Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: Information on demographics and land access was collected through scholarship applications – there were 185 applications returned from September 2012 through August 2014. 52% (96 people) of applicants were male, and 48% (89 people) were female. 76% (141 people) identified as white; 8% (14 people) were Asian; 3% (6 people) were Hispanic; 4% (7 people) were black; 1% (1) was other; and 8% (15 people) preferred not to respond. In terms of farm experience (out of 175 applications) 20% (34 people) were considering and exploring a career in farming but had not completed any hands-on training; 28% (49 people) were not currently farming independently (i.e. running their own farming business) but were currently, or had in the past, participated in a farm apprenticeship or internship; 10% (18 people) were planning to start farming independently within the year; 25% (43 people) had been farming independently for 1 to 3 years; 8% (14 people) had been farming independently for 4 to 7 years; 1% (1 person) had been farming independently for 8 to 10 years; 2% come from a farming background so they don't know how to count how many years they’ve been farming independently; and 6% (10 people) chose Other. 22% (40 people) were not ready for land; 20% (37 people) were seeking land; 10% (19 people) were involved in short-term (less than 5 year) lease with a landowner; 4% (8 people) were involved in a long-term (greater than 5 year) lease with a landowner; 18% (34 people) had purchased land; 3% (6 people) had inherited land. There were multiple combinations of land access situations, as well – people who currently owned land and were seeking additional land, people who had a short-term lease and were seeking land, people who were not ready for land but were seeking land, etc. Changes/Problems: Objective 1: “Exploring the Small Farm Dream” was held annually, as planned, but the instructor could not commit to alternate locations. The curriculum developer, New England Small Farm Institute, was contacted in early 2014 in an effort to train new trainers in New Jersey, but there was not sufficient demand. In addition, there was not enough time or expertise to initiate the translation of materials and hiring a translator to work with our current instructor was cost prohibitive. NOFA-NJ is currently looking for alternate, bilingual instructors to expand the class to other areas in New Jersey. A similar challenge was met with “Tilling the Soil of Opportunity” – while the class was held in multiple locations, there is only one certified instructor in New Jersey and she is not bilingual. We have brainstormed potential solutions for translating the material but have not found one that is cost-effective to date. The original goal to annually develop new curricula was not met due to staff resource challenges: no new course was developed in Year 1, but the course “Road to Certification” was developed in Year 2 and offered in Year 3. A mini-course called “Site Evaluation” was also offered in Year 3 and will be developed into a full course based on the positive feedback received from participants. Objective 2: The technical course offerings improved and increased each grant year, but the first year fell short of our initial goals. This was mostly due to the short timeframe available for planning and outreach to beginning farmers in the initial year. During Year 1, however, NOFA-NJ compiled an excellent roster of experts and farm hosts, which was used to plan the workshops offered in Year 2 and Year 3. Year 3 had the greatest success, which we attribute both to the quality of offerings and the level of outreach offered. In addition, we found attendance increasing annually, which we feel reflects a level of trust that beginning farmers hold in our training program. Objective 3: The establishment of the Incubator Farm Program was a major accomplishment and required a great deal of planning with our partner, Duke Farms Foundation. The initial site offered by Duke Farms was found unacceptable after the resource inventory conducted in Year 1; the capital resources required to improve the site and create a working farm far exceeded those available for the program. A second site was identified on Duke Farms in Year 1 and three farmers were accepted into the program in Year 2. Original plans included expansion of the program to two additional sites: lack of infrastructure, a major barrier for beginning farmers, was an issue at three sites that had been identified through partnerships. We have been in contact with land trusts and municipalities throughout the state to find alternate locations and will continue to work on this piece of Objective 3. In addition, when evaluating the long-term sustainability of the program, the original design of the program had to be changed; the new design did not include an on-site mentor, but did include individual mentors for each farmer. This new mentorship design allowed for more specific mentorship relationships and allowed the participants to find mentors whose business models or operation more closely reflected their own goals. The participants were required to spend a minimum of 30 hours in consultation with their mentors and both participants and mentors filled out end-of-year evaluations. The Incubator Farm accepted no new farming businesses in Year 3, although two promising candidates did apply and NOFA-NJ successfully connected them with landowners. Duke Farms Foundation, who has provided a 25 year, no-cost lease for the Incubator program, notified NOFA-NJ that there are arsenic levels above NJDEP residential soil remediation standard limits (19 parts per million) present on the farm. Through conversations with the Board of Trustees, Duke Farms Foundation and Natural Resource Conservation Service personnel, we decided to close the application process for 2014, until a suitable action plan was created. After weeks of investigation, a bioremediation plan has been implemented, made possible through the aforementioned partnerships. We have also partnered with Brooklyn College to conduct an on-site research project that will test the efficacy of a specially formulated compost amendment on arsenic immobilization. Although it was initially considered a setback, the situation was beneficial for the program. It provided us with the time to scrutinize the program in its second year, without the demands of orienting new businesses. Multiple improvements have been identified and the application process is now open for 2015. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Three classroom-style courses to help farmers create production and business plans and organic systems plans were held for a total of 11 offerings. Other workshops include: On-farm poultry processing, Pastured Poultry Production, Food Safety on the Farm, Managing Soil Nitrogen, Marketing Niche Meats, Organic Orchard Management, Designing a Rain Garden for Water Management, Constructing A CoolBot Cooler, Building a Hoop House, Site Evaluation, Organic Orchard Management Series, Tractor Safety and Maintenance, Organic Disease Management, Post-Harvest Handling, Pest and Disease Identification, Pest Exclusion Fencing, Striking the Balance Between Work and Personal Life, Organic Weed Management, Skills-Scale-Sustainability, Business of Farming, Organic Pest Management, and On-farm Leaf Mulching. 23 micro-workshops were held during day-long educational events (each workshop was 30 minutes). Our annual Winter Conference has over 500 attendees every year and about 60 classes each year. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Information on beginning farmer workshops, funding opportunities and land leasing was conducted through email newsletters, paper publications, social media and presentations. 65 email newsletters were sent and 18,738 total customers opened the newsletters. 30 press releases were sent to media contacts. Local publications, such as the NJ Farm Bureau and Penn State’s Start Farming newsletters, Edible Jersey magazine, the Daily Record, Hunterdon County Democrat, and the Star Ledger newspapers featured articles on programs and workshops. 3 advertisements were placed in The NJ Farmer. 5 Presentations were made (Winter Conference 1/26/13; NJ Land Conservation Rally 3/9/13; Winter Conference 1/25/2014; Site Evaluation Workshop 3/7/2014; Informational Meeting 7/24/14). The SADC publicized the Land Leasing Guidebook by mailing 2,160 fliers and mailed copies of the Land Leasing Guidebook to the individuals on the SADC’s Agricultural Mediation Program roster of mediators. 1,600 copies of the guidebook were printed and are available electronically on the NOFA-NJ and SADC websites. SADC partners visited county boards of agriculture and County Agriculture Development Boards to publicize the project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
New Jersey has a significant and growing demand for locally, organically-grown food and vegetables; with the average age of the American farmer increasing and the number of next generation farmers decreasing, it has become imperative that the institutional knowledge, support network and resources that are inherent in multi-generational farming operations be conveyed through alternative means.Our Incubator Farm program continued to provide access to land for three beginning farmers. 1 of those farmers graduated off the Incubator into a lease-agreement, another expanded his vegetable CSA to 100 people, began a meat CSA and secured a land lease to transition onto over the next year, and the third doubled his acreage. At the Incubator Farm, the 2 remaining farmers cultivate 11 acres of land, which feeds over 100 families through a Community Supported Agriculture program, plus hundreds of weekend visitors who patronize the Duke Farms Farmers Market. These 2 businesses are supporting 2 families and employing over 5 part-time staff members, with expansions planned by the farms for next year. NOFA-NJ envisions adding 3-5 more farmers to the Incubator Farm over the next year to the existing 2. According to evaluations collected for 21 of 48 workshops, 199 beginning farmers increased their knowledge on subjects ranging from organic disease management and poultry processing to tractor safety and the business of farming. The Beginning Farmer Program is providing business planning training, experiential education, land linkage services and technical assistance - in order to increase the number of viable sustainable farms in the region.Objective 1: Develop curricula that include teaching and educational tools for beginning farmers specific to the available land and recommended growing approaches in New Jersey. A survey of training preferences for beginning farmers was done in year 1 with 59 respondents. 44% identified as “explorers,” or considering farming as a career, and 54% identified as “planners,” or actively planning a career in farming. Apprenticeships were considered a valuable training tool by 85% of beginning farmers in the exploring stage and by 66% of planners. 56% of respondents planned to pursue organic certification and 31% were considering it, but not certain. As a result of this survey 11 courses were offered for beginning farmers. After attending "Exploring the Small Farm Dream," 52 people who are exploring a career in farming were better able to answer the question "Am I ready to start an agricultural business?" and 49 rated the usefulness of the course as "Excellent." 11 beginning farmers responded to a follow-up phone survey 6 months later. Of those 11, 7 had started farming, and 2 reported it was as a result of “Exploring the Small Farm Dream.” After attending "Tilling the Soil of Opportunity," 30 people intended to use business planning concepts taught during the class within the year; topics included creating marketing strategies, budgeting, analyzing financial statements and planning for retirement. 35 attendees indicated increased knowledge on at least one of the aforementioned topics. 1 year later, 5 of 12 participants in “Tilling the Soil of Opportunity” responded to a follow-up survey. 4 indicated they had created a business plan, and 4 reported it was as a result of attending this course. Of the 11 beginning farmer evaluations collected from “Road to Certification,” 10 indicated an increase in topics related to organic certification, and 10 are better able to answer the question “Is organic certification right for me?” Objective 2: Support beginning farmers at the Intern/Apprenticeship level to begin networking and expanding their technical knowledge. 48 workshops were held to encourage networking and impart technical knowledge. (Evaluations were collected for 21 workshops, with 203 respondents). For the 21 workshops that were evaluated, 199 attendees indicated increased knowledge as a result of the workshop and 184 indicated that they would use the knowledge in the coming year. Objective 3: Establish a Beginning Farmer Incubator Farm and the Credentialed Organic Producers (CrOP) program in support of mid-level beginning farmers who are starting their own farming operations, including a Mentorship component.Six applicants were interviewed by NOFA-NJ staff and the Beginning Farmer Advisory Committee; four farmers were accepted into the program and three farmers broke ground in spring 2013. In year 3, 1 of the 3 beginning farmers graduated off the Incubator Farm and entered into a land-lease arrangement close to his home. He is still farming. The 2 remaining farmers expanded their production and attended monthly meetings to assess their progress. 5 beginning farmers were matched with mentors. No new farmers were accepted onto the Incubator Farm for year 3, please see “Problems/Changes” for more information. Objective 4: Deliver technical assistance to beginning farmers through field trips, on-farm field days, farmer twilight meetings, annual NOFA-NJ Winter Conference, and other conferences and workshops.A total of 406.75 hours were spent consulting on technical issues with beginning farmers through farm visits and phone/email responses to questions. 10 technical events were held: 3 conferences and 7 field days on local farms. Evaluations from beginning farmers were collected for 4 field days with 41 respondents. 39 people increased their knowledge on field day topics, and 32 people plan to use what they learned at the field days within the year.Objective 5: Improve Access to Land through Model Leases and Contracts and a Farm Land Linkages program for both farmers and land owners. Over 1500 land leasing guidebooks were distributed to agricultural organizations and individuals. 203 people attended land leasing workshops, with 75 submitting evaluations. 75 participants increased their knowledge of issues to consider when developing a lease. 71 increased their knowledge of farmers’ interests and concerns when seeking access to land. In year 2, a land leasing course was developed for landowners (Leasing 101: Making Your Land Available for Farming) and held twice. 33 landowners increased their knowledge on how to create a vision for their land; 33 increased their knowledge on how to assess the agricultural capabilities of their land; 32 increased their knowledge on farmers leasing interests and concerns; and 33 increased their knowledge of issues to consider when developing a lease or contract. In addition, 11 intended to seek assistance in evaluating the agricultural capabilities of their land; 12 intended to develop a plan for leasing their land; 9 intended to make their land available to a farmer; 11 intended to enter into a lease with a farmer; 8 intended to improve an existing lease relationship; 8 intended to use a land linkage service to find a farmer; and 11 intended to seek acreage to lease. In year 3, a second land leasing course was developed for landowners (Maintaining Farmland Leases: Managing Conflict in Your Lease Agreement) and held twice. 13 landowners/farmers/others increased their knowledge on strategies for building and maintaining a positive lease relationship between farmer and landowner; 13 landowners/farmers/others increased their knowledge on key elements to include in a lease document and how to develop a lease to avoid conflict; 12 landowners/farmers/others increased their knowledge of their own conflict style and how different styles can be utilized in different situations; 12 landowners/farmers/others increased their knowledge of effective communication strategies to help with conflict resolution; and 13 farmers/landowners/others increased their knowledge on the use of mediation and other third-party resources to help with conflict resolution. 5 farmers were successfully matched with landowners through NOFA-NJ.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
"Leasing Farmland in New Jersey: A Guide for Landowners and Farmers." (2013) Trenton, NJ: New Jersey State Agriculture Development Committee.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Minson, E. "Beginner Farmer Incubator Farm Launches Its Inaugural Year." (2012) Natural Awakenings, October 2012 (P36-37).
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Cook, Justine. "Site Evaluation Guide." (2013) NOFA-NJ.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Cook, Justine. "Road to Certification: Course Curriculum." (2014) NOFA-NJ.
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Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: Demographics and land access information was collected through scholarship applications - there were 80 scholarship applications returned during the reporting period. 15% (12 people) were considering and exploring a career in farming but had not completed any hands-on training; 34% (27 people) were not currently farming independently (i.e. running their own farming business) but were currently, or had in the past, participated in a farm apprenticeship or internship; 8% (6 people) were planning to start farming independently within the year; 28% (22 people) had been farming independently for 1 to 3 years; and 4% (3 people) had been farming independently for 4 to 7 years. 24% (19 people) were not ready for land; 19% (15 people) were seeking land; 14% (11 people) were involved in a short-term (less than 5 year) lease with a landowner; 4% (3 people) were involved in a long-term (greater than 5 year) lease with a landowner; 20% (16 people) had purchased land; and 3% (2 people) had inherited land. There were multiple combinations of land access situations, as well - people who currently owned land and were seeking additional land, people who had a short-term lease and were seeking land; people who were not ready for land but were seeking land, etc.. 46% (37 people) of applicants were female and 54% (43 people) were male. 73% (58 people) were White; 10% (8 people) were Asian/Pacific Islander; 8% (6 people) were Black; 6% (5 people) preferred not to respond; and4% (3 people) were Hispanic/Latino. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Two classroom-style courses to help farmers create production and business plans (one is a 12 hour course, the other is a 30 hour course) were offered - one was offered twice. Other workshops offered are as follows: On-Farm Poultry Processing, Food Safety on the Farm, Managing Soil Nitrogen, Marketing Niche Meats, Holistic Orchard Management, Designing a Rain Garden for Water Management, Constructing a CoolBot Cooler and ten mini-workshops were offered during a day-long educational event (each workshop was 30 minutes). Our annual Winter Conference had over 500 attendees and featured 70 classes. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Information on beginning farmer workshops, funding opportunities and land leasing was conducted through email newsletters, paper publications, social media and presentations. 16 email newsletters were sent and 5666 total customers opened the newsletters. 8 press releases were sent to media contacts; a the “high summer” issue of Edible Jersey featured an article on the incubator program and other local publications, such as the Hunterdon County Democrat and the Daily Record, featured articles on workshops. 2 Presentations were made (Winter Conference 1/26/2013; NJ Land Conservation Rally 3/9/2013). SADC publicized the land leasing guide by mailing 2,160 fliers; 950 copies of the guidebook were printed and an electronic copy is available on the NOFA-NJ and SADC websites. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? -Develop a more accessible evaluation process to capture more information on the impact of our work. -Complete "Road to Certification" curriculum, which teaches farmers about the steps to organic certification. -Offer 18 technical workshops for beginning farmers. -Identify 3 additional candidates for the Center For Working Lands incubator farm. Evaluate the current farmers' experience and make any necessary improvements to the program. -Plan 3 on-farm field days. -Work with the State Agriculture Development Committee and Rowan University to launch a searchable land linkage program.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
New Jersey has a significant and growing demand for locally, organically-grown food and vegetables; with the average age of the American farmer increasing and the number of next generation farmers decreasing, it has become imperative that the institutional knowledge, support network and resources that are inherent in multi-generational farming operations be conveyed through alternative means.Farmland access is a significant challenge in New Jersey – especially for a new farmer who lacks the training, equipment and support network that farming families provide. NOFA-NJ Center for Working Lands, our Incubator Farm program, provided access to land for three new farms: Jonathan Knox and Kimberly Koziol of Dogwood Farms, Wilson Klein of Fertile Crescent Farm and Richard Moran of Hummingbird Farm. At the Incubator Farm, these farmers cultivate 6 acres of land, which feeds 50 families through a Community Supported Agriculture program and hundreds of weekend visitors at the NOFA-NJ Farm Stand. A former hayfield is now producing vegetables and providing forage for chickens, pigs and sheep. Three new businesses are supporting three families and employing two part-time staff members, with expansions planned by these three farms for next year. NOFA-NJ envisions doubling the program by 2014 – increasing the food produced, the community members fed and the families supported by this work. One hundred and sevety-two beginning farmers increased their knowledge on subjects ranging from soil nitrogen management and poultry processing to labor law and creating enterprise budgets. We connected eleven beginning farmers with mentors and three landowners with new farming businesses.Through the Beginning Farmer Program, NOFA-NJ is providing business planning training, experiential education, land linkage services and technical assistance - in order to increase the number of viable sustainable farms in the region.Objective 1: Develop curricula that include teaching and educational tools for beginning farmers specific to the available land and recommended growing approaches in New Jersey. Three educational classes were offered for beginning farmers. After attending "Exploring the Small Farm Dream," 21 people exploring a career in farming were better able to answer the question "Am I ready to start an agricultural business?" and rated the usefulness of the course as "Excellent." After attending "Tilling the Soil of Opportunity," 18 people intended to use business planning concepts taught during the class within the year; topics included creating marketing strategies, budgeting, analyzing financial statements and planning for retirement. 21 attendees indicated increased knowledge on at least one of the aforementioned topics.Objective 2: Support beginning farmers at the Intern/Apprenticeship level to begin networking and expanding their technical knowledge. 17 workshops were held to encourage networking and impart technical knowledge. (evaluations were collected for five workshops, with 59 respondents). For the five workshops that were evaluated, attendees indicated increased knowledge as a result of the workshop and 83% indicated that they would use the knowledge in the coming year.Objective 3: Establish a Beginning Farmer Incubator Farm and the Credentialed Organic Producers (CrOP) program in support of mid-level beginning farmers who are starting their own farming operations, including a Mentorship component. Six applicants were interviewed by NOFA-NJ staff and the Beginning Farmer Advisory Committee; four farmers were accepted into the program and three farmers broke ground in spring 2013. Each farmer was connected with a mentor.Objective 4: Deliver technical assistance to beginning farmers through field trips, on-farm field days, farmer twilight meetings, annual NOFA-NJ Winter Conference, and other conferences and workshops. A total of 239 hours were spent consulting on technical issues with beginning farmers through farm visits and phone/email responses to questions. 4 technical events were held: the Winter Conference and three field days on local farms.Objective 5: Improve Access to Land through Model Leases and Contracts and a Farm Land Linkages program for both farmers and land owners.950 land leasing guidebooks were distributed to agricultural organizations and individuals. 94 landowners/farmers participated in land leasing workshops. As a result of landowner outreach meetings, 13 landowners increased their knowledge of the Beginning Farmer Program; 15 landowners increased their knowledge of issues to consider when developing a lease; and 14 landowners increased their knowledge of farmers' interests and concerns when seeking access to land. As a result of two landowner education courses (Leasing 101), 33 landowners increased their knowledge on how to create a vision for their land; 33 landowners increased their knowledge on how to assess the agricultural capabilities of their land; 32 landowners increased their knowledge of farmers' leasing interests and concerns; and 33 landowners increased their knowledge of issues to consider when developing a lease or contract. In addition, 11 intended to seek assistance in evaluating the agricultural capabilities of their land; 12 intended to develop a plan for leasing their land; 9 intended to make their land available to a farmer; 11 intended to enter into lease with a farmer; 8 intended to improve an existing lease relationship; 8 intended to use a land linkage service to find a farmer; and 11 intended to seek acreage to lease. Three farmers were successfully matched to landowners through NOFA-NJ.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
"Leasing Farmland in New Jersey: A Guide for Landowners and Farmers." (2013) Trenton, NJ: New Jersey State Agriculture Development Committee.
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Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Objective 1: Develop curricula that include teaching and educational tools for beginning farmers specific to NJ. Beginning farmers were surveyed to establish baseline data on the types of useful trainings and the target audience. Based on the results of the survey, the first new course for beginning farmers was outlined: "The Road to Certification." A webpage was created to process scholarship applications. Events held to fulfill this objective include an offering of "Exploring the Small Farm Dream," a curriculum developed by the New England Small Farm Institute that helps exploring new farmers identify the steps necessary to start a farm, and an offering of "Tilling the Soil of Opportunity," a curriculum developed by NxLevel that helps new farmers create a business plan for their farm. A webpage was created to support this class by Joan Divor, business librarian at the Burlington County Library (explore.bcls.lib.nj.us/nofa-nj). Objective 2: Support beginning farmers at the Intern/Apprentice level to begin networking and expanding their technical knowledge. 18 technical workshop topics were identified for 2013. Objective 3: Establish a Beginning Farmer Incubator Farm. The first activity performed for this objective was forming a Beginning Farmer Advisory Committee, composed of seven new and experienced farmers in New Jersey, who coordinated the hiring of a Beginning Farm Program Manager with NOFA-NJ staff. An Incubator Plan was created to outline the general concept of an incubator farm and included a sample lease for participants, an inventory of resources and the environmental and conservation requirements for participating. Application materials were created for the program and the components and management of other incubator farms were researched. Objective 4: Deliver technical assistance to beginning farmers. Consulting on technical issues was offered to beginning farmers through farm visits and phone/email responses to questions, plus a webpage was created with resource links. 3 technical events were held: the Winter Conference and two field days on local farms. Objective 5: Improve access to land. Activities performed for this objective include conducting landowner and farmer surveys, researching common leasing issues and creating a course overview and outline for a landowner course. There were 4 landowner workshops that provided information on leasing issues. Dissemination: Information on beginning farmer workshops, funding opportunities and land access research was conducted through email newsletters, paper publications, social media and presentations. 28 email newsletters were sent and 6020 total customers opened the newsletters. 4 press releases were sent to media contacts; these releases were featured 1 nonprofit email newsletter (NJCF July 13, 2012), American Farm newspaper, Penn State's Start Farming newsletter (May 4, 2012) and New Jersey Farm Bureau's weekly newsletter. 2 Presentations were made (Winter Conference1/29/2012; NJ Land Conservation Rally3/10/2012). SADC partners visited county board of agriculture (CBAs) and County Agriculture Development Boards (CADBs) to publicize the project. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals: Eve Minson, Beginning Farmer Program Manager (NOFA-NJ): Incubator Farm management, developing workshop curriculum and activities, technical assistance to beginning farmers, coordination with the Beginning Farmer Advisory Committee, coordination with State Agriculture Development Committee. Camille Miller, Executive Director (NOFA-NJ): managing staff milestone achievement and program performance, lease creation and managing staff activities. Justine Cook, Organic Farming Technical Specialist (NOFA-NJ): technical assistance to beginning farmers, develop workshop curriculum and activities, instructor for "Tilling the Soil of Opportunity," coordination with the Beginning Farmer Advisory Committee and project reporting. Connie Deetz, Administrative Coordinator (NOFA-NJ): Winter Conference support, coordinating farmers and agricultural specialists and scheduling workshops; processing registrations. Alison Romano, Outreach Director (NOFA-NJ): program promotion and website management. Terry Andrews, Director of Finance (NOFA-NJ): grant billing, budget management and partnership agreement management. David Kimmel, Agricultural Resource Specialist (SADC): direct landowner objective activities, conducting interviews, collaborating on curriculum development, program promotion and managing staff activities. Hillary Barile (SADC): compiling leasing guidebook, conducting interviews, compiling leasing resources and program promotion. Partner Organizations: Duke Farms Foundation: land, land preparation, site maintenance and educational space. Collaborators and contacts: Rutgers University: expert speakers, workshop development support and general program support. Penn State University (Start Farming Program): workshop development support, Incubator farm resources and expert speakers. Training or professional development: business planning and technical skills development for farmers. TARGET AUDIENCES: According to the survey conducted early in year one, the target audience for this project is equally split in gender, 20% between the ages of 18 and 25, 27% between the ages of 26 and 35, 25% between the ages of 36 and 45 and 28% were above the age of 46. 72% are Caucasian, 7% Asian, 5% African American and 11% of Hispanic origin. The efforts used to reach the target audience include outreach to partner organizations, offering both classroom and experiential learning opportunities (on-farm workshops) and employing social media to attract and inform diverse audiences. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Objective 1. 59 beginning farmers filled out a survey of training preferences, 44% identified as "explorers," or considering farming as a career, and 54% identified as "planners," or actively planning a career in farming. Apprenticeships were considered a valuable training tool by 85% of beginning farmers in the exploring stage and by 66% of farmers in the planning stage. Non-academic workshops and field days were considered valuable by 38% of explorers and 69% of planners. The respondents were equally split in gender (with 1 non-answer) and 68% of respondents did not grow up on a farm. 56% planned to pursue organic certification and 31% were considering it, but not certain. For training purposes, "Exploring the Small Farm Dream" was offered and 22 new farmers enrolled and completed the course. 6 farmers submitted evaluations. 83% rated the usefulness of the information presented as "excellent." 12 participants were female and 10 were male. 1 respondent identified herself as a "Limited resource" farmer. 4 beginning farmers were awarded scholarships to attend the course. 3 participants took action by signing up for the next progression of their farm planning: "Tilling the Soil of Opportunity." "Tilling the Soil of Opportunity" was offered in February 2012 and 6 new farmers enrolled and 4 completed the course. 2 participants responded to a 1 year follow-up evaluation and 100% reported an increase in knowledge in the following areas: the importance of business planning, legal considerations, marketing plans and funding options. One plans to continue farming and the other plans to start farming next year. Objective 3. 4 new farmers applied to participate in the incubator farm, three were accepted and two joined the program, launching their farm in fall 2012. Objective 4. 23 of the technical workshop attendees were beginning farmers. 13 farmers provided feedback for the first field day; 98% increased their knowledge on on-farm internship issues and 69% indicated that they would use this new knowledge in the upcoming year. 22 farmers provided feedback for the second field day; 97% increased their knowledge on holistic orchard design and management and 82% indicated that they would use this knowledge in the upcoming year. 65 hours were devoted to beginning farmer technical assistance consulting and counseling. Objective 5. The State Agricultural Development Committee conducted interviews with 6 landowners and 18 farmers on land access and leasing issues for the guidebook; 15 lease samples/manager contracts were provided by the interviewees for the guidebook. In addition, 7 agricultural service providers (2 from Farm Credit East, 2 from NRCS, and 1 each from PASA, Land For Good, and Rutgers) were interviewed. 4 landowner meetings were held in June 2012, which were attended by a total of 65 people. Each meeting featured one to three landowner and farmer guest speakers. Out of the 65 total attendees, 31 submitted evaluations: 100% increased their knowledge of the beginning farmer project, 97% increased knowledge of land leasing issues and 94% increased knowledge of farmers' land access interests and concerns.
Publications
- Minson, E. (2012). Beginner Farmer Incubator Farm Launches Its Inaugural Year. Natural Awakenings, October 2012 (P36-37)
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