Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:The target farming audience throughout the entire duration of the grant remained the same; though the geographic emphasis within the project region shifted from locality to locality. It consists of Limited Ranchers and Farm Producers (LRFP) and other minority farmers and landowners spread across 20 counties in south-central, south-western, south-eastern, and eastern regions of Virginia. The LRFP population in the region are typically in the NASS age bracket of 65 years and older[1]- an underlying demographic trend caused by increase in the number of aging farmers and a simultaneous decline in the number of younger generation entering into the farming workforce. Most of the farmers are retired landowners and tobacco farmers, who in the past made a living from tobacco either through direct sales or land rentals and who, upon finalization of government-negotiated tobacco buyout and settlement arrangement, have withdrawn their lands from active farming. But despite the fact that many of the region's landowners have retired from active farming, their land ownership/possession represent a huge potential of unutilized/underutilized opportunities for their immediate and extended families who could be trained in asset transfer and farm ownership/management skills needed for putting the estates back into active farming. During the project period, working agreements were implemented between the VSU Small Office Farm Office and several farming communities in the project area, culminating in the planting of several community gardening/demonstration projects. Participants acquired requisite skills for launching and operating community gardening, both at group-effort level and on individual basis. They were also trained in strategies for transferring skills acquired by them, through the project, to other citizens. The train-the-trainer approach/initiative provided the impetus and synergy for helping to launch several community gardening/demonstration projects during the project period--directly attributable to efforts of current grant. They include the following: First Buffalo Church, L.E. Coleman African-American Museum, Palmer Spring Recreation Community Center, Franklin County Community Garden, and Rev. R.S. Wimbish Square-Foot Demonstration Garden Plot. First Buffalo Church / Community Garden: First Buffalo Baptist Church is a long established congregation located in the northwestern corner of Halifax County Virginia with approximately 100 active members. Its members are residents of the counties of Halifax, Pittsylvania and Campbell--all of which are located within the project region. The project was launched, with the goal in mind, to educate the community in alternative business opportunities and provide training in cultivating and marketing nutritious food products. The 2016 project is a continuation of the 2014-2015 gardening initiative, which was quite instrumental in spawning partnership interest of other community churches in the project region. According to community farming and civic leaders, participating communities benefited in numerous ways. First, through experiential learning and training workshops provided by extension agents, skills and know-how were transferred to community participants. Second, fresh farm produce was supplied to community residents. Third, participation in the project helped to foster a sense of belonging in the community. Fourth, the working partnership was instrumental in fostering stronger ties among participating communities--in this case, the four counties of Halifax, Pittsylvania, Campbell, and Appomattox. During the last year of the project, demonstration and gardening efforts were directed at fruits and vegetable crops that best serve the community, using existing and new production practices, and particularly utilizing equipment that the landowner and community already have in their possession. Other upgrades included regular rows, planting and selective rotation of crops to better serve the nutritional and educational needs of the community. Given the technical assistance benefited so far, training received by the participants, and commitment demonstrated by participants to continue in their working relationship with Virginia Cooperative Extension agents, it is envisaged that the project will be able to continue to operate on a sustainable basis after grant funding has ceased. L.E. Coleman African American Museum / Community Garden: The L.E. Coleman African American Museum is located in Halifax County within three to six miles of the town of Halifax and the town of South Boston. Its activities and programs are supported through a cluster of community groups--which consists of an outreach group, a youth group, a senior group, and a veterans group. The purpose of the museum's community gardening project is to provide an educational, work, and learning environment for the entire community, particularly for those community groups that support its programs and activities; and to provide knowledge and skills in the cultivation and marketing of fresh vegetables and other crops which may lead to business opportunities in the community. Palmer Spring Recreation Community Center/Community Garden: The Palmer Spring Recreation Community Center is located in a rural area of Mecklenburg County within two to five miles of the North Carolina state line, Buggs Island Lake/Kerr Reservoir and a number of recreation parks. The goals of the community garden project consist of the following: (1) train community residents in strategies for alternative business opportunities; (2) create a training platform for citizens to learn about food chain and marketing supplies; (3) provide an educational program, work and learning environment for community youth helpful for skill acquisition in crops and vegetables production. Franklin County Community Garden: The Franklin County Community Garden is located in the town of Rocky Mount, Virginia. The vision of community participants is to develop a long-term working relationship with local extension services office and agents, and other community organizations that might be interested in agribusiness partnership. Community-specific needs consist of the following: demonstrate and train citizens in best-practice methods for cultivating home-grown produce; train community residents in strategies for starting and operating individually-owned gardens; donate vegetables and produce to local food banks and other associations in the area to help those in need; train participants in fundamental skills needed to successfully operate a community garden (i.e. proper soil management techniques, food safety procedures, acceptable cultivation practices, and other best-practice agricultural techniques). Wimbish Square-Foot Demonstration Garden Plot: The goal of the demonstration gardening project, started by Rev. R.S. Wimbish, is to utilize the demonstration plot as an educational tool for educating community youth and church members in strategies for growing fresh produce and supplies on small-acre plots. In order to accomplish this, participants were trained in alternative agricultural strategies applicable to food production, harvesting, marketing, and value-added product development. [1] Mary Ahearn and David Newton, Beginning Farmers and Ranchers, USDA Report from Economic Research Service (www.ers.usda.gov), Economic Information Bulletin No. 53, May 2009. Page 17. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In the course of the program, numerous opportunities were provided for the training and professional development of farm business owners/operators and future farming workforce (i.e. youth). The opportunities included the following: Knowledge enrichment and educational workshops, organized through the Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Small Farm Office. The workshops addressed a variety of agribusiness-related topics, including agribusiness ownership transfer, production and management strategies, financial and accounting management improvement strategies, market diversification and penetration strategies, production and marketing of high value crops and livestock. Workshops were administered concurrently with another USDA/FSA training program in which VSU was licensed by FSA as a vendor for training farm managers who intend to borrow from FSA. Consequently, the workshops were designed to standardize with mandatory USDA-FSA management borrower training requirements. Evaluation of the workshops indicates that 94% of participants tremendously benefited knowledge from the information received. Computer literacy workshops where participants were trained in computer-based record-keeping and farm management skills. Topics covered included farm management and record-keeping, agribusiness planning and analysis, Internet resource training, and application procedures for USDA farm programs and opportunities. While some of the workshops were held at VCE facilities, which is located at VSU, others were held at various sites strategically located across the project area. Opportunities were also provided for participants who could not attend classroom workshops, by bringing the VSU mobile lab (which is equipped with connectivity to the web) to them in various remote locations. Farm diversification strategies in value-added product development, the purpose of which is to train farmers in strategies for adding marketing and sales value to their produce. Farmers were trained by VCE farm agents and farm producers who were already getting results and had testimonials to share. The annual small farm conferences, organized annually in the course of the program, provided an effective platform for convening trainers and trainees and demonstrating experiences in value-added product development strategies. Training workshops in food safety, and environmentally sound production strategies, which addressed generally accepted principles in food nutrition and agricultural practices. Hands-on training and demonstration exercises, involving farmers' involvement in hands-on demonstrations and cultivation strategies for alternative high-breed crops. Participants were trained in various experiential exercises, including soil preparation, enterprise selection, cultivation techniques, use of tools and technology, and others. The demonstration exercises, which included VSU-pioneered 43560 gardening demonstrations, were periodically held both at VSU Randolph farm and other locations through the project region, and served as experiential and learning platform for farmers. Farm producers received technology, equipment, materials and seeds for demonstrations, and were successfully trained in implementation methods, for use both in their own individually-owned farms and for training other farmers. Internship opportunities for experiential learning, provided all through the years of the program, as a platform for involving students majoring in agriculture in real-life, hands-on, demonstration activities, helpful for applying classroom concepts to the real world. The students were also provided opportunities to train and network with farm producers in order for them to be exposed to experienced practitioners in the industry and better visualize careers and opportunities in agriculture and the food and fiber system as a whole. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results contributed to past initiatives aimed at uncovering and better understanding the nature and anomaly of under-representation of LRFPs in USDA agricultural programs and opportunities. The results were disseminated to communities of interest via several channels, including the following: 7th National Small Farm Conference, where findings/results of the investigation were presented, and will be published in conference's proceedings. 2016 Annual SAM Conference, where findings/results of the investigation were presented and published in conference's proceedings. Small farm conferences, annually hosted at VSU and VCE, in collaboration with Virginia Tech. Farm workshops, held at VSU and other strategic locations VCE news-letters, bulletins, and other print media VCE website Farm visits/meetings held at various farm sites and farmers' homes throughout the project site. Given the trust already established between farm agents and farmers, this platform continue to be the most effective method for disseminating the results/findings of the study and for soliciting inputs from farm producers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Program goals remained the same all through the duration of the project period, including the fourth year; however, the emphases and accomplishments were different from year to year. Accomplishments done along stated line of goals are enumerated below: 1. Conduct outreach activities in the project area for the purpose of gathering and analyzing information on the target audience helpful for understanding important characteristics and attributes pertaining to the target audience: While emphasis during the initial years focused on gathering and analyzing data helpful for understanding the poor representation of LRFPs in USDA programs and opportunities, efforts during the final years were shifted at analyzing and understanding the factors responsible for LRFP poor representation. Outreach activities consisted of the following: farm meetings; focus groups; farm visits carried out by farm agents; train-the-trainer meetings; surveys distributed by farm agents; group planning sessions conducted by the Economic Empowerment Regional Group--formed through initiative of the grant; and training sessions in remote locations of the project region via VSU mobile laboratory. 2. Investigate underlying factors responsible for the poor participation rate of target audience in USDA agricultural programs and develop outreach strategies of technical assistance helpful for rectifying the anomaly: The results of investigationdone during the four years of funding pointed to a combination of historical and non-historical factors as prominent variables that help explain LRFP poor participation rate in USDA programs. We uncovered the following findings: LRFP participation rate in USDA agricultural programs is not uniform, but vary across LRFP income sub-groups, and it's moderated by access to capital. While LFRP familiarity with USDA agricultural programs is somewhat moderate, their participation rate in the same USDA program is quite low. The anomaly of LRFP moderate familiarity with USDA programs vis-à-vis low participation rate in the programs mean that while LFRPs make efforts to familiarize themselves with USDA programs and opportunities, they do not take additional steps that lead to actual participation in the programs, or simply lack the motivation or capability to do so. Historical factors also persist to be an obstacle in the way of LRFP participation. They include the following: reluctance by farmers to volunteer private, confidential information--on ground that USDA might use their personal information for unauthorized purposes; educational barrier and lack of training/know-how in completing administrative paperwork needed for processing USDA applications; educational barrier and lack of training/know-how in completing administrative paperwork needed for processing USDA applications; distrust by LRFP attributed to historical discrimination and past experiences of denials from USDA farm programs in previous years; belief by some farmers that the invitations to participate in USDA farm programs are not done out of genuine purposes aimed at improving the economic and social condition of farmers, but merely being done for political and data collection purposes. To overcome LRFP low participation problem, we suggested, in study, concrete steps that USDA can take in helping to increase LRFP participation rate in its programs and opportunities. They include the following: solicit farmers' inputs regarding the kinds of incentives that they would like to see, which can hopefully help incentivize their participation in USDA programs; streamline the requirements of USDA programs to include--in addition to existing ones--also those requirements/provisions that LRFPs can reasonably provide and satisfy (i.e. educational attainment, farm management experience, credit history, etc.); reduce bureaucratic formalities associated with the application procedures for USDA farm programs; expand educational/training support programs and workshops for farmers; increase financial incentive programs for LRFPs and other minority farmers. Findings/findings from current study were presented at the 2016 Society of Advanced Management (SAM) conference, held at Arlington, Virginia (April 7 through April 10, 2016); and at the 7th National Small Farm Conference, hosted by Virginia State University, in Virginia Beach, September 20 to 22, 2016. They will be published in the proceedings. The have also been submitted for publication in journal articles. 3. Equip the target audience with the requisite skills needed for acquiring and running farm enterprises on a profitable basis: In the course of the program, including the last year, activities and initiatives were directed at training LRFPs in requisite skills needed for acquiring and running farm enterprises on a profitable basis. They included the following: 43560 Demonstration Project for training farmers on techniques for grossing up to $43,560 on one acre of land. The project successfully demonstrated that a $1.00 farm produce can be cultivated from every $1.00 square foot of farm acre and that farm productivity and profitability are realistic, achievable goals in small-scale farming. Field days featuring harvesting of trial crops. This included the very first chickpeas harvested in Southside Virginia, and directly supported by the VSU Small Farm Outreach Office. Wealth Retention and Asset Protection workshops for training disadvantaged farmers in inter-generational asset ownership transfer, estate planning, ownership title, financial literacy, and other 21st-century options for land use. Annual Small Farm Conferences for bringing together small farm owners/operators and hosting training and enlightenment workshops in production, management, marketing, and networking opportunities. The workshops addressed a wide variety of farm and agribusiness-related topics. Other educational and skill-enhancing activities, facilitated through Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Small Farm Outreach Program, include farm tax workshops, beginning farmer workshops, train-the-trainer small farm meetings, computer workshops; and community gardens;field day events. 4. Train and enhance the ability of the target audience to implement profitable alternative enterprises and environmentally sound production practices: In the course of the project, Virginia Cooperative Extension and VSU Small Farm Outreach agents continued to collaborate on farm demonstrations in the production of high-value alternative enterprises, and provided technical assistance to target farmers in various alternative agriculture specialty areas. LRFP participants received information on new enterprise selection and environmentally sound production practices for improving productivity, reducing costs, and boosting profit margins. They also received hands-on training for the alternative crops and livestock selected for demonstrations. Selected enterprises included a wide range of crops and livestock, including--organic crops and livestock production, aquaculture, small ruminant (meat goat) production, and pastured poultry production. LRFP also participants received additional training on high tunnel production systems, fresh vegetable production, energy crop production, berry production, agri-tourism, spices, herbs and other specialty crop production. 5. Improve the knowledge and skills of the target audience in food safety and value-added product development: All through the project period, LRFP participants received training in food safety and value-added product development strategies. The workshop topics were diverse and included Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification, nutrient management, and value-added marketing strategies. The trainings were coordinated by value-added product development experts from the Virginia Cooperative Extension and experienced farm producers who exchanged ideas with other farmers on best practices and value-added strategies.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Omotoye, R., Chinta, R., Mummalaneni, V., Perry-Rivers, P. (2016), "An Empirical Validation of the Primary and Moderating Effects of Income and Capital on LRFP Familiarity and Degree of Participation in USDA Agricultural Programs", 7th National Small Farm Conference, Virginia State University (held in Virginia Beach), September 20-22, 2016.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Omotoye, R., Chinta, R., Mummalaneni, V., Perry-Rivers, P. (2016), "An Empirical Validation of the Primary and Moderating Effects of Income and Capital on LRFP Familiarity and Degree of Participation in USDA Agricultural Programs", 2016 Annual international conference of Society for Advancement of Management (SAM), Arlington, Virginia, April 7-10.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Omotoye, R., Chinta, R., Mummalaneni, V., Perry-Rivers, P. (2017), "An Empirical Validation of the Primary and Moderating Effects of Income and Capital on Familiarity and Participation of Limited Resource Farm Producers (LRFPs) in USDA Agricultural Programs", Journal of Business and Economics Research.
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Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:The target farming audience in the third year ofproject remains the same as that of the first and second years. It consists of Limited Ranchers and Farm Producers (LRFP) and other minority farmers and landowners spread across 20 counties in southcentral, south-western, south-eastern, and eastern regions of Virginia. The LRFP population in the region are typically in the NASS age bracket of 65 years and older- an underlying demographic trend caused by increase in the number of aging farmers and a simultaneous decline in the number of youth entering into the farming workforce. The generational decline in the farming workforce can be rationalized along the line of changing generational perception about farming and cultural shift affecting youth reluctance to seek opportunities in farming. Most of the farmers are retired landowners and tobacco farmers, who in the past made a living from tobacco either through direct sales or land rentals and who, upon finalization of government-negotiated tobacco buyout and settlement arrangement, have withdrawn their lands from active farming. Despite the fact that many of the region's landowners have retired from active farming, their land ownership/possession represent a huge potential of unutilized/underutilized opportunities for their immediate and extended families who could be trained in asset transfer and farm ownership/management skills needed for putting the estates back into active farming. The third year was a continuation and consolidation of efforts started in the first two years of the project, aimed at building the capacity of target farm producers to be able to accomplishprogram-identifiedgoals and closingthe service delivery gaps that limited the participation of LRFPs inUSDA agricultural programs.Along the line of these goals, the community garden project that was started with First Buffalo Church inHalifax Countywas further expanded, with the goal of assimilating the project into mainstream economic development and revitalization program that will continue to create job and income opportunities for farm producers and landowners in the community, and which can be independently run, on a profitable basis, by participants. During this third year of the project, the goal to transplant and replicate the First Buffalo BaptistChurchHalifaxt community garden experience toother places in the project area also materialized, as the community garden experience was transplanted toMac and Rich VeteransHome--alsolocated in the project region. The goal is to replicate the experience in as many locations of the project area as possible and the build capability of the target audience to be able to contnue to manage, independently,similar or bigger agricultural projects in successive years. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In this third year of projcet, the FirstBuffalo Baptist Church community garden project, launched two years ago though this grant's effort,was further expanded. The original goal of theproject is to educate the community in alternative business opportunities, train requisite skills for providing nutritious food products to the citizens of the community, and build a capacity-development and resource base that can sustain economic development and community revitalization beyong the grant period.In early 2014, soil samples had been tested in several sites and a half-acre site was cultivated with the help of VSU-SFO agents, using the VSU-pioneered"43560 Farm Management Concept". While, during its first year of operation, the project faced some operational challenges, the second year provided an opportunity to rectfy the obstacles of the firstyear. During the current year of grant, LRP project participants had theopportunity to acquire additional training aimed at starting and running farm enterprises on a profitable basis. Training opportunities included utilization of farming tools andirrigation methods (e.g. drip irrigation method), alternative production strategies, environmentally sound cultivation and harvesting proctices, land productivity improvement practices, and other methods focusing on land cultivation, farm maitnenance, and harvesting. Eqquiped with previous year experience, cultivation and maintenance in 2015was done by community LRFP participants themselves; inputs were supplied by the VSU Small Farm Office. The entire operation was supervised by VSU smallfarm agents.The half-acre site was also expanded. Along the line of project goals, aimed at replicating the First Buffalo community garden experience in other farming communities in the project region, another community garden effort-- Mac and Rich Veterans Home Community Garden-- was commissioned in 2015 .The goals of the project include the following: Provide a work and learning environment for veterans and prepare them for transition into civilian workforce. Provide a source of income for veterans and the veteranshome. Provide and educational program for gaining knowledge and skills in vegetable production and other farm business opportunities. Provide a wide variety of food menu to the Veterans Home. To help accomplish stated goals and objectives, training and development activities were provided. They included the following:plot site selection; soil samples; land preparation; lime and fertilizer application; preparing garden beds, rows, and raised beds; planning of crop seasons and cultivation strategies; installation and maintenance of drip irrigation system; general garden maintenance; farm equipment training; and other types of training. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Given the long-term goal of the project, aimed at investigating factors responsible for the poor participation rate of LRFPs in USDA farm programs and opportunities, it is envisioned that summative results based on a comprehensive investigation that will span the entire fouryearsof the project will give a more accurate insight into factors that are accountable for the low participation rate of LRFPs in USDA agricultural programs and opportunities, and will help to better understand the anomaly and underlying factors. It is anticipated that the results and findings of the investigation will be disseminated at the end of the project period. But even with the investigation still ongoing, preliminary analysis already point to certain important contributory factors affecting the low participation rate of LRFPs in USDA farm programs and opportunities. They include inadequacy of training opportunitiesa for LRFPs,lack of qualified, experienced USDA liaison personnel who could culturally relate to LRFPs and their concerns,LRFP perception that USDA farm programs are simply routine exercises merely staged for political and data-collection purposes,and historical LRFP distrust in USDA programs, stemming from historical distrust of government. It is envisaged that strategies for rectification will be suggested and appropriately disseminated at the culmination of project funding. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?It is anticipated that during the finalyear of the project, the following activities will be implemented along the line of stated project goals: 1. Conduct outreach activities for the purpose of gathering and analyzing information on the target audience helpful for understanding important characteristics and attributes pertaining to the target audience: Do more surveys helpful for understanding the demographics and other important characteristics pertaining to LRFPs in project region. Increase student representation and involvement in survey-administration, coding, analytics, and other grant-related activities that can help foster student experiential learning and development. Do a summative, cumulative analysis of data compiled in the course of the investigation period. Diseminate the findings of the investigation through appropriate outlets. 2. Investigate underlying factors responsible for the poor participation rate of target audience in USDA agricultural programs and develop outreach strategies of technical assistance helpful for rectifying the anomaly. The First Buffalo Church community garden experience has already helped to launch another similar community garden project--Mac and RichVeterans Home Community Garden--also aimed at building the capacity of target farming audience in the community. Other communities in the project region have also showed interest in adopting the model in their communities. It is hoped that as more community garden projects are launched at other sites in the project area, a large number of individuals will be trained to launch similar initatives, not only as a group-based community efforts, but also on individual basis with entrepreneurship focus, doing so on a profitable basis. It is hoped that the spin-off will help to launch the operation of manyprofitable agricultural enterprises across the project region, and thus, help increase the participation rate of LRFPs in USDA agricultural programs and opportunities. 3. Equip the target audience with the requisite skills needed for acquiring and running farm enterprises on a profitable basis: Farmers and landowners who participated in the First Buffalo Church and Mac and Rich Veterans Home community garden projects are being trained to collaborate with other farmers and landowners from other counties in the project area, with the goal in mind for them to train other community farmers and transplant the concept to other communities in the project region. Begginning in 2014, LRFPs in the target project area are being providedthe opportunityto attend USDA/FSA vendors certification program which require farmersto complete FSA-selected workshops and certification in order for them to become eligible for USDA/FSA loan programs.Participation of LRFPs in the certification program will help improve skills needed for running agricultural enterprises on a profitable basis. 4. Train and enhance the ability of the target audience to implement profitable alternative enterprises and environmentally sound production practices: The garden project implemented at First Buffalo Church and Mac and Rich Veterans Homesupportdiversification of alternative agricultural enterprises and cultivation of a diverse variety of farm crops. At each location, approximately, twenty crops of different varieties were cultivated on 20 garden beds, including organic, ethnic, and other types. It is envisaged that the efforts will be continued and sustained beyond the grant period. VCE agents continue to provide trainingworkshops to farmers on requisite skills necessary for implementing alternative farm enterprises and environmentally sound production practices. Farmers are being trainedto absorb the diversification strategies into regular production and marketing practices. 5. Improve the knowledge and skills of the target audience in food safety and value-added product development: Activities scheduled for the fourthyear of project include workshops and training opportunities for equipping LRFPs with requisite knowledge and skills in food safety and value-added product development practices. The value-added product development training sessions scheduled for the fourthyear of the grant include real-life farm demonstrations by selected farmers who have successfully practiced value-added strategies, and as a result, were successful in improving farm marketing and overall productivity in their practices. The selected farmers will interact, share, and train other farmers in value-added product development strategies.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During this third year of grant, the following were specifically accomplished along the specified line of program goals, stated below: 1. Conduct outreach activities in the project area for the purpose of gathering and analyzing information on the target audience helpful for understanding important characteristics and attributes pertaining to the audience: Additional surveys were conducted in 2015.Given the long-term goal of the project, aimed at investigating factors responsible for the historical poor participation rate of LRFPs in USDA farm programs and opportunities, it is envisioned that a summative analysis that is based on an investigation spanning the entire project period will assure a more elaborate, detailed, and comprehensive insight into the investigated problem, and help to better understand the nature and characteristics of the trends driving the anomaly. 2. Investigate underlying factors responsible for the poor participation rate of target audience in USDA agricultural programs and develop outreach strategies of technical assistance helpful for rectifying the anomaly: The Agents of the VSU Smal Farm Outreach Program continue to work in partnership with USDA Food and Nutrition Service and the Virginia Department of Social Services, to conduct workshops aboard the VSU Mobile Computer Laboratory. Several outreach meetings, aimed at increasing LRP participation in USDA programs werewere conducted throughout the project area. At these meetings, farmers received education on USDA farm programs and other pertinent information that would enhance their farm businesses. A total number of 422 limited resource farm producersparticipated in these meetings. VSU Small Farm Agents conducted 480 farm/home visits for this reporting period to personally educate, train and provide technical assistance to the target audience. VSU conducted several USDA/NIFAestate/farm management workshops, during which sixty-one participants received information on estate mangement and land transition matters. VSU Small Farm Office conducted several Agribusiness production and financial planning and management workshops,designed to meet the mandatory USDA-FSA management borrower training requirements and assist farmers in developing valuable skills in financial management and crop/livestock production. VSU Small Farm Office is conductedon-farm/hands-on demonstrations at different sites within the project area.Thedemonstrations serve as experiential learning tools through which farmproducers receive knowledge on soil preparation, enterprise selection, use of tools and equipment, and cultivation techniques. VSU Small Farm Officeconducted several farm tours during this reporting period that was well attended by LRPparticipants.Thetours provided opportunities for farmers, especially beginning farmers, to learn about farm operation and management strategies, and how to acquire appropriate tools and equipment needs, needed for agriculturalproduction practices. 3. Equip the target audience with the requisite skills needed for acquiring and running farm enterprises on a profitable basis: Three Agribusiness production and financial planning and management workshops were conducted at various convenient locations of the project area. The workshops were designed to meet mandatory USDA-FSA management borrower training requirements,assist in boosting farm profitability, offer hands-on training, and assist farmers in developing valuable skills in financial management and crop/livestock production. VSU conducted two estate/farm management workshops during which participants from the target audience received information on land transition strategies. Field days activties collaborated withUSDA agencies were held for the purpose ofenlightening farmers on various farm programs and opportunities and educatingfarmers on available services and delivery strategies. Othertraining activities were implemented for the purpose of training the target farming population in requisite skills needed for acquiring and running farm enterprises on a profitable basis. They included computer training and adult literacy workshops, farm demonstrations, farm-produce field days, conferences, farm tours, community gardens, hands-on training events, and VSU-pioneered 43560 farm demonstration projects. 4. Train and enhance the ability of the target audience to implement profitable alternative enterprises and environmentally sound production practices: In the course of the thirdyear of project, Virginia Cooperative Extension and VSU Small Farm Outreach agents continued to collaborate on farm demonstrations in the production of high-value alternative enterprises, and provided technical assistance to target farmers in various alternative agriculture specialty areas. LRFP participants received information on new enterprise selection and environmentally sound production practices for improving productivity, reducing costs, and boosting profit margins. They also received hands-on training for the alternative crops and livestock selected for demonstrations. Selected enterprises included a wide range of crops and livestock, including--organic crops and livestock production, aquaculture, small ruminant (meat goat) production, and pastured poultry production. LRFP participants also received additional training on high tunnel production systems, fresh vegetable production, energy crop production, berry production, agri-tourism, spices, herbs and other specialty crop production. 5. Improve the knowledge and skills of the target audience in food safety and value-added product development: The 2014 Small Family Farmers' Conference, held on November 12 in Suffolk, VA, provided a suitable platform for training LRFP participants in food safety and value-added product development strategies. Workshop topics were diverse and include Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification, nutrient management, and value-added marketing strategies. The trainings were coordinated by value-added product development experts from the Virginia Cooperative Extension and experienced farm producers who exchanged ideas with other farmers on best practices and value-added strategies. Other value-added training training for grant's target audience included a value-added field day on June 18, and a meat-goal field day at Halifax County, held on August 13 and 14.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: The target farming audience in the second year of the project remains the same as that of the first year. It consists of Limited Ranchers and Farm Producers (LRFP) and other minority farmers and landowners spread across 20 counties in south-central, south-western, south-eastern, and eastern regions of Virginia. While nine are located in south-central, the remaining eleven are spread across the eastern and other southern regions. With an annual average unemployment rate ranging between 7.3 and 8.8[1] percentages (except for a lower 6 percent in the eastern region), unemployment rate in the project area is well above the State and national respective averages of 5.6 and 8.1 percentages. In view of its unstable demographic and economic landscape and the negative impact of anti-smoking legislation on tobacco trade, the region is located in the epicenter of Virginia’s worst unemployment crisis and rural-urban youth emigration. The LRFP population in the region are typically in the NASS age bracket of 65 years and older[2]- an underlying demographic trend caused by increase in the number of aging farmers and a simultaneous decline in the number of younger generation entering into the farming workforce. The generational decline in the farming workforce can be rationalized along the line of changing generational perception about farming and cultural shift affecting youth reluctance to seek opportunities in farming. Most of the farmers are retired landowners and tobacco farmers, who in the past made a living from tobacco either through direct sales or land rentals and who, upon finalization of government-negotiated tobacco buyout and settlement arrangement, have withdrawn their lands from active farming. Despite the fact that many of the region’s landowners have retired from active farming, their land ownership/possession represent a huge potential of unutilized/underutilized opportunities for their immediate and extended families who could be trained in asset transfer and farm ownership/management skills needed for putting the estates back into active farming. Grant-related outreach initiatives targeting the population during the second year consisted of surveys, training activities consisting of conferences and workshops, one-on-one home and farm visits, outreach meetings, and computer training workshops. The initiatives are directed at incentivizing the audience to put back their land into production through community garden projects, done on a collaborative basis with other landowners, or encouraging participation in state-supported preservation programs that help to prevent farmland sale into non-farm uses. Action Plan for Target Population in the Remaining One Year of Grant In the course of the second year of the project, a community garden project, earlier planned during the first year was implemented. The initiative was the direct result of the partnership formed between the Virginia Commonwealth Extension Services and community participants from First Buffalo Church, Long Island, in Halifax county- one of the rural counties in the project region. The logistics of the project was coordinated through the Regional Economic Empowerment Group, formed specifically for the purpose of coordinating outreach and logistics support for the initiatives of the grant and for the purpose of matching community farmers and landowners with USDA resources. The group’s membership consisted of the grant’s Project Director, management staff and farm agents from VCE Small Farm Outreach Office, and farmers and landowners from Halifax County, primarily, First Buffalo Church. After series of planning meetings and deliberations, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Halifax County project participants and the VSU Small Farm Outreach Office. On May 21, the community project was launched and twenty beds of crops of different varieties were cultivated. Participants were also trained during a 43,560 farm demonstration in cultivation techniques, aimed at intensive use of land for maximum productivity. At a July 16 field day, produce from the garden project was harvested, successfully concluding the first year community garden experience. Following a successful outcome, Halifax County participants have expressed an interest in continuing the partnership in coming years. While, it is anticipated that the VSU Small Farm Outreach Office will support them during the second year (i.e. third year of the grant), farmers are being trained in requisite skills needed for running the project independently on a continuing, self-sustaining basis in following years. But even more importantly, as a follow-up to the Halifax County experience, the Project Director, in collaboration with the VSU Small Farm Outreach Office envisages that during the third year of the project, the community garden experience will be replicated across other farm communities in other counties of the project area. We have already received requests from LRFPs from other counties, expressing interest in a similar partnership, and action plans for coordination and follow-up implementation have already been plugged into the 2015 work schedule of VSU Small Farm Outreach Office. [1] Virginia Local Market Information (www.Virginia LMI.com) Community Profile, Virginia Employment Commission Local Area Unemployment Statistics, page 13 [2] Mary Ahearn and David Newton, Beginning Farmers and Ranchers, USDA Report from Economic Research Service (www.ers.usda.gov), Economic Information Bulletin No. 53, May 2009. Page 17. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Farm Demonstration at First Buffalo Church In the course of the second year of the program, training opportunities were provided for professional development of both current farmers and future farm leaders. A major accomplishment was the implementation and delivery of a community garden project signed between the VSU Small Family Outreach Office and First Buffalo Church, Long Island. As part of the agreement, the church had donated a one-quarter acre community plot for the pilot project, to be done in partnership between SFO and participating landowners and farmers. The objectives were as follows: Strengthen SFO working relationship with community LRFPs Implement a community farm project which can be transplanted and replicated in other farming communities in the project area, and which can also be replicated on individual basis by participating LRFPs. Train community LRFPs in new production practices, alternative crops and enterprises. Train LRFPs in production techniques that maximize farm production and utilize limited land space and minimum resources Increase the participation of LRFPs in USDA farm programs and opportunities. In connection with is this initiative, the following activities/initiatives were implemented: Project planning meetings organized by the Church and the Community Empowerment Initiative Group. Memorandum of agreement stating partnership between the church and VSU SFO Preliminary preparation of land for cultivation On May 21, in collaboration with VSU SFO agents, cultivation of crops on 20 garden beds which consisted of 20 different crop varieties. On July 16, a community field day was conducted at the same location. It was a 43560 demonstration project specifically conducted for training project participants on farm production techniques and routine follow-up garden maintenance, including periodic weeding, crop inspection, pruning, etc. Farm produce harvested from the community garden project was distributed to approximately 500 individuals. Summer Enrichment Program The Summer Enrichment Program, held from June 16 to 20, and from June 23 through 27, provided an instrumental platform for the development training of young adults who are aspiring to become next-generation farm and agribusiness leaders. Participants, who were selected, based on their educational background and career goals in agriculture, included a cross-breed of college-bound high school students from southeastern Virginia desiring to major in agriculture, and four student Interns (seniors and juniors) from Virginia State University who were already enrolled in agriculture and needed experiential training that could help jump-start their career in agriculture. Participants were exposed to different aspects of agriculture, including farming and cultivation, aquaculture, environmental aspects of agriculture, small ruminant farming, agribusiness management, aquatic science and horticulture. They acquired valuable lessons and observed, first-hand, farm demonstrations in the cultivation of strawberry, poinsettia and organic plants. The camp also provided training for career opportunities in agriculture and agribusiness ownership at different levels—farm business ownership, private sector, USDA, and other government agencies. Community Outreach During the second year of the program, the Project Director and farm agents from VSU Small Farm Outreach Program held a total of ten meetings with community leaders, landowners, and farmers from Halifax County, and others regions in the project area. The meetings provided a necessary platform for soliciting input from community leaders on outreach strategies and logistics for mobilizing and engaging community landowners and farmers. In their capacity as community leaders, they were able to lead the Project Director and Extension agents to other retired/semi-retired community landowners and farmers who possess farmlands but are currently not engaging them in agricultural uses due to lack of resources (i.e. financial means, adequate training, market opportunities, etc.). The community outreach platform—Economic Empowerment Regional Group—formed through the initiative of current grant for the purpose of mobilizing LRFPs in the project area and matching them with USDA resources and farm programs, functioned as the nucleus group responsible for implementing the logistics of the garden project that was coordinated through First Buffalo Church, Long Island. Following the experience, participants have expressed desire to do the project again next year. It is also envisioned that the experience will be transplanted to another region in the project area during the third year of the program. The goal is to replicate the experience in as many regions of the project area as possible, and support them through sustainability to enable them run independently on their own on a profitable basis. Computer Training Workshops During the second year of the project, a total of 12 computer training workshops were supported through the current grant. The workshops provided hands-on trainings for the benefit of target farmers on a range of topics, including financial management and record-keeping, agribusiness planning and analysis, Internet resource training, and application procedures for USDA farm programs and opportunities. The workshops were held at different locations—some at the Virginia Commonwealth Extension office facilities, located at VSU, some in remote rural locations, accessible via VSU mobile lab. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Given the long-term goal of the project, aimed at investigating factors responsible for the poor participation rate of LRFPs in USDA farm programs and opportunities, it is envisioned that results based on an investigation spanning the entire three years of the project period will give a more detailed, accurate insight into the investigation and help to better understand the nature of the anomaly and uncover the underlying factors. In view of this fact, it is anticipated that results and findings of the investigation will be disseminated at the end of the project period. But even with the investigation still ongoing, preliminary analysis already point to certain important contributory factors affecting the participation of LRFPs in USDA farm programs and opportunities. They include farmers’ difficulties in completing USDA application paperwork; lack of qualified, experienced USDA liaison personnel who could culturally relate to LRFPs and their concerns; LRFP perception that USDA farm programs are simply routine exercises merely staged for political and data-collection purposes; and historical LRFP distrust in USDA programs stemming from historical distrust of government. It is envisaged that strategies for rectification will be suggested at the end of project period. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? It is anticipated that during the third year of the project, the following activities will be implemented along the line of stated project goals: 1. Conduct outreach activities in the project area for the purpose of gathering and analyzing information on the target audience helpful for understanding important characteristics and attributes pertaining to the target audience: Do more surveys helpful for understanding the demographics and other important characteristics pertaining to LRFPs in project region Increase student representation and involvement in survey-administration, coding, analytics, and other grant-related activities that can help foster student experiential learning and development Do a summative, cumulative analysis of data compiled during the investigation period Publish results of investigation in appropriate publications circulated by VSU/VCE Farm Extension Services 2. Investigate underlying factors responsible for the poor participation rate of target audience in USDA agricultural programs and develop outreach strategies of technical assistance helpful for rectifying the anomaly: It is envisaged that the experience learned from the community garden project at First Buffalo Church, Long Island will become a blueprint for investigating factors responsible for the poor participation rate of LRFPs in USDA farm programs It envisioned that the First Buffalo Church experience will help launch a replication of similar prototype projects in other counties across the entire project area, which can also be used as a platform for investigation At the conclusion of investigation, steps will be taken to address and rectify the anomaly of poor participation rate of LRFPs in USDA farm programs and opportunities. 3. Equip the target audience with the requisite skills needed for acquiring and running farm enterprises on a profitable basis: Farmers and landowners who participated in the First Buffalo Church garden project are being trained to collaborate with other farmers and landowners from other counties in the project area, with a view for them to replicate the experiences acquired from the pilot project in which they participated As part of third year agenda, it is envisioned that VSU/VCE farm extension agents will train and involve more LRFPs from the project area in “43560 Farm Demonstration Project”- a VSU Extension Services initiative that train farmers to maximize farmland productivity by producing $1.00 farm produce per every foot of farm acre. Workshops scheduled for the third year of the project addresses the training needs of target farmers in profitable farm management and ownership transfer. 4. Train and enhance the ability of the target audience to implement profitable alternative enterprises and environmentally sound production practices: The garden project implemented at First Buffalo Church supports diversification of alternative agricultural enterprises and cultivation of a diverse variety of farm crops. Twenty crops of different varieties were cultivated on 20 garden beds, including organic, ethnic, and other types. It is envisaged that the efforts will be continued in the third year of the project. Activities scheduled for the third year of project includes workshops and trainings for equipping farmers with requisite skills necessary for implementing alternative farm enterprises and environmentally sound production practices. 5. Improve the knowledge and skills of the target audience in food safety and value-added product development: Activities scheduled for the third year of project include workshops and training opportunities for equipping the target farming audience with requisite knowledge and skills in food safety and value-added product development practices. The value-added product development training sessions scheduled for the third year of the grant include real-life farm demonstrations by selected farmers who have successfully practiced value-added strategies, and as a result, were successful in improving farm marketing and overall productivity in their practices. The selected farmers will interact, share, and train other farmers in value-added product development strategies.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
While program goals will remain the same all through the entire project period, including in the second year of project, outlined emphasis and accomplishments are different from year to year. During this second year of project, the following were specifically accomplished along the broad line of program goals: 1. Conduct outreach activities in the project area for the purpose of gathering and analyzing information on the target audience helpful for understanding important characteristics and attributes pertaining to the target audience: In view of the poor response to surveys conducted during the first year of project, additional surveys were conducted between May and July, 2014. Given the long-term goal of the project, aimed at investigating factors responsible for the historical poor participation rate of LRFPs in USDA farm programs and opportunities, it is envisioned that results based on an investigation spanning the entire three years of the project period will give a more detailed, informative insight into the investigated problem and help to better understand the nature of the anomaly and uncover the underlying factors. 2. Investigate underlying factors responsible for the poor participation rate of target audience in USDA agricultural programs and develop outreach strategies of technical assistance helpful for rectifying the anomaly: Feedback from the first project year suggests that the historical attitude of farmers toward USDA farm programs and opportunities are gradually changing. While in the past, farmers were either not willing or not aware of USDA farm programs and opportunities, there is a noticeable trend gradually shifting in favor of USDA programs and opportunities, portraying that target farmers and ranchers are increasingly willing to learn more about USDA farm programs and opportunities. Even though, there is an increasing tendency to overcome the incidence of low participation rate of LRFP in USDA programs, the factors affecting their participation rate remain essentially the same. Important ones include the following: Educational barrier and lack of training/know-how in completing administrative paperwork needed for processing USDA applications Reluctance by farmers to volunteer private, confidential information—on ground that USDA might use their personal information for unauthorized purposes Distrust by LRFP attributed to historical discrimination and past experiences of denials from USDA farm programs in previous years The belief by some farmers that the invitations to participate in USDA farm programs are not done out of genuine purposes aimed at improving the economic and social condition of farmers, but merely being done for political and data-collection purposes. On a positive note, to enhance steady participation in USDA farm programs, many farmers indicate willingness and preference for working through regional farm extension programs—in this case, the Virginia Co-operative Extension (VCE) and the Small Farm Outreach Program, regionally operated at Virginia State University, which LRFPs view as facilitators. In other words, rather than directly contacting regional USDA stations located in rural counties, farmers prefer to contact farm extension service stations. 3. Equip the target audience with the requisite skills needed for acquiring and running farm enterprises on a profitable basis: In the course of the second year of the program, many training activities and initiatives were implemented for the purpose of training the target farming population in the requisite skills needed for acquiring and running farm enterprises on a profitable basis. They included computer training and adult literacy workshops, farm demonstrations, farm-produce field days; conferences, farm tours, community gardens, hands-on training events, 43560 farm demonstration projects, and others. Specific activities include the following; June 12 43560 Demonstration Project/USDA Field Day, organized to train farmers on techniques for grossing up to $43,560 on one acre of land. The project successfully demonstrated that a $1.00 farm produce can be cultivated from every $1.00 square foot of farm acre and that farm productivity and profitability are realistic, achievable goals in small-scale farming. July 15 Chickpea trial field day at Halifax County- the first successful trial chickpeas harvested in Southside Virginia, and directly supported by the VSU Small Farm Outreach Office. October 17 Wealth Retention and Asset Protection (WRAP) at Evington- workshop for training disadvantaged farmers in inter-generational asset ownership transfer, estate planning, ownership title, financial literacy, and other 21st-century options for land use. November 12 Small Farm Family Conference, at Suffolk. Conference activities included hands-on training, farm training and enlightenment workshops, networking opportunities. Workshop topics addressed a wide variety of farm and agribusiness-related topics, including farm ownership transfer, production and management strategies (i.e. high tunnel design and construction, forest management, pasture management, strategies for small ruminant farming, etc.), financial management, market diversification and penetration strategies, production and marketing of high value crops and livestock. Other educational and skill-enhancing activities, facilitated through Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Small Farm Outreach Program, include farm tax workshops, beginning farmer workshops, train-the-trainer small farm meetings, computer workshops; and community gardens field day events. 4. Train and enhance the ability of the target audience to implement profitable alternative enterprises and environmentally sound production practices: In the course of the second year of project, Virginia Cooperative Extension and VSU Small Farm Outreach agents continued to collaborate on farm demonstrations in the production of high-value alternative enterprises, and provided technical assistance to target farmers in various alternative agriculture specialty areas. LRFP participants received information on new enterprise selection and environmentally sound production practices for improving productivity, reducing costs, and boosting profit margins. They also received hands-on training for the alternative crops and livestock selected for demonstrations. Selected enterprises included a wide range of crops and livestock, including—organic crops and livestock production, aquaculture, small ruminant (meat goat) production, and pastured poultry production. LRFP also participants received additional training on high tunnel production systems, fresh vegetable production, energy crop production, berry production, agri-tourism, spices, herbs and other specialty crop production. 5. Improve the knowledge and skills of the target audience in food safety and value-added product development: Workshops conducted during the second year of the grant and during the 2014 Small Family Farmers’ Conference provided training opportunities for LRFP participants in food safety and value-added product development strategies. Workshop topics were diverse and include Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification, nutrient management, and value-added marketing strategies. The trainings were coordinated by value-added product development experts from the Virginia Cooperative Extension and experienced farm producers who exchanged ideas with other farmers on best practices and value-added strategies. Other value-added training initiatives included a value-added field day on June 18, and a meat-goal field day at Halifax County, held on August 13 and 14.
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Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: The target farming audience consists of Limited Ranchers and Farm Producers (LRFP) and other minority farmers and landowners spread across 20 counties in south-central, south-western, south-eastern, and eastern regions of Virginia. While nine are located in south-central, the remaining eleven are spread across the eastern and other southern regions. With an average unemployment rate ranging between 7.3 and 8.8[1] percentages (except for a lower 6 percent in the eastern region), unemployment rate in the project area is well above the State and national respective averages of 5.6 and 8.1 percentages. In view of its unstable demographic and economic landscape and the negative impact of anti-smoking legislation on tobacco trade, the region is located in the epicenter of Virginia’s worstunemployment crisis and rural-urban youth emigration. The LRFP population in the region are typically in the NASS age bracket of 65 years and older[2]- an underlying demographic trend caused by increase in the number of aging farmers and a simultaneous decline in the number of younger generation entering into the farming workforce. The generational decline in the farming workforce can be rationalized along the line of changing generational perception about farming and cultural shift affecting youth reluctance to seek opportunities in farming. Most of the farmers are retired landowners and tobacco farmers, who in the past made a living from tobacco either through direct sales or land rentals and who, upon finalization of government-negotiated tobacco buyout and settlement arrangement, have withdrawn their lands from active farming. But despite the fact that many of the region’s landowners have retired from active farming, their land ownership/possession represent a huge potential of unutilized/underutilized opportunities for their immediate and extended families who could be trained in asset transfer and farm ownership/management skills needed for putting the estates back into active farming. Grant-related outreach initiatives targeting the population during the first year consisted of surveys (carried out between the months of May and November) and training activities consisting of conferences, workshops, one-on-one home and farm visits, outreach meetings, and computer training workshops. (Please refer to the Accomplishments section of the current report for details of accomplishments concerning these initiatives). Action Plan for Target Population in the Remaining Two Years of Grant Recognizing the untapped resources/opportunities in the region which could be effectively tapped for the benefit of the region’s growth and development, in the course of the first year of the grant, the Project Director took an important step in the direction of mobilizing community resources in support of an economic empowerment plan for the benefit of the region. The action plan consists of a regional outreach initiative (in the form of a regional economic empowerment group), formed for the purpose of mobilizing landowners and farmers in the region and incentivizing them to put their unutilized/underutilized farmlands back into active agriculture. The program envisions matching landowners and farmers with USDA resources and farm programs. Trainings and other support logistics for the initiative will be provided through VSU/VCE Extension Servicesand USDA field offices scattered throughout the project area. VCE farm agents will also work with participating landowners and farmers in identifying suitable tobacco-alternative crops and livestock (i.e. small ruminant farming, organic and ethnic crops, etc.). Initial outreach meetings have already been concluded, and some of the outreach activities, planned for the immediate future, have been plugged into VCE/SFO community outreach schedule for 2014. As part of initial efforts to jumpstart the initiative, a pilot group consisting of landowners and farmers has been formed in Halifax County (one of the 20 counties of the target region), with the goal in mind of running a prototype farm project (in the form of a community garden) during this current, ongoing, second year of the grant. It is envisioned that this initial attempt will be implemented as a group/community effort jointly contributed by participating landowners and farmers, from which individual contributors can learn, and thereby, receive adequate trainings and skills needed for launching similar undertakings at individual levels in the future. While current efforts have focused primarily on landowners and farmers in the Halifax County area, the intention is to build the initiative into a successful farming enterprise-prototype, and replicate the experience in other counties of the project region. [1] Virginia Local Market Information (www.Virginia LMI.com) Community Profile, Virginia Employment Commission Local Area Unemployment Statistics, page 13 [2] Mary Ahearn and David Newton, Beginning Farmers and Ranchers, USDA Report from Economic Research Service (www.ers.usda.gov), Economic Information Bulletin No. 53, May 2009. Page 17. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? In the course of the first year of the award, opportunities for trainings and professional development were provided through series of events that include the following: outreach meetings, one-on-one home and farm visits, conferences and tours, and computer training workshops. Outreach Meetings In the course of the year, a total of 29 outreach meetings were organized, 3 of which were implemented in the first quarter, 9 in the second quarter, 11 in the third quarter, and 6 in the fourth quarter. There were approximately 343 participants: 48 in the first quarter; 92 in the second quarter; 132 in the third quarter; and 71 in the fourth quarter. The meetings provided a necessary platform for soliciting input from community leaders on outreach strategies and logistics for mobilizing and engaging community landowners and farmers. In their capacity as community leaders, they were able to lead the Project Director and Extension agents to other retired/semi-retired community landowners and farmers who possess farmlands but are currently not engaging them in agricultural uses due to lack of resources (i.e. financial means, adequate training, market opportunities, etc.). The outreach meetings were also very instrumental in helping to forge a trusting relationship with community target audience—a crucial preliminary step needed for incentivizing the members of target farming audience to willingly participate and volunteer personal data needed for surveys. Community outreach was also the nucleus of the Halifax County-based Economic Empowerment Regional Group which was formed—through initiative of current grant—for the purpose of mobilizing target farmers in the project area and matching them with USDA resources and farm programs. One-on-One Home and Farm Visits A total of 529 one-on-one home and farm visits were conducted in the course of the first year of current: 113 during the first quarter; 69 during the second quarter; 215 during the third quarter; and 132 during the last quarter. In the course of the visits, the target farming population received educational materials and technical assistance on the benefits of business records, financial analysis, productivity improvement strategies, and effective marketing strategy implementation. The VSU mobile computer technology—consisting of 13 workstations and with connectivity to the internet from any part of the state—was utilized to provide hands-on training to farmers and landowners. Trainings provided included financial management, record-keeping, planning and analysis, and internet navigation techniques. The visits also served as an effective tool for recruiting, training, and enlightening the target farming audience on USDA farm programs and opportunities. Conferences and Tours During the first year of the current grant award, there were approximately 1029 participants in farm conferences, supported through current grant: 322 during the first quarter; 82 during the second quarter; 613 during the third quarter; and 12 during the fourth quarter, including the 11th annual small family conference, held at Lynchburg, VA, between November 12 and 14. The conferences provided valuable trainings and information on innovative farming practices, marketing techniques, and agricultural diversification strategies. LRFP participants benefited in knowledge enrichment and skills needed for improving their farming practices in alternative agriculture, farm business management, farm tax management, and estate planning/property transfer. Other important conference topics included high tunnel production practices, production and marketing of high-value crops and livestock, organic certification procedures, Good agricultural Practices (GAP) certification, and others. Computer Training Workshops In the course of the year, a total of 11 computer training workshops were supported through current grant’s efforts: 3 during the first quarter; 2 during the second quarter; 3 in the third quarter; and 3 in the fourth quarter. The workshops provided hands-on trainings for the benefit of target farmers on a range of topics, including utilizing financial management software for record-keeping, planning and analysis, Internet resource training, and application procedures for USDA farm programs and opportunities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Since the analysis of conducted surveys is still an ongoing process, the final results have not yet been disseminated to LRFP survey participants. Upon completion, the results will be disseminated. But even with final, summative results still being tabulated, a summary of preliminary findings already suggest contributory factors affecting the participation rate of LRFP in USDA farm programs and opportunities. They include farmers’ difficulties in completing USDA application paperwork; lack of qualified, experienced USDA liaison personnel who could culturally relate to LRFPs and their concerns. Others include LRFP perception that USDA farm programs are simply routine exercises merely staged for political and data-collection purposes, and widespread hesitancy in the LRFP community to trust USDA programs, generally stemming from a historical distrust in government as an entityitself. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? It is anticipated that in the second year of the project, the following activities will be implemented toward the accomplishment of the goals of the project as stated below: 1. Conduct outreach activities in the project area for the purpose of gathering and analyzing information on the target audience helpful for understanding important characteristics and attributes pertaining to the target audience: Complete the analysis of survey data that were compiled during the first year of the project. Do more surveys helpful for understanding the demographics and other important characteristics pertaining to the target audience. Publish the results of completed survey analysis in media outlets and news reports circulated by the VSU/VCE Farm Extension Services. Increase student representation and involvement in survey-related data gathering, data coding/analytics, and other grant-related activities that can foster experiential learning, development, and preparation for future agribusiness opportunities. 2.Investigate underlying factors responsible for the poor participation rate of target audience in USDA agricultural programs and develop outreach strategies of technical assistance helpful for rectifying the anomaly: It is expected that the results of completed survey and future surveys will be helpful in uncovering insightful details that could be helpful for understanding the reasons for the poor participation rate of the target audience in USDA farm programs. After the survey results have been analyzed and summarized, steps will be taken to address and rectify the anomaly of poor participation rate of target farmers in USDA farm programs and opportunities. As part of current grant’s outreach initiative aimed at increasing the participation rate of target farmers in USDA farm programs and opportunities, a focus group consisting of landowners and farmers has been formed in Halifax County (one of the 20 counties covered by the current grant) for the purpose of mobilizing community farmers and landowners together and matching them with USDA farm programs and opportunities. The goal is to implement, and run a prototype farm demonstration project (in the form of a community garden) during the second year of the current grant, and thereafter, transplant the concept to other counties of the project region. The trainings and support logistics for the initiative will be coordinated through the VSU/VCE Extension Services and local USDA field offices. It is hoped that the initiative will encourage landowners who are currently doing nothing with their farmlands to apply for USDA farm programs for the purpose of putting those farmlands back into active agriculture. 3. Equip the target audience with the requisite skills needed for acquiring and running farm enterprises on a profitable basis: In line with a train-the trainer approach, it is anticipated that the farmers and landowners who participate in the Halifax County pilot program will be available to work with other community farmers and replicate their experiences acquired through the pilot program. Workshops scheduled for the second year of the current grant addresses the training needs of target farmers in profitable farm management and ownership transfer. As part of second year schedule, it is envisioned that VSU/VCE farm extension agents will train and involve more LRFPs from the project area the “45360 Farm Demonstration Project”- a VSU extension services initiative aimed at maximizing farmland productivity—achievable by producing $1.00 farm produce per every foot of farm acre. 4. Train and enhance the ability of the target audience to implement profitable alternative enterprises and environmentally sound production practices: The schedule for the second year of current grant include workshops and trainings for equipping farmers with requisite skills for implementing alternative farm enterprises and environmentally sound production practices. The proposed pilot farm project planned for implementation in Halifax County supports diversification of alternative agricultural enterprises and cultivation of a diverse variety of farm crops—i.e. organic, ethnic, and other alternative forms. 5. Improve the knowledge and skills of the target audience in food safety and value-added product development: The schedule for the second year of current grant include workshops and training opportunities for equipping the target farming audience with requisite knowledge and skills in food safety and value-added product development practices. The value-added product development training sessions included in the second year of the grant include real-life farm demonstrations by selected farmers who have successfully practiced value-added strategies, and as a result, were successful in improving farm marketing and overall productivity in their practices. The selected farmers will interact, share, and train other farmers in value-added product development strategies.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1. Conduct outreach activities in the project area for the purpose of gathering and analyzing information on the target audience helpful for understanding important characteristics and attributes pertaining to the target audience. Surveys were conducted between May and November of the first year of the project. In view of the fact that the November surveys have only recently concluded, the analyses are still being done, and the results will be included in another report 2. Investigate underlying factors responsible for the poor participation rate of target audience in USDA agricultural programs and develop outreach strategies of technical assistance helpful for rectifying the anomaly: Even though the final results of the surveys are not yet ready, a summary of preliminary findings from initial analysis and summative conference evaluationsbyLRFPattendants point to the following as some of the important factors affecting the participation rate of Limited Resource Farm Producers (LRFP) in USDA programs: Difficulties experienced by the target farmers in completing USDA applications, reflecting a variety of factors—including target farmers’ inadequacy in the use of computers, and generally, their perception of complexities associated with completing USDA paperwork. Lack qualified/experienced USDA liaison that could culturally relate to LRFPs and their concerns, and be genuinely involved in walking them through the entire application procedure from beginning to the end. Perception by many LRFPs that USDA workshops are routine exercises merely staged for political and data-collection purposes, but not so much for the genuine purpose of addressing LRFP concerns. Consequently, many LRFPs simply stopped participating. Many LRFPs are still hesitant to trust USDA programs. They point to historical discrimination experienced by minority farmers in the past. Many claim that they hesitate to participate in USDA programs (including in farm loan programs) because of perceived USDA attempt to invade into their privacy in USDA farm application programs. They could not understand why they have to volunteer so much information in order to qualify for farm programs. 3. Equip the target audience with the requisite skills needed for acquiring and running farm enterprises on a profitable basis: Many events were conducted for the purpose of training the target farming population in the requisite skills needed for acquiring and running farm enterprises on a profitable basis. Between October 2012 and September 2013, 11 computer training workshops were provided (3 during the first quarter; 2 during the second quarter; 3 during the third quarter; and 3 during the fourth quarter) for the purpose of helping farmers overcome their computer illiteracy and helping them acquire the technical skills needed for managing their farm enterprises profitably. On June 27, 2013, the “43560 Demonstration Project” led by VSU’s Small Farm Outreach Project Vegetable Specialist at VSU’s Randolph Farm, was the highlight of the 2013 Commercial Berry and Vegetable Field Day. The project successfully demonstrated that a $1.00 farm produce can be cultivated from every $1.00 square foot of farm acre and that farm productivity and profitability are realistic, achievable goals in small-scale farming. LRFP participants also attended the 11th Annual Small Family Conference in Lynchburg, VA (11-14 November), and benefited from training workshops. Workshop topics addressed the following topics: farm ownership transfer, production and management strategies (i.e. high tunnel design and construction, forest management, pasture management, strategies for small ruminant farming, etc.). It also covered topics in farm financial management, market diversification and penetration strategies, and the production and marketing of high value crops and livestock. The workshops were collaborated by USDA agencies, farm service agents, some farm producers, and representatives of vendors. 4. Train and enhance the ability of the target audience to implement profitable alternative enterprises and environmentally sound production practices: In the course of the first year of project, VSU Small Farm Outreach agents conducted on-farm demonstrations across the project area on the production of high-value alternative enterprises and provided technical assistance in various alternative agriculture specialty areas. LRFP participants received information on new enterprise selection and environmentally sound production practices for improving productivity, reducing costs, and boosting profit margins. They also received hands-on training for the alternative crops and livestock selected for demonstrations. Selected enterprises included a wide range of crops and livestock, including—organic crops and livestock production, aquaculture, small ruminant (meat goat) production, and pastured poultry production. Others are high tunnel production systems, fresh vegetable production, energy crop production, berry production, agri-tourism, spices, herbs and other specialty crop production. 5. Improve the knowledge and skills of the target audience in food safety and value-added product development: Workshops conducted during the first year of the grant and during the 11th Small Family Farmers’ Conference provided training opportunities for LRFP participants in food safety and value-added product development strategies. Workshop topics were diverse and include the following: Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification; nutrient management; and value-added marketing strategies. The trainings were coordinated by value-added product development experts from the Virginia Cooperative Extension and experienced farm producers who exchanged ideas with other farmers on best practices and value-added strategies.
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