative evaluation approaches using quantitative and qualitative data collection methods to provide a detailed understanding of the impacts of program activities on BFRs' knowledge, skills, and confidence in climate-smart methods, business management and development, and land access.A. Knowledge Outcomes (short-term)A1.BFRsincrease confidence in business management.How Measured - # of Farm Biz graduates and business workshop attendees that report increased confidence in business management skills.Target Number - Baseline: 40% of Farm Biz participants per course report increase. Target: 10 participants per year Farm Biz (30 total) + 12 business workshops (36 total) / 40% = 26 farmers over 3-year grant.Methods - End of program surveys for Farm Biz/business workshops, interviews with farmers that received grant coaching/marketing support.A2. BFRsintend to implement business/ production management strategies learned.How Measured - # of Farm Biz graduates,Field Day/Ag Skills participants, and workshop attendees who indicate they intend to implement strategies learned.Target Number - Baseline: 85% of Farm Biz and Ag Skills participants intend to implement. Target: 30 Farm Biz, 36 business workshops, 190 Ag Skills = 256*85% = 218 farmers over the grant cycle intend to implement.Methods - Post-program/ workshop evaluations.A3. BFRs learn climate-smart land management practices for their operation sites.How Measured - # of NCRCD advisory visits and conservation planning consultations, and # of attendees at Ag Dept Land Use and Land Conservation training.Target Number - Baseline: 673 since 2014; Target: 125 beginning farmers/ranchers over the 3 year grant period + 15*3 annual training attendees= 125 + 45 = 170 farmers/ranchers.Methods - Track # of unique advisory visits and conservation planning consultations, and # of attendees at Land Use training.A4. Farmers contact Sierra Harvest in search of land or housing for lease.How Measured - # of farmers that contact Sierra Harvest in search of farmland lease or loan support.Target Number - Baseline: 66 farmers seeking land 2017-2023 Target: 33 farmers make contact over the 3-year grant.Methods - Farmer web-intake forms; Farmers referred to Land Bank, FI staff, and CA FarmLink.A5. Farmers learn best practices to improve production and informed decision-making.How Measured - # of farmers attending pertinent courses & workshops that report learning best practices.Target Number - Baseline: 95% of 2023 Ag Skills (#60) attendees plan to apply new practices Target: 58 Ag Skills, 40 Field Days, 40 Grant Workshop, 30 Pesticide Training, 20 Direct Marketing Laws & Regs = 188/yr * 3 * 95% = 535.Methods - Post-workshop surveys, 1:1 qualitative interviews with a sample of participants.B. Action Outcomes (medium-term)B1. Target audience starts farming.How Measured - # of farmers that begin farm businesses after participating in Farm Biz.Target Number - Baseline: 13 new farms 2016-2023, average 1-2 per year Target: 5 new farms over 3-year grant.Methods - Post-class online surveys; Annual phone interview/online survey with program graduates.B2. Farm businesses certify Organic.How Measured - # of farms that obtain Organic certification with support from Sierra Harvest.Target Number - Baseline: 10 farms certified Organic with Sierra Harvest support 2017-2023Target: Increase of 3 farms over 3 year grant.Methods - 1:1 follow-up with participants who request access to self-guided course, and consultation with certifiers.B3. Farmers find farmland.How Measured - # Farmers matched to land.Target Number - Baseline: 26 farmers 2017-2023 Target: Increase of 10 farmers over 3 yr. grant.Methods - Forever Farms & Land Matching participation records.B4. BFRs implement best- practices to improve efficiency and informed decision-making.How Measured - # Farmer to Farmer mentees that implement action plan and SMART goals during mentorship.Target Number - Target: 5 mentees a year = 15 beginning farmers/ranchers implement best practices to improve efficiency and informed decision-making.Methods - F2F Mentorship exit interviews and evaluations; interviews with farmers on steering committee/owners of farmer cooperative.B5. BFRs implement climate-smart land management practices on their operation sites.How Measured - # of recipients of advisory visits and conservation plan consulting that implement suggestions.Target Number - Target: 75% of advisory visit & conservation planning participants= 125 * 75% = 94 beginning farmers ranchers.Methods - 1-yr follow-up questionnaires/ interviews of advisory visit/conservation planning participants.C. Condition Outcomes (long-term)C1. Farmers continue to farm.How Measured - Farm Biz graduates who are still farming after 3 years.Mentees from Mentorship Program who are still farming 2 years after program.Target Number - Baseline: 35 (52%) of Farm Biz graduates from 2017-2023 were still farming after 3 yrs Target: 60% rate of continued farming = 30 Farm Biz grads + 15 mentees*60% = 27.Methods - Annual phone interview with program graduates.C2. Farmers make more money.How Measured - Increase in gross sales for Farmer to Farmer mentees. Increase in gross sales/profit of farmer-owners of farmer cooperative.Target Number - Baseline: 50% of mentees in 2023 cohort grossed more the year of mentorship than the year before. Target: 50% of mentees to increase gross sales over mentorship year; 7 farmers make more money.Methods - Mentee exit evaluations. Data from farmer cooperative owners after it is in business.C3. Farmers achieve long-term security on the land they farm.How Measured - # Farmers matched to land in conservation easements, supported to enter long-term leases, or supported to buy land.Target Number - Baseline: 4 farmers have achieved long-term land security since 2020 through Forever Farms, other SH support. Target: 4 farmers over the grant cycle.Methods - Forever Farms & Land Matching participation records.C4. Farmers obtain new, repeat-buying, market outlets and benefit from a cooperative business structure.How Measured - # farmers who connect with a new, repeat buyer; and# farmer-owners of farmer cooperative after it is in business.Target Number - Baseline: Average of 7 farmers a year since 2018 have connected with a new, repeat buyer. Target: 15 new farmers connect with a new, repeat buyer; 20 farmer-owners will be part of the cooperative.Methods - Farmer interviews; direct-marketing support program records; tracking of farmer cooperative list of owners/board members.C5. BFRsobtain grant funding.How Measured - # farmers who are matched with 1:1 grant coach; # farmers apply for grants; # who are awarded grants for which they received coaching;$'s of grant funding awarded.Target Number - Target: 60 farmers matched with grant coaches, 90% (54) apply for at least one grant, 50% (27) who apply are awarded grant funding. $1 million of cumulative grant funding awarded to BFRs in the region over the grant period.Methods - Records of farmers matched with grant coaches and grant applications submitted; follow-up emails/calls about success rate/amount. 1:1 endline interviews to understand # of farmers that continued to apply for grants independently after receiving coaching.