Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:The SEED program targets beginning Southeast Asian farmers, particularly Hmong, Burmese/Karen and Bhutanese farmers in the seven-county metropolitan area surrounding the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Changes/Problems:A major challenge encountered in the SEED program is the number of participants who speak Karen and Bhutanese. HAP needs more Karen speakers in the Agriculture and Economic Development programs to sufficiently cover the need that is arising in these growing populations.. In the short term, we have adressed the language barrier by having HAP staff from other departments (Children and Family Services and Employment Services)interpret for Bhutanese and Karen language speakers.HAP is an organization that cross-trains its staff and programs work together in impact areas, so this is workable, but due to the increase in the numbers of participants who are Karen and Bhutanese speakers in all areas of HAP programs, we would benefit greatly from hiringKaren and Bhutanese speaking staff in the Agriculture and Economic Development program areas.In the long term, the SEED program will continue to connect participants with HAP's ESL courses. Where we have established farmers, such as within the Hmong community, we are able to provide language specific mentors. But the new American populations of Bhutanese and Karen have not beenin the countrylong enough at this point to have established farms. This is why identifying/securing funding to support the hiring of Karen and Bhutanese translators specifically for the program is ideal. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Participants received hands-on training with professional farmers from one of HAP's partner agencies during each SEED training session. These trainers, who are Minnesota-based farmers, have many years experience dealing with farming techniques and related agricultural business-related topics such as soil enrichment and crop insurance. Participants were taught how to apply various farming methods and techniques to their own farming. During field-site trainings with their mentors, SEED participants applied their new knowledge, as they worked directly with the earth and various crops. In addition, the Program Coordinator provided SEED participants withi one-on-one technical assistance. This TA included helping farmers purchase correct and appropriate farming tools, fertilizers, seeds and soils, as well as helping farmers execute business planning. Over the past several years, HAP has established strong working relationships with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), Farmers' Legal Action Group (FLAG), and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Moreover, HAP and its partners are also part of the Immigrant Minority Farmers' Conference (IMFC) Planning Committee and are conference sponsors each year. Our partners have supported the SEED Program since its inception and provided us with several agricultural business workshops over the past year. EAch workshop has contributed to accomplishing the goal of engaging farmers in the creation of commercially viable agri-business. This year, workshops include the following: 1) Pest Management Techniques: Mr. Kevin Cavanaugh from MDA presented on pest management. Topics discussed were: weeds, crop rotations, insects, pesticides and planting strategies. Participants were engaged and interested in the subject matter and especially appreciated the coverage of helpful pests, harmful pests and how to strategically plant your vegegables to avoid certain pests. 2) Safe Use of Pesticides: Presented by Kevin Cavanaugh from MDA, this workshop was especially helpful for participants to understand the effects of pesticides and their alternatives. Topics also included organic farming and natural pesticide usage and effectiveness. 3) Farm Leases and Farmers' Market Contracts: Hli Xiong and Mai Yang from Farmers' Legal Action Group (FLAG) presented about farm leases and farmers market policies. Participants felt that the topics were very helpful and several participants left interested in pursuing leases on land. 4) Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP/Recordkeeping): Hli Xiong and Mai Yang of FLAG returned for a dual workshop on NAP and acreage reporting. During the session, Hli presented information on eligibility, coverage and limitations when facing crop disaster. Additionally, Hli presented on acreage reporting where participants enjoyed the interactive activity around preparing for markets such as: weighing units of vegetables, pricing, bundles, etc. Based on session evaluations, learning about crop insurance was highly valued. 5) Budgets and Enterprise Development: Kevin Plante from MDA gave participants a training on budgeting and financial management. Topics covered were: profit, different kinds of crop expenses, income, and how to plan before growing. Participants reported that they found the presentation helpful to them and one participant even stated how they wish the class would have been longer. 6) Farm Service Agency (FSA) and USDA Loans: Mark Drewitz and Michael Sorg from USDA gave participants a training on available FSA loans. Topics covered were financing requirements, repayment and the different FSA laons for which participants could apply. One participant stated, "I liked how Mark gave us an idea of what items we would need to buy when starting a farm business." This is significant because participants are now aware of FSA/USDA loans and the many resources they provide. This is relevant to Goal #2 to move farmers from straight income producing, to wealth-building businesses. 7) HAP Micro-Loans for Small Business: Greg Kaiser, HAP Loan Officer provided a training to discuss the different small business micro loans available for new immigrants and refugees. Greg also educated the group on credit, loans and eligibility. 8) How to Start and Operate a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) Program: Presented by our partners at FLAG, participants were very interested in how to establish and operate a CSA. Although this is a long-term plan, many indicated that it helped them sort out their goals. 9) ORLC Gardening Workshop: Participants attended a community-building garden workshop at ORLC, hosted by Ramsey County Master Gardener, Liz O'Toole. This workshop allowed participants to meet with a master gardener and ask any questions have had. In addition, Liz also educated participants on weed management and watering techniques. These workshops allowed participants to learn what it takes to create a commercially viable agri-business as well as provided education about the services offered by various Minnesota farming agencies and government departments. Additionally, SEED participants attended and completed a business development curriculum taught by the Program Coordinator where they learned about business management, marketing strategies and how to become a successful entrepreneur. The SEED Curriculum helped participants to learn agri-entrepreneurial leadership, management skill training, and educated farmers in how to move from income-generating to wealth-building businesses. In February, 2015, HAP sponsored and participated in the IMmigrant and Minority Farmers Conference. The IMFC is an annual conference that teaches minority and immigrant farmers about marketing, business planning and production practices that increase yields and sales. HAP staff helped to plan and organize the conference's transportation and workshops. HAP CEO was the keynot speaker for the event and HAP hosted a table at the Conference Expo to share information about HAP's agricultural programs. HAP also provided a few field trips for participants: 1) Minnesota Hmong Agriculture Cooperative (MHAC) Mentor Farm Training: Participants took a trip to Inver Grove Heights, MN to visit our SEED program farm mentors, MHAC, and their farm sites. Participants were able to get hands-on experience working with MHAC president, Phenhli Thao. Participants were mentored on how to farm successfully in the United States and were walked through how to plant in a line, weed and conduct efficient pest control. Participants were also taught how to operate a garden tiller and got firshand experience tilling a garden site on their own. 2) Lundi Vang Mentor Farm Training: Participants took a trip to Afton, MN to visit SEED program farm mentor, Lundi Vang's multiple farm sites. During this trip,, Lundi educated the participants on topgraphy, soil sampling, integrated farm planting techniques with a small tractor and how to harvest vegetables such as potatoes, green beans, cabbage, etc. Participants were able to see the difference between good soil and bad soil. For example, Lundi showed participants good soil, peat, and educated them on how bad soil is very rocky. Participants were very engaged ad asked many questions during the visit. One participant stated, "I had no idea what topography was, so now I understand it and will look for land with good topography when I am ready to farm on a bigger scale." How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?SEED participants come from different ethnic backgrounds and levels of farm experience. The majority of participants do not own their own farm business and are eager to find more land to rent so that they can get started. We hope that with the resources that have been provided through HAP trainings and technical assistance, that participants who are ready will take the next step and start their agri-business. This year, we have two SEED farmers who are operating their own farm business. These participants are referred to as "knowledgeable" farmers. The knowledgeable farmers gained valuable information. One of these more knowledgeable farmers indicated that she is already working on better marketing and managing her chicken business in Arkansas through the tools and trainings learned from HAP in the SEED program. Dissemination of results is done through HAP's website (www.hmong.org), as well as our partner websites and marketing materials. HAP also advertises its programs and results through newsletters, reports to the Board of Directors and various expo booth opportunities each year. The IMFC and the Hmong National Conference are two very large platforms for sharing the results and information from our programs, specifically our agricultural programs. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This is the final quarter of the 2012 SEED grant, however HAP has been granted a new SEED program grant for 2015-2018 which we are very excited about. Currently, HAP staff is recruiting participants for next season. The program coordinator is connected with local churches, the Minnesota Food Association, IMFC and FLAG to reach immigrant farmers who are interested in participating in the SEED program. To continue to move the project forward, HAP intends to continue to reach out to those participants who have gone through the program to work with MFA on land availability and aggregating groups of farmers on land parcels to help make it more affordable. We intend to grow our program with our farmers in order to accomplish the goals set forth, while also reaching new begining farmers and keep the more advanced farmers engaged by mentoring the beginnign farmers as they get started. We have been meeting with our partners to establish the workshop and training curriculum for next year to insure that our farmers have a successful season and that their business opportunities grow along with their knowledge and skills.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1. Build a community of farmer entrepreneurs as leaders in sustainable agriculture and healthy food systems: HAP worked with St. Paul Area Council of Churches to provide land for farmers. This relationship connects the church itself and the neighborhood in which the church exists with the SEED farmers, providing cross-cultural opportunities to share knowledge, techniques and produce. This establishes the SEED farmers as the experts and HAP provided events with the churches to provide opportunities for community and relationship building. There were five church partners (Mounds Park United Methodist Church, hazel park Congregational United Church of Christ, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Gustavus Aldolphus Church and Hope Lutheran Church) which all conducted Garden Kick-Off events at the beginning season as well as hosting National Night Out and Farmers Markets throughout the season. 2. Move farmers from income-generating to wealth-generating businesses, thus creating more solid economic sustainability for farming families: SEED accomplished this goal by providing the proper training and education to participants to help them learn how to run a successful business.Participants are now aware of the importance of budgeting, insurance, risk management to operating a commercially viable business. One participant stated that the program helped her to increase her family income. She mentioned that the stipend allows her to purchase more tools for gardening, aswell as purchase more seeds and acquire access to land. She hopes that with more tools, seeds and land, that she will have increased capacity not just to raise food for her family, but to produce enough to sell at farmers markets next season. This participant is on the path to wealth generation for her family through the knowledge and tools gained in the SEED program. 3. Provide farmers with appropriate agri-entrefpreneurial leadership and management skill training: HAP providednine different agri-entrepreneurial trainings throughout this year. In addition, each farmer was matched with a mentor to work out the issues presented in the workshops on-site in a practical way and on a working farm. Mentor farmers are MDA certified immigrant farmers operating full scale operational, commercially viable farms. The culturally specific mentor-mentee offered SEED participants an opportunity to work alongside colleagues in their native language and allowed them to see how traditional farming methods can be adapted to meet US guidelines and requirements for commercially viable businesses. 4.Engage farmers in the creation of and investments in commercially viable agri-businesses. SEED participants accomplished this goal through participation in HAP's local farmers markets. Local farmers sold their locally grown produce and SEED participants were able to get a firsthand experience working alongside vendors through set up, product display, customer interaction, pricing, purchasing and selling of fruits and vegetables.Participants felt that being mentored by professional southeast Asian vendors was very helpful and one participant stated that she is planning on producing more next year so that she can perhapsjoin HAP farmers markets since they are smaller and less intimidating than the big,markets like St. Paul Farmers Market. SEED provides a bridge for beginning farmers to move across to the experience and community of commercially viable, large-producing local farmers. This helps alleviate fears and provides a stage appropriate developmental experience for our new beginning farmers.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:Southeast Asian beginning farmers completed the SEED cohort program, through which they received intensive assistance to help them become successful farmer entrepreneurs. The SEED program targets beginning Southeast Asian immigrant/refugee farms, particularly Hmong, Burmese/Karen and Bhutanese farmers in the seven-county metropolitan area surrounding the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Over the past three years, HAP has reached over 5000 people and distributed 6000 flyers. We also conducted calls to over 1500 individuals explaining the program, and met with over 500 individuals. Outreach efforts to reach targeted audience have been conducted at several places in the Twin Cities. There have been several successes and challenges for outreach in the SEED program. For instance, HAP has been able to successfully reach out to the community through current and former participant successes after graduating. Due to the numerous workshops and trainings offered, HAP participants were consistently referring their friends and families to attend events and workshops every year. We also have interdepartmental referrals every year within our organization that we gain participants from. More importantly, HAP has established great relationships with partnering organizations in which we worked in collaboration and hosts events every year for educational purposes, along with networking and program recruitment. On the other hand, some challenges HAP has faced over the years has been following up with participants. For example, due to outreaching efforts in the Fall/Winter seasons, many participants were interested; however, once trainings and workshops start late Winter/early Spring, some participants were not able to partake in the program anymore due to other obligations such as finding full-time work, or moving to a different city. HAP has combatted this by planning several trainings and events throughout the entire calendar year to keep participants engaged and interested. For instance, participants enjoyed participating in workshops/trainings during the summer while farming. Additionally, during the years of 2013-2015 the SEED program, HAP and Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul (formerly known as Saint Paul Area Council of Churches) worked in partnership to connect farmers with neighborhood congregations through community gardens and community building events, which was called the Farm-Faith Project. Changes/Problems:When the program first started one of the biggest problems was transportation. At the time farmers did not have reliable transportation to attend trainings and events. In order to overcome this barrier, HAP worked with the Minnesota Department of Motor Vehicles to help educate participants to obtain their driver permits and licenses through our Employment Services job training program. Since the first year, transportation wasn't a major issue anymore, because participants were able to rely on themselves and able to get around. We also addressed the issue of transportation by enrolling participants into our Individual Development Accounts (IDA) program where participants would go through a 6-12 months of financial literacy, credit and asset building training to be able to purchase a vehicle that was matched with a one-to-one ratio savings. Also, since year one, HAP has also purchased several company vans in order to take participants to events and field trips as it was a need for the SEED program to thrive. Over the course of the years, we saw a growing Bhutanese immigrant and refugee population in the twin cities who were particularly interested in agriculture and farming, and we faced the challenge of not having any staff that was Bhutanese. Since the Bhutanese community was fairly new in the U.S., we felt that it was important to hire a Bhutanese Case Aide in our Agriculture program. HAP's Bhutanese staff has worked alongside the Farm Coordinator to provide interpreting and translation during workshops, trainings, and events. There were also successful outreaches done among the Bhutanese community at large. We were very fortunate to have a full time staff. We have seen that over 50% of our participants were Bhutanese were ready to be entrepreneur farmers after the completion of the SEED program. Throughout the SEED program we have been training and assisting participants facing not only language barriers, but also socio-economic barriers such as those on public assistance. Our hope is that the SEED program will provide the proper education and development tools necessary to aid these families to be successful members of the community and provide for their families. Participants were also asked of any challenges they faced during the season and many times their answer is "lack of access to land" for farming. Fortunately, through many discussions over time in the past three years, one of HAP's long-term partner MN Food Association has provided the opportunity of leasing 2.4 acres of land to help our long-term agriculture work in helping our farmers gain access to land and help build their entrepreneur business startup. Beginning farmers would be able to utilize their skills in a bigger scale garden and sell their produce to markets and beyond. This was indeed a very successful accomplishment and important opportunity of growth for HAP's agriculture department. Other challenges faced throughout the years have been the ability to secure mentor farmers for participants. Our initial thought was that ten established farmers would be on board to mentor 36 participants (3-4 farmers per mentor), however, it was difficult to secure established farmers due to their capacity to commit time to the program because of their busy schedules. However, what eventually worked was reaching out to the Minnesota Hmong Agriculture Cooperative (MHAC) in which ten of their well-established farmers had provided mentoring services and hands-on field trainings for our participants. HAP was able to overcome this challenge through consistent efforts of building significant relationships with their vast network of participants, farmers, and partner organizations. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During 2013-2015, HAP expanded its partnerships and reached out to other agency partners to conduct workshops on a variety of topics such pest management, farm leases and contracts, NAP insurance, farm loans and products. These workshops gave participants more knowledge on the farming business and becoming successful entrepreneur farmers. In that period, HAP served over 200 farmers. One major accomplishment over the years has been HAP's ability to reach out to and serve diverse populations of people. Through educational workshops and trainings, HAP has consistently continued to help farmers of all populations and backgrounds strive to be successful in their respective agriculture businesses. In addition, through the continued outreach and support HAP has provided to the different communities of interest, HAP has exceeded its outcomes. HAP hopes to continue serving populations from different backgrounds through work that exceed its outcomes and impacts the community. One major opportunity for training and professional development the SEED program has provided was the annual Immigrant Minority Farmers Conference (IMFC). HAP is part of the planning committee for the conference along with MDA, USDA, FLAG, Minnesota Food Association (MFA), University of Minnesota Extension and local farmers. This annual 2-day conference provides workshops, networking opportunities, and professional development training to thousands of farmers across the United States, but aims to target immigrant and minority farmers in particular. SEED participants from the program have attended the conference the past several years and have attained valuable knowledge on a wide range of agriculture topics from cover cropping to even livestock. Over the course of three years, SEED participants attended and completed a business development curriculum that was culturally and linguistically appropriate, designed for Southeast Asian immigrant farmers taught by the agriculture program coordinator where they learned about business management, marketing strategies, and how to become a successful entrepreneur. The SEED Curriculum helped participants to learn agri-entrepreneurial leadership, management skill training, and educated farmers in how to move from income generating to wealth-building businesses. Participants were able to take what they learned in the classroom and see it in real working environments through field trips to local farmers' markets. The effectiveness of the curriculum has been shown as 100 percent of participants who completed the curriculum have reported increased knowledge on business development, management, and marketing techniques and strategies for their future business. Additionally, participants stated how much they enjoyed the classes as they were taught by HAP farm coordinator and how the classes allowed participant engagement where they could discuss and share knowledge from classroom materials with one another. In 2014-2015, HAP's new Farm to Families project funded through USDA's Community Foods Project elevated HAP's SEED program. HAP's Farmers Market and Nutrition program occurred for 16 weeks during the beginning of summer to fall season. The Nutrition program taught by University of Minnesota Nutritionist and SNAP educator, Shirley Vang, specialized in culturally specific healthy foods in which SEED participants attended a 9-week long session, along with HAP's adult day care participants, children and families and WIC participants. The nutrition program was also opened to the community at large, in which over 160 people attended. SEED participants learned the importance of eating healthy and ways you can prepare and cook certain food that reduces saturated fat and grease and other unhealthy things for your body. 100% of participants thought the nutrition program was very engaging and will consider cooking healthier foods now. During the farmers' markets, SEED participants also got to engage and help the farmer's market vendors out who sold produce. They learned a great deal by selling in person and what it would be like to be a market vendor. SEED participants attended a few market days to help the vendors set up, sell, and take down when the market is over. 90% of participants enjoyed being trained on selling at markets and are interested in selling at future HAP farmers' markets. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?SEED Participants came from different ethnic backgrounds and levels of farm experience. Majority of participants do not own their own farm business and are eager to find more land to rent so they can start. We have seen that the resources we have provided through trainings and technical assistance that participants are ready to take the next step and start their farm business. An important detail that HAP has learned over the years has been the relationship building and networking among participants. As mentioned earlier, all SEED participants have different levels of farming experience. Through community gardens, events, and professional development trainings, each farmer has had the opportunity to learn from one another and will build on the successes and challenges they have encountered. HAP hopes that SEED participants will continue to network with one another along with share their success stories with families and friends. Moreover, HAP has found success in outreach due to past participant success. With every successful participant over the years has had continued interest from the community which has been very beneficial in outreach. Populations and communities interested have always been referred from past participants and or attended HAP trainings and partner workshops. HAP hopes to continue providing high impact workshops and trainings in order to keep the interest in the farming community high. Additionally, HAP utilized a variety of marketing and communications tools to publicize award funds including program activities. HAP's major outlets include: Social media tools such as Facebook and LinkedIn were used to showcase program activities along with outreach outlet. Social media was able to target a different audience which turned out to be helpful when highlighting key events and success stories. In addition to social media, HAP's organization website (www.hmong.org), HAP's quarterly newsletter to its stakeholders, Media releases to local news sources such as Asian American Press, Hmong Times, Hmong Today, and Hmong radio stations have asked our work and efforts being done with Hmong farmers in the United States, along with informing the public on the current impact HAP's beginner farmers program are having on the community. Events such the Hmong National Development conference and the Immigrant and Minority's Farmers Conference were a major outlet in promoting and informing the community of the program. These opportunities allowed staff to tell the success stories along with showcasing the impact that the farmers have had in the community. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Over the past three years HAP established strong working relationships with all of its partner organizations including but not limited to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Farmers Legal Action Group (FLAG). During each training session put on by these partners, participants received hands-on training and technical assistance in order to be successful farmers. HAP has now built a community of beginner farmer entrepreneurs through the educational workshops and trainings it has provided to over 700 farmers. More importantly, experienced farmers have been able to take part in the program and have praised the trainings offered. For example, a SEED participant stated how she has been able to incorporate trainings on marketing and business management to shared farmer's market business stall. Through the trainings and workshops she has networked with partners from MDA, FLAG, and other farming communities in Minnesota. HAP has provided participants with several trainings to improve farmers' entrepreneurial leadership and management skills. Through FBM trainings, farmers have gained knowledge on management skills: record keeping, business planning, household expenses, etc. which lead to participants better understanding their inputs and outputs when it came to planning and harvesting their fruits and vegetables. Majority of participants reported how important record keeping was and how they have started to incorporate it into their family gardens. One of the most successful training were participants mentored by MDA certified farmers where they learned basic strategies and information on starting a farm business at small farmers' markets. Participants visited and gained first-hand experience working alongside these farmers during farmers' markets. 100 percent of participants have never worked as a vendor before; everyone was excited and expressed how although they were only assisting, they felt ownership and could see themselves managing their own fruit and vegetable stand in the future. Additionally, participants gained gardening skills by working alongside each other at their community gardens and were provided technical assistance from HAP itself, partnering staff, and church congregation members. For instance, an ORLC congregation member and experienced gardener, Bruce Ring, stated how he's spent some time in the community gardens with participants in which he's shown them how to use garden tools in addition to learning from participants themselves on the unique Bhutanese/Nepali vegetables and herbs they are planting in which he has never seen before. These introductory skills were useful to participants' understanding of small farm entrepreneurship. Throughout the entire program HAP has organized several workshops each year that contributed to our goals. These workshops included professional trainings on soil management, pest control, noninsured crop disaster assistance, marketing, budgeting, and FSA loans to name a few. Additionally, participants have gained first-hand experience being mentored by experienced farmers through visits to mentors large farms and or farmers market sites. For example, a highlight story included participants visiting Minnesota Hmong Agriculture Co-op (MHAC) farm in Inver Grove Heights where they were able to use a roto tiller for the first time. Ninety percent of participants have never used a roto-tiller before and were very nervous and excited to operate the machinery. One of the most memorable memories was watching the MHAC farmers teach participants how to operate a roto-tiller as it was comparable to a father teaching his child to ride a bike. 100 percent of participants expressed how amazing and convenient the machine was and stated how fast it was to weed using a tiller compared to using a hoe. Peer Mentoring and Networking: In the last three years, HAP has worked with experienced peer farmers that have provided mentorship in cohort participant groups. Through our Cohort Learning Program, mentors have provided one-on-one coaching and technical assistance that relates to harvesting, planting, crop nurturing, market scaling, marketing tools and resources. One component part of the peer trainings most helpful was conducted at the farm with in-field training experience during site visits. In the last year of the SEED program, HAP partnered with a cooperative farmer's group called Minnesota Hmong Agriculture Cooperative (MHAC) as part of our cohort mentorship program. Participants were mentored and trained by MHAC's farm located in Inver Grove Heights. Participants learned how to farm successfully in the United States through planting, weeding, pest control, and planting vegetables in a line. Additionally, participants were taught how to operate a garden tiller and got firsthand experience tilling at a garden site. Working alongside and learning from experienced farmers are an essential stepping stone for participants as they learn skills and techniques that will aid them in the future. Moreover, the cohorts have found it very engaging working with the mentors in the cohort groups and gained a great deal of experience. 80% participants have expressed the peer mentoring as a valuable asset in the SEED program and understand the farming tools needed to be successful. A major challenge from the past three years has been recruitment of mentor farmers. For example, many farmers who agreed to be mentors were unable to commit to the program due to their busy schedules and/or careers. As mentioned above, HAP has overcome this by partnering with MHAC in which their co-op of farmers has provided SEED farmers with high impact training and first-hand experience in farming. Highlight Story: Participants took a trip out to Afton, MN to visit SEED program farm mentor, Lundi Vang's multiple farm sites. During this trip Lundi educated the participants on topography, soil sampling, integrated farm planting techniques with a small tractor, and how to harvest vegetables, e.g. potatoes, green beans, cabbages. Participants were able to see the difference between good soil and bad soil. For example, Lundi showed participants good soil, peat, and educated them on how bad soil looked like. Participants were very engaged and asked several questions during the visit. One participant stated, "I had no idea what topography was until now, and will look for land with good topography when I am ready to farm on a bigger scale". This shows significance because majority of our immigrant farmers have not farmed in the United States before and have little to no education experience so being able to learn from our experienced farm mentors has shown to be very valuable to participants. Farm-Faith Project Community Garden Kick-Offs Stories: HAP partnered with five Saint Paul, MN churches in the Farm-Faith Project, and conducted annual garden kick-off events in the beginning of the summer farming season. The kick-off events consist of HAP and Interfaith Action staff along with participants to build garden boxes together with the help of the church communities. They are also a great way for HAP participants to meet with the church community members and build relationships. Major accomplishments throughout the years have been the continued community building between participants, church members, and neighboring communities. HAP and its partners have worked hard build impactful relationships within the community and will continue to deliver for years to come.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: Audiences that the SEED program targeted are Southeast Asian farmers, particularly Hmong, Burmese/Karen, and Bhutanese whom reside in the Saint Paul- Minneapolis metropolitan region. Thus, recruitment of SEED participants consists of 5% Hmong, 75% Burmese/Karen, and 20% Bhutanese. Changes/Problems: A major problem the SEED program has encountered is participants opting out of the program once they find employment. In order to eliminate this problem in the future, coordinators are more focused on recruiting participants who have a key interest in maintaining a farm business in the future. An additional problem includes transportation barriers. Many participants were unable to participate in the SEED program because of limited access to transportation; due to not owning a vehicle, having limited access to public transportation, or being unable to pay for public transportation. Hmong American Partnership was able to alleviate this problem by providing transportation to the participants. This reduced the burden on participants of finding their own source of transportation and created an opportunity for more individuals to participate in programming, whom may have otherwise been unable to. Furthermore, in the past the program did not offer any opportunities for participants to earn post-secondary education credits, which was an interest of the participants. As mentioned previously, participants now have the opportunity to earn 4 college equivalent credits by participating in the FBM training. Lastly, a continuing struggle related to program participation is a need for child care. Program participants are often unable to attend classes because of limited access and means for child care. Moving forward, this problem will need to be considered by program staff; possible solutions will need to be discussed with participants facing this problem. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? As previously mentioned, a total of eight (8) SEED participants attended the FBM training, providing in-depth information about farm management, business planning, record keeping, managing a balance sheet, cash flow statements, family expenses, and marketing strategies. The FBM training was a great professional development opportunity for program participants. Moreover, upon successful completion of the training, participants earned 4 college equivalent credits at no cost to them. The credits will be beneficial for those who hope to further their education in the horticultural field. In addition, the project provided guest speakers who spoke about soil management, pest, pesticide and fertilizer management, the noninsured crop disaster assistance program, marketing, farm loans, financial management, contracts and policies, farm safety and finding land to farm. Participants also visited Jordan Seeds, Gertens Seed Supply, a local farm, and local Farmers’ Markets. Lastly, program staff led a workshop on record management. These training/professional development opportunities are described below: 1) Soil Management: Mark Zumwinkle from MDA was invited to HAP to present on soil management; topics discussed were soil mixture and soil testing. During the lesson, participants were interested in maintaining soil fertility. Many of the participants did not understand the reason for testing soil, how to test, and how to re-balance pH levels. All attendees completed an evaluation following the workshop. Evaluation results demonstrated that participants felt that “soil testing” was the most useful topic of discussion. One participant said, “Farming in the United States is much different than at home (Burma).” 2) Pest, Pesticides & Fertilizer Management: Mr. Collie Graddick and Mr. Kevin Cavanaugh, both also from MDA, were invited to present on pest, pesticides and fertilizer management. Topics discussed were: weeds, crop rotations, insects, and pesticides. Participants found the course to be useful based on their learning regarding helpful pest, harmful pest, the pests’ life cycle and active stage. One participant stated, “Now I know the advantages and disadvantages of different types of fertilizers for our crops.” Additional key take a ways, as mentioned by staff in the session evaluation, were pesticides, government rules and regulations regarding chemical use, and penalties for improper use of chemicals. 3) NAP: Mr. Nathan Peterson from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) presented to the class on NAP. During the session, Mr. Peterson provided the participants with information about eligibility (producer and crops), coverages, and limitations. The participants determined that the NAP would be more useful once they own more land and produce more yield. 4) Visited Jordan Seeds in Woodbury, MN: Participants took a trip to Woodbury, MN to learn about how they can access local seed suppliers, how to save on seed purchases by purchasing seeds as a group, and what farming products are available to purchase. Participants also had the opportunity to ask Jordan Seeds staff any questions they had about the products. 5) Visited Tractor Supply in Inver Grove Heights, MN: Participants visited the Tractor Supply store to learn about leasing a tractor; how much it costs to lease a tractor, how to lease a tractor, etc. Participants also utilized the time to look at prices of a variety of farm tools. 6) Visited Gertens Seed Supply in Inver Grove Heights, MN: The trip to Gertens Seed Supply allowed participants to compare seed prices at this location to Jordan Seeds, which they had previously visited. This visit demonstrated the importance of price checking; especially when purchasing products in bulk. 7) Visited a local farm: Participants got the opportunity to visit a local farm owned by David Joshua. David installed his own irrigation system on his farm and spoke to the participants about how to build an irrigation system, how much it cost to build an irrigation system, how to fix an irrigation system, and how irrigation systems work. 8) Record Management Workshop: Program staff led a workshop on record management. The workshop focused on record keeping methods and the importance of recording keeping. 9) Visited Farmers’ Markets in St. Paul and West St. Paul: Program participants had the opportunity to visit two local Farmers’ Markets. The purpose of the visits was to teach participants how to properly display their products, how to demonstrate strong customer service skills, and how to apply to be a Farmers’ Market vendor. 10) Marketing: Mr. Collie Graddick and Mr. Kevin Cavanaugh from MDA came in for a second time to speak to SEED participants. This presentation was focused on marketing. The speakers spent the majority of the time going over sales strategies and identifying market opportunities. Participants learned that they could do marketing through Facebook, radio, TV, etc. for little cost. Moreover, participants learned that another great marketing strategy is word of mouth. 11) Farm Loans: Mark Drewitz, a loan officer from USDA, spoke to SEED participants about the benefits of USDA loans, materials required to secure a loan, and different types of loan programs. 12) Financial Management: Kevin Plante from the MDA presented to the class on financial management. More specifically, eligibility requirements for loans, available loans, and the importance of financial management. 13) Contract and Policies: Hli Xiong from Farmers Legal Action Group spoke to the participants about the importance of contracts and the importance of understanding farm policies. 14) Farm Safety: Mai Pa Kou Yang from the University of Minnesota presented on safe food handling and proper food handling methods. 15) Finding Land to Farm: Becky Balk from MDA gave participants ideas on where they can search for available land and informed participants of the resources that MDA can provide to help participants find and purchase land. Furthermore, program staff attended the 9th Immigrant and Minority Farming Conference on February 1st and 2nd at the University of Minnesota. Staff also attended the Beginning Vegetable Gardening course hosted by Minnesota State Horticultural Society. There were six classes that were held once per week; staff learned about the process to start gardening and how to build garden boxes. This conference was a great professional development and networking opportunity for staff. Moreover, staff were able to pass on the valuable information they learned at the conference to program participants. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? SEED participants come from different ethnic backgrounds and levels of farm experience. The participants who do not own their own farm business were eager to learn the correct operation to run their own farm business through the FBM training. There are also three SEED participants that are already operating their own farm business. These participants are referred to as "advanced farmers". The advanced farmers gained valuable knowledge from the FBM training that they were able to utilize on their own farm. For example, one of the participants mentioned that she has been operating her own farm business for the past few years. She will be able to utilize what she learned at the FBM training to help better her farm practice and develop her business to become competitive with other farm businesses. Dissemination of results is demonstrated through this participant sharing the information that she learned during the FBM training course with her farming partner. Program staff hopes that other participants who attended the training have also shared the results with their friends and family to further disseminate the key learnings to communities of interest. In addition, SEED program participants created a short video about the SEED program. HAP CEO and program staff spoke about the program and program participants provided information about what they learned and enjoyed most about SEED. Program staff plans to disseminate to communities of interest via all viable sources including, but not limited to: YouTube, Facebook, and Hmong American Partnership’s website (www.hmong.org). This video will be complete and ready for distribution in January of 2015 as we ramp up to begin outreach for the new farming season. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Currently project SEED is recruiting more attendees for the SEED summer class and Farmer Entrepreneurship Workshop. Other than outreach efforts, the coordinator is also connected with local churches for land availability to assist the SEED program. HAP has been hosting meetings with partner agencies such as FLAG, Minnesota Food Association and Farm Services Bureau to discuss additional outreach methods and ways in which we can work together to extend the growing season for our farmers. This will help our farmers increase their revenues by having produce available for a longer period of time.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1. Build a community of farmer entrepreneurs as leaders in sustainable agriculture and healthy food systems: At the Farm Business Management (FBM) Training, held at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), participants were able to build their leadership skills in the industry. Each session was filled with useful resources, for example, at the beginning of each class session, there were loan officers representing Agstar or the MDA who came and spoke about their programs and how they would be able to assist each participant. With resources from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and USDA, participants now have direct contact and connection with an agency person. This will enable participants to access the necessary financial resources to produce a healthy and local food system. In addition, the presentation to SEED participants by Mai Pa Kou Yang from the University of Minnesota on safe food handling was also important to build a community of farm entrepreneurs who understand healthy food systems. 2. Move farmers from income- generating to wealth-generating businesses, thus creating more solid economic sustainability for farming families: Each of the eight FBM class sessions focused on generating income for a farm business. One topic that was brought up several times by instructors and questioned by attendees was the balance sheet which documents profit and loss. Instructors showed participants how to calculate total direct costs of production per acre, total overhead cost of production per acre, and total family living needs per acre. With these calculations, instructors were able to illustrate how much production and what pricing is needed in order to generate more cash flow. Participants were also able to speak one-on-one with the FBM instructors to ask any questions that they had including: best methods of marketing harvested produce in order to profit and methods of obtaining farm land. Throughout the one-on-one sessions, instructors strongly suggested that participants grow products that big commercial companies do not have access to; doing so will establish the participant’s agricultural development without competing with the big companies. This is a great example of moving farmers from income generating to wealth generating businesses. Another accomplishment under this goal was the result of a presentation by Mr. Collie Graddick and Mr. Kevin Cavanaugh from MDA. The speakers told the participants about the many opportunities available for marketing and the importance of marketing to enhance one’s business. SEED participants are now aware of the affordable marketing opportunities available to increase their product sales. 3. Provide farmers with appropriate agri-entrepreneurial leadership and management skill training: To accomplish this goal, management skills were taught during the four FBM class sessions including: record keeping, business planning, household expenses, etc. Some of the SEED participants found that record keeping has provided a better management method that will improve their skills in seed purchasing, keeping track of what will be harvested and what will be sold. During each session, instructors told personal experience stories of how they became a competitive commercial farmer, which benefited SEED participants and gave them ideas of what they should and should not do while at market. In order to manage a farm business it is essential for farmers to know how to manage finances and keep accurate records. Therefore, the presentation on the importance of financial management by Kevin Plante from MDA and the record keeping workshop taught by program staff, along with the FBM class sessions were fundamental in achieving the goal above. 4. Engage farmers in the creation of and investments in commercially viable agri-businesses. The Farm Coordinator and Case Aid organized several workshops over the past year, which contributed to accomplishing the goal of engaging farmers in the creation of commercially viable agri-business. These workshops include: 1) soil management, 2) pest, pesticides and fertilizer management, and 3) the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance program (NAP) 3) marketing 4) financial management 5) finding land to farm 6) farm loans 7) farm safety and 8) contracts and policies. These workshops helped participants to learn what it takes to create a commercially viable agri-business. Each workshop is explained in more detail below.
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Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: Southeast Asian beginning farmers completed the SEED program, through which they received intensive assistance to help them become successful farmer entrepreneurs. Changes/Problems: The participants in the SEED Program faced a number of barriers that this program does not have the ability to address. Among these, language barriers were most significant. In the short-term, we have addressed the linguistic barrier by hiring several interpreters, including Bhutanese and Karen interpreters. In the long-term, the SEED Program will address the linguistic barrier by connecting SEED participants with partner agencies that provide ESL courses. Participants will be enrolled in ESL classes, as they take part in the SEED Program (some potential participants may be enrolled in ESL classes prior to their participation in SEED, due to other priorities, such as full-time employment). The SEED Program Coordinator will encourage participants to improve their English skills, which will expand employment opportunities. Another significant barrier was transportation. To overcome this challenge, HAP will work with the Minnesota Department of Motor Vehicles to develop written tests in Bhutanese, Karen, Burmese, and Karenni, which are the main languages spoken by SEED participants. By securing permits and drivers’ licenses, participants will eventually have the ability to drive to employer sites. As HAP’s Economic and Community Development Department provides the Refugee Income Development Account (IDA) program, the SEED Program Coordinator will help participants, who need to start saving for a car, enroll into the HAP Refugee IDA program. To address this problem short-term, HAP provided a van to transport farmers to employer sites. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? We began the course with a Learning Circle event with our 2011-2012 SEED participants. The purpose of this learning circle was to discuss best practices and to create strategies in overcoming barriers and challenges. Each participant had a chance to speak to the group about barriers they face and strategies to overcome those barriers. Although participants were limited in English proficiency, we were able to provide interpreters to help the group understand the information shared. In December we partnered with Farmers Legal Action Group and MDA to hold a workshop on Farm Labor Laws and farmer grant opportunities. On December 18, 2013 we provided a farm educational workshop in the area of farm grant opportunities and family farm labor law. We had 27 participants in attendance. MDA and Farmers Legal Action Group were present as guest speakers. MDA presented their “Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant Program.” This grant provides up to $25,000 to individuals or groups for sustainable farm research or farm demonstration projects in Minnesota. Farmers Legal Action Group presented on “Family Farm Labor and Employment Law.” They educated the participants on farm labor and employment laws for family farms. In February, 17 participants attended the 8th Annual Immigrant and Minority Farmers Conference .The Immigrant and Minority Farmers Conference is an annual conference that teaches minority and immigrant farmers about marketing, business planning, and production practices that will increase yields and sales. We also hosted a NAP Crop Insurance seminar with USDA- Farm Service Agency. There were a total of 24 participants who attended the workshop. The purpose of the NAP Crop Insurance seminar was to provide our farmers with information and access to a crop insurance program. In May 2013 Mark Zumwinkle from MDA, presented on three topics: soil testing, soil components, and soil fertility. Several participants stated that the session was helpful; a total of 15 participants attended. Another workshop was conducted in May by Michele Schermann, of the University of Minnesota-Agricultural Health and Safety. The workshop featured food safety and safety food handling methods. There were 14 participants in attendance at this session. In June, SEED conducted three workshops. One of the workshops was held at HAP, while the other two workshops were held at Jordan Seeds and St. Paul Farmer’s Market. At the first workshop, Mr. Mark Drewitz, a representative from USDA’s Service Agency, was a guest speaker. He provided information on different types of loans farmers could access and secure, in order to help them achieve their goals. A total of 20 participants attended this workshop. The next two sessions were conducted at Jordan Seeds, Inc. and St. Paul Farmers’ Market. They focused on locations for SEED participants to shop for farming supplies. The 13 participants who attended these two sessions were introduced to the owner of Jordan Seeds, Inc. When HAP visited the St. Paul Farmers’ Market, participants learned about materials needed for making booths and HAP spoke to several farmers about their marketing strategies. In coordination with the MDA, in July 2013, SEED hosted two workshops on farm marketing, pesticides, and fertilizer management. There were two guest speakers, Mr. Collie Graddick and Mr. Kevin Cavanaugh. Mr. Graddick spoke about marketing management, and Mr. Kevin Cavanaugh discussed pesticides and fertilizer management. The four-and-a-half hour session was made interactive, with participation from 30 participants, two guest speakers and two Bhutanese and Karen interpreters. In partnership with the MDA, the SEED and SEED Program Coordinators planned a field trip to the Minnesota State Fair on August 26th, 2013. The purpose of the field trip was to introduce various farmers and ranchers to the participants. This would give them a better idea of the different types of agricultural businesses that existed. There were 80 participants and eight interpreters that went on the field trip. MDA provided four different workshops; they included workshops on quality and use of soil, crops/crop management, the different types of fertilizers used in farming, as well as tours of animal barns. As demonstrated above, the 2012-2013 SEED Program provided many in class and field opportunities that will help the program participants to be successful in the future. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? HAP utilizes a variety of marketing and communications tools to publicize award funds including program activities. These are as follows: 1) social media tools, e.g. Facebook, etc. 2) posting of program activities and news via HAP's intranet and internet sites, 3) HAp's quarterly newsletter to its stakeholders, 4) Media releases to local news sources e.g. Asian American Press, and 5) Resource and industry based fairs and events, e.g. Asian Dragon Festival What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? In the next reporting period, we plan to launch a second cohort including developing a stronger relationship with the Saint Paul Area Council of Churches and the MN Food Association, which will be partners in helping us to achieve our outcomes in education and training.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
At each SEED training session, participants received hands-on training with a professional farmer from one of Hmong American Partnerships (HAP) partner agencies. These trainers, who were Minnesota-based farmers, have years of experience dealing with farming techniques and related topics, such as soil enrichment and crop insurance. They taught SEED participants how to apply various farming methods and techniques to their own farming. During other field-site trainings, SEED participants applied what they learn, as they worked directly with the earth and various crops. In addition, the Program Coordinator provided SEED participants with one-on-one technical assistance; this included helping farmers purchase the right farming tools, fertilizers, seeds, soils, as well as helping farmers start thinking about business planning. In the past several years, HAP has established a strong working relationship with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), who has supported the SEED Program since its inception. MDA provided SEED participants with four workshops during the program year, which were held at MDA’s St. Paul office. These workshops allowed farmers to learn about the services offered by various Minnesota farming agencies and government departments.
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