Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: a. FarmLink staff linked 83 farmers with land; 18 farmers started new farm businesses. b. Conducted 12 seminars and 2 webinars on land access & tenure, 638 farmers attended. c. FarmLink provided technical assistance (t.a.) on links, leases, or purchases to 918 farmers. d. Held 3 farm succession conferences, attended by 81. e. Held 8 mixers to introduce beginning farmers to landowners, attended by 330; 3 took place at annual EcoFarm conferences in collaboration with WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms). f. FarmLink supported the Center for Land Based Learning's incubator farm project, providing land tenure/succession trainings; working with Placer Agrarian Network on development of incubator project. Provided trainings and 2 Land Access webinars to participants in Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training, a farm incubator program for transitioning veterans. g. Work with land trusts/farm preservation groups: FarmLink has been a partner for 2 years in a family farm preservation campaign, One Farm at a Time. Organized with Twin Pines Cooperative Fndn, led by Sacramento Nat. Foods Co-op, Davis Food Co-op, & farmers Jeff & Annie Main, the project involves co-op members/shoppers in keeping local farms in production & affordable to future farmers. FarmLink consultant Kendra Johnson worked on an ag. conservation easement with Yolo Land Trust, the Mains, and project attorney on Affirmative Use clause and Option to Purchase at Agricultural Value, 2 tools used in this easement. Johnson worked with Anderson Valley Land Trust on ag. easements/funding options. h. Staff promoted Farmers' Guide at each workshop, outreach event, and mixer. Goal 2: Enhance Viability of Beginning Farmer & Rancher Operations by Facilitating Access to Financing & Asset Building Programs a. FarmLink assisted 37 farmers to secure loans. b. FarmLink organized/presented at 21 trainings on bus. mgmt./finance, attended by 616. c. Provided business/finance t.a. sessions for 408. d. Update of Farmer's Guide to Securing Land is completed. Goal 3: Promote Training/Technical Assistance & Other Project Services. a. FarmLInk maintains a library of printed and digital resource materials. b. FarmLink promotes its services through print & electronic media, outreach events, farm organizations/agencies, direct mailings. Outreach efforts were made to more than 50,000. c. FarmLink maintains an active website, logging over 500,000 annual hits from more than 30,000 unique individuals; Facebook page now has over 1,400 "friends," up 500 from year 2; 3 regional coordinators provide information about events/services through blogs. d. FarmLink distributes press releases about workshops and services; in 3rd year was featured or mentioned in 5 newspaper/magazine articles, including Sonoma-Marin Farm News; AgAlert (CA Farm Bureau); Sacramento Bee (readership 275,000); Modesto Bee (70,000) Reggie Knox, E.D., was on KSCO Radio discussing farm leases; e. FarmLink promoted services at conferences & other events. Goal 4: Survey t.a. and training recipients on effectiveness of info transfer and impact. Eval. tools developed; representative group was surveyed; responses being used to improve services. PARTICIPANTS: California FarmLink staff members offer a depth and breadth of expertise in tenure, business, and finance areas. The following FarmLink staff were responsible for the majority of the work on this project: Reggie Knox, Executive Director; Molly Bloom, Regional Coordinator-North Coast; Eric Winders, Regional Coordinator-Central Coast; Liya Schwartzman, Regional Coordinator-Central Valley; Anthony Chang, Director of Lending. FarmLink worked with several consultants to accomplish the goals of the project, including Kendra Johnson, a former FarmLink staff member, (tenure, land trust, evaluation services, and Karen Adler (reporting/evaluation services). FarmLink worked closely with a number of partner organizations and collaborators on this project. These organizations co-host, provide venues for workshops, and outreach, and help to promote and publicize the trainings. They include: The Ecological Farming Association, which hosts an annual conference. FarmLink works closely with EFA to develop this conference; FarmLink and Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) hosted receptions/mixers to link landowners and farmers looking for land at the 3 ECO-Farm Conferences. The Center for Land Based Learning is developing one of the farm incubator projects that FarmLink provided extensive support for. Placer Agrarian Network is another incubator project FarmLink worked with. Other collaborators and program and outreach partners include the University of California (UC) Extension Sonoma County; UC Extension in Humboldt County; Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Cabrillo College; the Center for Agroecology Studies and Food Systems; the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA)(sponsors events, does outreach and promotion); Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training Program (FarmLink works with their graduates and presents land tenure and business planning seminars); Pie Ranch, an educational farm; North Coast Opportunities (MCGROW project); Santa Rosa Junior College, Indian Valley Organic Farm and Garden (sustainable teaching lab/farm at College of Marin). FarmLink worked with several RCDs (Resource Conservation District) for outreach, resources, and promotion of events; Land Trust of Santa Cruz County; Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation; Yolo Land Trust; Anderson Valley Land Trust. FarmLink works with a number of Farm Bureaus, including San Mateo County and Santa Cruz County. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences are beginning farmers and ranchers. The project also serves retiring farmers and landowners who seek to make entrepreneurial opportunities available to beginning farmers. Numbers & Demographics of participants attending workshops & training programs, and receiving technical assistance: (Note: not all socially disadvantaged, limited resource, or female recipients are reflected here as this data is not required for participation.) a. Socially disadvantaged-Workshops 230 (11.2%); T.A. 148 (21%) b. Limited resource-T.A. 496 (61.3%) c. Farm Workers N/A d. Females-workshops 902 (46.2%); T.A. 397 (35.7%). PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Links (land tenure agreements) for 83 farmers were achieved; 18 clients became farm business owners. Success stories from the third project year: A partnership of 3 women, Emma Torbert, Marisa Alcorta, Sasha Klein and Aubrey White was linked to Rich Collins of Bridgeway Farms. Their lease began 12/11 and their business, The Cloverleaf at Bridgeway Farms, began 1/12. FarmLink assisted with the lease and partnership agreement; business is leasing ground for vegetables and portion of an orchard. Collins also provides mentorship and a communal farm stand./Michael Hoolihan, a U.S. veteran who had been truck farming sought a parcel of his own to farm in late 2011. Alexis Koefoed, owner of Soul Food Farm, posted extra acreage with FarmLink hoping to offer a leg up to a beginning farmer just like Hoolihan. FarmLink introduced Hoolihan and Koefoed and a match was made; FarmLink assisted with the lease. Koefoed says, "Michael is a gem. And more importantly a great farmer. The food he is producing is beautiful. I introduced him to some of my contacts and he is off and flying. Just landed Chez Panisse!"/George Guy, a landowner in Sebastopol with a bad experience with a tenant farmer was hesitant to pursue linking with more farmers. However, he wanted to see his land used and decided to try again. FarmLink's regional coordinator saw potential with aspiring farmers Emily Mendell and Ian Healy. They met with Guy; the two sides realized they could have a shared vision for the property; Mendell and Healy proved to be reliable and responsible. They signed a 2.5 year lease; both sides hope the relationship will continue after that, and included an appropriate clause in their lease./FarmLink's loan program scaled up significantly: 27 growers received loans through FarmLink; 2 were FSA loans (FarmLink became an FSA guaranteed lender in 2011); 2 were through FarmLink's USDA-RMAP program. Operating loans enabled growers to purchase production supplies and employ workers. One grower purchased strawberry plants; one got a hay and grain growing operation going. Two equipment loans were made for tractors; one was used to fix a cooler. One grower was able to sustain a flower business, which retained a job for herself and two employees; she then added two employees. Two other growers retained ten jobs on each of their farms through their operating loans. The smallest loan was $4,000; avg. loan was $27,000. Largest loan was an operating loan of $100,000 loan to a Latino woman-owned family farm; they had a unique opportunity to purchase a property that also includes two houses, with financing provided by an investor, enabling them to increase acreage; streamline operations; lower expenses; own land; build equity. However, it also required the capital the farm would have used for production. The FarmLink loan covered production costs (seed, plants, supplies, labor) for them to take this major step forward. Extensive technical assistance enabled FarmLink's clients to effectively review and analyze multiple aspects of their businesses, develop business plans, and apply for appropriate levels and types of funding.
Publications
- Schwartz, S., Knox, R., Johnson, K., Davis, J., Guardino, J., Archie, P., Wagner, C., Castagnola, C., Gillon, S., Minkoff, L., Thistlewaite, R. originally published 2008 by California FarmLink; updated 2012. Farmers' Guide to Securing Land; California FarmLink collaborated with the Organizations and Transactions Clinic at Stanford Law School in preparing the lease materials that are included. Students Montemayor, P., Shih, S., Kourlis, S., and Wappler, J., and associate professor and clinic director Mitchell, J., contributed. Please contact California FarmLink for more information.
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Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Goal 1: Increase Farmland Access & Ownership a.CFL staff linked 34 farmers with land. b.CFL conducted 8 seminars on land access and tenure, 231 farmers attended. c.CFL staff provided technical assistance on leases or purchases to 193 farmers. d.CFL held 2 mixers to introduce beginning farmers to landowners, attended by 170. e.CFL is supporting the development of the Center for Land Based Learning's incubator farm project. f.Staff promoted the Farmers Guide at each workshop, outreach event, and mixer. g.Over 10% of workshop attendees were socially disadvantaged Latino or Southeast Asian farmers. Goal 2: Enhance Viability of Beginning Farmer and Rancher Operations by Facilitating Access to Financing and Asset Building Programs a.CFL assisted 7 farmers to secure agricultural loans. b.CFL organized and presented at 10 trainings on these topics, attended by 197 individuals. c.CFL staff provided 215 technical assistance sessions for 130 individuals. d.Updating of the Business Plan Workbook is underway. e.CFL held 3 Farm Financing workshops, including a Farm Finance Expo in Santa Cruz in March 2011 attended by 75. Goal 3: Promote Training and Technical Assistance Opportunities and Other Project Services. a.CFL maintains a library of printed and digital resource materials for the use of beginning farmers. b.CFL promotes its services through a variety of different media, outreach events, and direct mailings. c. Each CFL quarterly newsletter was distributed to over 4,100 (16,400 for the year) and over 50,000 workshop flyers/announcements were sent by CFL and its partners. CFL maintains an active website, logging over 500,000 annual hits from more than 30,000 unique individuals; CFL's FaceBook page now has over 900 "friends." d.CFL distributes press releases about workshops and services, and was featured or mentioned in 9 newspaper/magazine articles: Santa Cruz Sentinel--30,000 readership (2 articles); Modesto Bee- 70,000; Press Democrat--83,000; Sacramento Bee--275,000 (2 articles); Mercury News--478,000; Capital Press--40,000; North Bay Business Journal--9,000. Voice of America interviewed CFL staffer Kendra Johnson; podcast is available to their 2 million+ listeners. e.CFL promoted the organization and its services at a number of conferences & other events throughout the year. PARTICIPANTS: 3. Numbers & Demographics of participants attending face-to-face workshops & training programs, and receiving technical assistance (t.a). Note: not all socially disadvantaged and limited resource recipients are necessarily reflected as this data is not required for participation. a.Socially disadvantaged-Workshops 111 (12%); T.A.-63 (21%) b.Limited resource-workshops N/A; T.A. 182 (60%) c. Farm Workers N/A d. Females-workshops 421 (46%); T.A 89 (29%) Target audiences are beginning farmers. The project also serves retiring farmers and landowners who seek to make entrepreneurial opportunities available to beginning farmers. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: No major changes to report in year 2. Work on Farmlink's Loan Program and relationships with land trusts is planned to increase in year 3 of the project. PARTICIPANTS: California FarmLink staff members are responsible for the majority of the work on this project. They are trained in land tenure, business, and finance, and offer a depth and breadth of expertise. Steve Schwartz, Executive Director, served as Principal Investigator; Bruce Shimizu, Chief Operating Officer, and Reggie Knox, Director of Field Operations, served as Project Directors. Staff members developed and produced workshops and seminars, including the farm succession conference, provided technical assistance, prepared materials for workshops, outreach, and promotion, and organized regional "mixer" events. Staff members during this time were Molly Bloom, Regional Coordinator-North Coast; Eric Winders, Regional Coordinator-Central Coast; Mary Junqueiro, Regional Coordinator-Central Valley; Liya Schwartzman, Associate Regional Coordinator-Central Valley; Dwayne Martin, Equity Building Program Manager; and Linda Peterson, Marketing Communications. CFL works with several key consultants on this project: Kendra Johnson, a former CFL staff member, provided staff training on tenure, and program management services. Anthony Chang, who brings 10 years of experience in finance, business funding, and equity development, provided CFL clients with business planning and loan application t.a. CFL works closely with a number of partner organizations and collaborators. These organizations co-host and/or provide venues for workshops and outreach, and help to promote and publicize the trainings and services. They include: The Ecological Farming Association, which hosts an annual conference. CFL and Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) hosted a reception and mixer to link landowners and farmers looking for land, at the 2011 ECO-Farm Conference; The Center for Land Based Learning (CLBL) is developing one of the farm incubator projects that CFL is providing support for. They also hosted a beginning farmer mixer event, featuring a screening by the Greenhorns, an organization that works to support new farmers; Pie Ranch is a Central Coast farm that hosted a CFL farm tenure workshop, and provides a great model for innovative farm business strategy and tenure agreements; North Coast Opportunities (MCGROW project) hosted the farm finance workshop in Ukiah in March, 2011; Santa Rosa Junior College Sustainable Agriculture-CFL provided two trainings; the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA)sponsors events, provides outreach opportunities and promotes project events and services; Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training Program-CFL works with their graduates and presents land tenure and business planning seminars; RCDs (Resource Conservation District) provide outreach, resources, and promotion of events; other partners include: the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County; Indian Valley Organic Farm and Garden (a sustainable teaching lab and working farm at the College of Marin; University of California (UC) Extension Sonoma County; UC Extension in Humboldt County; Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Cabrillo College; the Center for Agroecology Studies and Food Systems; Farm Bureaus, including San Mateo County and Santa Cruz County. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences are beginning farmers. The project also serves retiring farmers and landowners who seek to make entrepreneurial opportunities available to beginning farmers. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Links (land tenure agreements) for 45 farmers were achieved; 8 clients have become farm business owners. Highlights include these success stories. Andrea Davis is a young farmer in the Sonoma Valley who wanted to expand her acreage; CFL directed her to Debra Eagle's property. They decided to work together and drew up a lease in early 2011./ Zach Brazeau and Laura Bradford are a young couple who decided to try again after losing a piece of land, and contacted CFL. We linked them with Erica Etelsen, whose arrangement to have her land worked had fallen through. They now have a lease agreement, with a work-trade business, growing micro-greens and salad mixes./Sonoma Co. Regional Parks contracted with CFL to find a farmer to manage a 10-acre parcel. CFL found the Tristanos, who wanted to expand their acreage and start an educational component. They have signed a contract for this exciting partnership./Nathan Boone owns and operates First Light Farm in Sebastopol. He expanded his fields to a parcel in Healdsburg, which is too far for him to manage. Jesse Pizzitola is an experienced farm mgr. who was looking for an opportunity in Sonoma County. CFL analyzed their needs, connected them, and provided a sample template partnership agreement; they have drafted one that works for them./Sanjar Taromi and his family own Vertical Harvest, a Santa Rosa sustainable urban farm facility on a former nursery site. Ian Davidson owns Biologic Systems, a manufacturer and distributer of compost and soil products. They needed space to make and distribute compost. Biologic Systems now rents 1/2 acre (6000 sq. feet plastic-covered space) from Vertical Harvest for their new bagging machine. They also rent 1800 sq. feet of open space for composting. Vertical Harvest is also renting 3 greenhouses to Lisa Leckenby for her medicinal herb business. Taromi appreciates both of these CFL-facilitated links and considers them to be extremely successful./Jameson Pretti is a beginning farmer in Yolo County. He has farmed over 15 acres for 2 years and sought CFL's help to increase his acreage. He has chosen to grow hay, alfalfa and grass organically to increase the value of his crop and be a responsible land steward. Susan Pelican and Howard Beeman are third generation farmers who own a 320 acre organic ranch in Woodland. Their acreage is mostly in organic rice, but 22 acres were unused due to a slight incline. They made them available through CFL, and we linked them with Pretti. CFL provided assistance with the negotiation of terms and the tenure agreement; Pretti and the Beemans have signed a one-year cash lease with option to renew./Pretti is also working with CFL business planning and loan consultant Anthony Chang to prepare his business plan and apply for a loan./ Monterey Co. sheep rancher and cheesemaker Becky King was successfully shepherded through the loan process to receive the first loan CFL has made as an independent approved USDA-FSA guaranteed lender.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Goal 1: Increase Farmland Access & Ownership a. The annual target is 20 links. FarmLink staff was able to link 23 farmers with land during the first year of the project. b. The annual goal is seven trainings for 90 farmers. FarmLink conducted four seminars on land access and tenure, with an attendance of 171 farmers. c. FarmLink conducted a farm succession conference in Fresno attended by approx.30 individuals. FarmLink organized a succession workshop in Humboldt County serving 21 farmers. d. FarmLink staff provided technical assistance on leases or purchases to 324 farmers exceeding the annual goal by 400%. e. FarmLink held 4 mixers to introduce beginning farmers to landowners attended by over 100 farmers. f. The project is supporting the development of an incubator farm in Humboldt County through collaboration with UC Cooperative Extension; and another in San Diego serving Somali immigrant farmers. g. FarmLink staff promoted the Farmers Guide at each workshop, outreach event, and mixer. h. Over 10% of the workshops attendees were socially disadvantaged Latino or Southeast Asian farmers. Goal 2: Enhance Viability of Beginning Farmer and Rancher Operations by Facilitating Access to Financing and Asset Building Programs Objectives a. FarmLink's annual goal for agricultural loans is 15. FarmLink assisted 4 farmers in securing agricultural loan approvals. In July FarmLink put its lending program on pause to focus on building independent capacity to operate the program. b. The annual goal for business planning, finance & conservation programs trainings is 6 per year. FarmLink staff organized and presented, along with other speakers, seven sessions on these topics attended by 197 individuals. c. The annual goal for business & financial technical assistance is 75 farmers. FarmLink staff provided 215 t.a. sessions for 130 individuals. d. In July 2010, staff began a revision of the Business Plan Workbook for use in workshops. e. FarmLink held a Farm Finance Expo in Sonoma County in February 2010 attended by 51 beginning farmers. Goal 3: Promote Training and Technical Assistance Opportunities and Other Project Services. Objectives a. FarmLink maintains a library of printed and digital resource materials for the use of beginning farmers. b. FarmLink promotes its services utilizing a variety of different media, outreach events, and direct mailings. c. The FarmLink quarterly newsletter was distributed to over 2,070 households and over 46,500 workshop flyers/announcements were sent by FarmLink and its partners. The FarmLink website received 613,854 hits, from 27,631 individuals, and the group started a FaceBook page and has over 300 "friends." d. In December 2009, National Public Radio affiliate KQED aired a story on FarmLink broadcast throughout California to approx. 750,000 households. In June 2010, FOX News aired a story on FarmLink, FOX has a viewership of 1.2 to 2.1 million. e. At the 2010 ECO Farm Conference, FarmLink, in cooperation with ECO Farm provided scholarships to several beginning farmers to attend the conference. f. FarmLink staff promoted the organization and its services at a number of conferences & other events throughout the year. PARTICIPANTS: 3. Numbers & Demographics of participants attending face-to-face or internet workshops & training programs. Not t.a. statistics apply to all t.a. provided to clients during the reporting period. Workshops T/A a. Socially disadvantaged 45 (10.7%) 85 (21%) b. Limited resource N/A 132 (60%) c. Farm Workers N/A N/A d. Females 219 (51.5%) 188 (36%) e. Currently farming/ranching N/A 505 f. Farming/ranching < one year N/A N/A TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences are beginning farmers. In addition the project serves retiring farmers and landowners who seek to make entrepreneurial opportunities available to beginning farmers. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: No major changes to report in year 1. Work on California FarmlInk's Loan Program and relationships with land trusts is expected to increase in year 2 of the project.
Impacts
Outcomes Are Reflected in Part by the Success Stories Related Below 2010 Farm Tours The Central Coast Office hosted two day-long farm tours this February in Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties. On February 19th, eight aspiring farmers came out to tour eight properties in Santa Cruz and Watsonville areas. One property owner has been linked with a Santa Cruz aspiring farmer on a small plot of land perfect for large market garden and orchard. Sixteen new landowners posted opportunities in Sacramento County! Matching up farmers A. A beginning rancher in Sacramento started his grass-fed cattle business on grazing land he found through California FarmLink. Case Hoogland apprenticed for a successful rancher who also markets grass-fed beef, and then he was ready to build his own herd. Landowner Dave Whitlow attended FarmLink's Fall Mixer in Elk Grove, seeking a producer to use his rural property which was ready for grazing. It has a fenced pasture and year-round pond. FarmLink introduced them and helped work out the details of their lease, running it by a attorney before signing. B. Dustin Dougherty, a young farmer with a strong business plan, found a place to farm in Orleans, on property owned by Tony and Allen Burroughs, non-farmers who live in San Jose. Dougherty will lease 20 acres of this 50 acre ranch for vegetables. He calls his farm "Home Plate Farm" and blogs on freshmanfarmer.com. Kevin and Shaelyn are aspiring farmers looking for land in Sonoma County. Kevin told us, "To my fiance and I, farming is an opportunity to work in a job that incentivizes and rewards devotion to family and community while producing a product that enhances the land and respects our animals. We are looking for a piece of land that we can care for and hopefully pass on to our children. C. Alexis Vertolli and Gillies Robertson a young couple with a combination of good skills and boundless energy seek land to start their own diversified livestock operation. Each has developed a strong background in natural resource management and farming. They've earned their experience as interns or employees for someone else. Now they're ready to strike out on their own. Robertson continues working in livestock management and as general handyman at the Book Family farm. He and Vertolli have a small herd of grass fed cattle in partnership. Ready to farm on their own, probably in the Capay Valley on small parcels they've found through FarmLink, they will start with sheep and chickens, hoping eventually to incorporate beef cattle and pigs. D. Nathalie Guion first approached California FarmLink in the spring of 2009 when she applied for our Farm Opportunities Loan Program. Guion applied for a loan to build operating and infrastructure to fund her start up hay business. In October 2009, she received a loan from FarmLink to help them begin farming 160 acres.
Publications
- California FarmLink in the news at the national, state and local level. For links to this media please request directly as this system does not facilitate inclusion in the internet links. 2010
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