Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Tribal Schools: Choctaw Fresh Produce has established a great working relationship with the Choctaw Division of Schools. We successfully developed a Farm-to-School Plan (funded in part by a USDA Farm-to-School Planning Grant) in 2014. Since that time, we have been able to build on our relationship in terms of supplying our fresh produce, conducting student farm education tours, and supporting student-run farmers markets. Furthermore, CFP has succesfully leveragedthis relationship to supply other Farm-to-School initiatives in our region, an important part of our financial sustainability strategy. Low-income Community Members: It was a challenge to find a financially sustainable way to get our fresh produce to the low-income triba members. Over the past 3 years, we have tried several different methods with varying degrees of success: 1) WIC vouchers: we supplied our fresh produce to the Tribe's farmers' market that is able to accept WIC vouchers. This was successful, but they have very limited funds available and a very short season (~8 weeks). They also have several individual farmers that want to sell their produce to the market, and we did not want to compete with them. So, we only supplied our produce when they were not able to get enough supply from the local farmers; 2) U-pick: At the end of each season, as we were preparing to transition to a new crop, we realized that we still had 'usable' crops in the field. We started allowing tribal members to come to the farm for a 'u-pick'. We did not charge any money for their harvest. This was a great way to get more people to visit the farm, and to get more fresh produce to our low income families;3) Donations:at the end of each week, we set up a system to donate any surplus items that were nearing their useful life. We donated to the Choctaw Elderly Center as well as the Social Service Program. This allowed us to get more of our produce into the community, and minimize the waste. Employees: 1) Community Supported Agriculuture (CSA): We sold CSA subscriptions in 2015 and 2016 that were available to our local community. Most CSA programs require payment in advance, which is a major challenge for low-income families.We recognized that this was a financial burden, so wewere able to work out an agreement with the Tribe to allow 'payroll deductions' for people to have funds withheld from their paycheck for the duration of the CSA program. An average of 30 employees took advantage of this program each season; and 2) Honor Box: We set-up a 'seasonal kiosk program' at the employee entrance at 2 of our largest employers in the region. This made our fresh produce extremely convenient forthese employees. We used a simple honor box system to allow the employees to pay for their produce. This was highly successful and we intend to expand this toa3rd location in fall 2017. Choctaw Diabetes Clients: We were able to form a partnership with the Choctaw Diabetes Program. They purchase 25 CSA Subscriptions during the spring and another 25 subscriptions during the fall. This has provided an estimated 7,000 lbs. of our fresh produce to these diabetic patients throughout this grant period. Choctaw Health Center: We are a wholesale supplier to the Choctaw Health Center. They have a cafeteria that provides food to employees and visitors, as well as their Choctaw patients. Choctaw Students: We experimented with 2 different partnerships with the Choctaw Division of Schools: 1) Student farm tours - we conducted several farm tours with students ranging from Kindergarten through 12th grade. In our experience the 5-6th graders were the most enthusiastic about the tours and were most likely to sample our fresh produce; and 2) Student run farmers market - We partnered with the Choctaw High School - Careers in Agriculture Program to allow these students to run a farmers market right before Thanksgiving. They helped to set-up the market, hand out promotional flyers, and help the customers. This was a very successful event and we plan to repeat it annually. Changes/Problems:Our General Manager, Mr. Dick Hoy, passed away unexpectedly in December 2015. While he was very instrumental in getting this project established, we were able to continue our operations. We were able to establish partnerships with subject matter experts to fill the knowledge gaps, and our employees have all become more capable by having more responsibility. We were still able to successfully complete this project despite this major set back. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Student tours: We conducted an average of 2 tours per season with an average of 25 students per tour. This included students ranging from kindergarten - 12th grade. As reported above, the 5-6th graders were more enthusiastic about the farming operation and sampling our fresh produce. We toured approximately 300 students during the grant period. Farm Demonstrations: We hosted 6 farming demonstrations during the grant period that were attended by approximately 200 people. These groups included National Center for Appropriate Technologies, Mississippi Food Hub, Mississippi Ag Extension Service, Sustainable Farming Alliance, Mississippi Farm to School Network, and the Misssippi Food Justice Alliance. Food Safety Training: Our staff participated in several classroom training events related to food safety. This included training from Dr. Juan Silva from Mississippi State as well as trainining on the Food Safety & Modernization Act (FSMA). Organic Farming: Our staff received hundreds of hours of training related to organic vegetable farming. We brought in subject matter experts in areas such as soils management, cover crops, high tunnel production, and beneficial insects. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Choctaw Low-income Families: The Tribe operates the Food Distribution Program for Indian Reservations (FDPIR) which provides food to low-income tribal families. We formed a partnership with their Nutrition Educationstaff to conduct cooking classes for their clients to coincide with our farrmers' markets. This was intended to help demonstrate healthy cooking methods for our freshproduce. National Food Sovereignty Summit: We have been a speaker at the National Tribal Food Sovereignty Summit for the past 3 years. We have highlighted the activities of Choctaw Fresh Produce and our role in increasing the Tribe's food sovereignty. Social Media: We have a Facebook page with >1,000 fans, and we regularly post information and share articles related to our farming operation and healthy eating. This is also how we shared our cooking demonstration videos. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal #1 - Create Capacity to Grow "Starts/Transplants": Objective A - Install a greenhouse of approximately 30' x 48' - SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED Objective B - Grow at least 25,000 starts by the end of Year 1 - SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED Goal #2 -Increase Capacity to Grow Vegetables: Objective A: Install 3 high tunnels (30' x 96') - SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED Objective B: Grow and harvest at least 4,000 lbs of fresh produce from each tunnel annually - SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED Goal #3 - Increase Capacity to Grow Fresh Fruits: Objective A: Install 10 acres of fruit orchards - SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED Objective B: Harvest at least 50,000 lbs of fruit by the end of Year 3 - SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED Goal #4 - Provide Ability to Process & Pack the Harvest On-Site: Objective A: Renovate and upgrade the existing barn for harvest processing and storage - SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED Objective B: Install a processing and packing operation that meets all required safety standards - SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED Goal #5 - Be Able to Sell to Low-Income Food Programs on the Reservation: Objective A: Achieve GAP certification as required to sell to USDA-funded, low income programs on the reservation - WE HAVE COMPLETED OUR FOOD SAFETY PLAN, RECEIVED OUR STAFF TRAINING, CONDUCTED OUR MOCK RECALL, AND GONE THROUGH A MOCK AUDIT. WE ARE SCHEDULED TO RECEIVE OUR FINAL AUDIT IN NOVEMBER 2017 AS WE BEGIN OUR FALL HARVEST. Goal #6 - Provide Educational Opportunities for the Community: Objective A: Renovate an existing +/-3,000 square foot cabin to be used as an indoor classroom-THIS WAS INCLUDED IN OUR ORIGINAL GRANT APPLICATION AS AN OBJECTIVE. HOWEVER, THE FUNDS FOR THISOBJECTIVE WERE DEEMED UNALLOWABLE, SO THIS OBJECTIVENO LONGER APPLIES. Objective B: Provide training on "local food systems" for at least 200 adults and 500 students by the end of Year 3 - WE TOURED AN ESTIMATED 200 ADULTS AND APPROIMATELY 300 STUDENTS.
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Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:1. Tribal Schools: CFP is expanding our relationship with the Choctaw Division of Schools. During this time period, we provided approximately 2,000 pounds of fresh produce to this program. 2. Choctaw Mobile Market: In 2014, we launched the Choctaw Mobile Market program. This is a mobile market, similar to a concession stand, that takes our fresh produce out to the more remote Choctaw communities to sell our fresh produce. Our customers for this include tribal members, tribal employees, and is also open to area residents. During this time period we have provided approximately 3,500 pounds of fresh produce to the community through our mobile market. 4. Choctaw CSA Customers: Choctaw Fresh Produce started a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in spring 2014. Our customers purchase a fixed-price "share" in our farm's seasonal harvest in advance. Every week fo 12 weeks our customers are provided a box of freshly-picked fruits and vegetables with 8-10 different items. Most boxes weight 12-14 pounds depending on what is harvested that week. Next to growing your own, we believe our CSA Program is the best way to ensure that your family has access to fresh, chemical-free produce that is 100% organically-grown. In Fall 2015 we sold 45 subscriptions. 10% of our boxes were provided to the Choctaw Social Services Program and the Diabetes Prevention Program. Under our CSA Program, we provided approximately 7,000 pounds of fresh produce to our community during this time period. 5. Choctaw Health Center: The Tribe opened a new Choctaw Health Center in 2015. This facility provides meals to its patients and visitors through a cafeteria. In Spring 2016, we started providing fresh produce to this tribal facility. So far, we have provided an estimated 1,000 pounds of fresh produce to the Choctaw Health Center. 6. Choctaw Resort: The Tribe operates several restaurants and cafeterias that are part of a water park, hotel, and golf course operation. During this time period, CFP has provided approximately 16,500 pounds of fresh produce to these tribal operations. 7. Student Education: We regularly conduct student tours of our farm sites throughout the growing season. Our primary goal is to introduce tribal students to their "local food system." Due to our organic practices, students are able to pick and eat fresh produce right on the farm. We believe this will have a positive, long term impact on the health of the tribe. Changes/Problems:Our biggest challenge this year was the unexpected death of Mr. Dick Hoy, our Farm Manager, in December 2015. This had a definite impact on our operation from December - June. We have restructured our organization and secured outside expertise to provide technical support to our staff as-needed. While this was a major loss for us both personally and professionally, we have solidified our operation and will continue to grow and supply fresh healthy produce to our community. Also, Dr. Steve Murray was part of our project team. He retired in 2015. We have been able to move forward without replacing his activities. We do not anticipate that this will cause a delay in accomplishing our objectives. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We are actively recruiting more tribal members to participate in our organic growing practices. For this time period, we provided employment for 10tribal members that received training in the following processes: 1. Safe Food Handling - taught by Dr. Juan Silva of Mississippi State University 2. On-the-Job Training: During this period, we provided approximately 2,600 hours of OJT for tribal members. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have been very active in sharing our accomplishments with other Tribes that are developing their own local food systems. During this period, we have made formal presentations at the following tribal events: Native American Food Sovereignty Conference - October 2015 Reservation Economic Summit (RES) - New Mexico - December 2015 Bishop Paiute - Local Food Strategic Planning Session - January 2016 Red Lake Nation - Local Food Strategic Planning Session - February 2016 White Earth Tribe - Local Food Strategic Planning Session - February 2016 What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We were able to achieve USDA Certified organic status in 2015. We plan to become a regional leader and advocate for organic growing practices. We have now developed 5 mini-farms on tribal lands. We intend to convert 3 of our farms to pure "community farms" that are able to grow and supply fresh produce to the tribal residents and the tribal schools within that community. We have budgeted to hire 6 tribal members are full-time Local Food Ambassadors. These positions will be filled by summer 2017. This is a 3 year commitment to hire and train tribal members in all facets of organic growing practices, and increase the amount of healthy fresh produce that is available to our community (especially low-income tribal families).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal #1 - Create Capacity to Grow "Starts/Transplants": Objective A - Install a greenhouse of approximately 30' x 48' - COMPLETED Objective B - Grow at least 25,000 starts by the end of Year 1 - COMPLETED Goal #2 -Increase Capacity to Grow Vegetables: Objective A: Install 3 high tunnels (30' x 96') - COMPLETED Objective B: Grow and harvest at least 4,000 lbs of fresh produce from each tunnel annually - ACHIEVED, BUT ON-GOING Goal #3 - Increase Capacity to Grow Fresh Fruits: Objective A: Install 10 acres of fruit orchards - COMPLETED Objective B: Harvest at least 50,000 lbs of fruit by the end of Year 3 - PENDING Goal #4 - Provide Ability to Process & Pack the Harvest On-Site: Objective A: Renovate and upgrade the existing barn for harvest processing and storage - COMPLETE Objective B: Install a processing and packing operation that meets all required safety standards - COMPLETE Goal #5 - Be Able to Sell to Low-Income Food Programs on the Reservation: Objective A: Achieve GAP certification as required to sell to USDA-funded, low income programs on the reservation - PENDING Goal #6 - Provide Educational Opportunities for the Community: Objective A: Renovate an existing +/-3,000 square foot cabin to be used as an indoor classroom - PENDING Objective B: Provide training on "local food systems" for at least 200 adults and 500 students by the end of Year 3 - PENDING
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Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience: 1. Choctaw CSA Customers: Choctaw Fresh Produce started a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program in spring 2014. Our customers purchase a fixed-price "share" in our farm's seasonal harvest in advance. Every week for 12 weeks our customers are provided a box of freshly-picked fruits and vegetables with 8-10 different items. Most boxes weigh 12-14 lbs depending on what is harvested. Next to growing your own, we believe the Choctaw Fresh Produce CSA Program is the best way to ensure that your family has access to fresh, chemical-free produce that is 100% locally-grown. In Fall 2015, we sold 20 subscriptions. In Spring 2015, we sold 103 subscriptions. For our spring CSA program, we made arrangements with the Choctaw Diabetes Prevention Program to supply them with 2 boxes each week to share with their diabetic clients. We also are providing 2 boxes each week to the Choctaw Social Services Program who is sharing our produce with the Choctaw Women's Shelter. These are both pilot programs that we hope to expand. 2. Choctaw Mobile Market: In 2014, we lauched the Choctaw Mobile Market. This is a mobile market, similar to a concession stand, that takes our fresh produce out to the more remote Choctaw Communities to sell our fresh produce. Our customers for this include tribal members, tribal employees and area residents. 3. Choctaw Division of Schools: We have supplied produce to the Choctaw Division of Schools for service in their cafeterias. 4. Youth Education: We have conducted several student tours of our farm sites. Our primary goal is to introduce children to our "local food system". We want them to be aware of where their food comes from. We also encourage them to pick and sample our fresh produce. We are always amazed by how many Choctaw students will eat our fresh vegetables straight from the garden. Changes/Problems: We originally intended to plant 10-acres of fruit orchards in Year 1 while continuing to grow our vegetable production business. The reality that we have faced, is the fruit orchrds require different operating systems/processes than vegetables. Since we have found a tremendous demand for our vegetables, we want to focus on being successful with our vegetables before expanding into fruit orchards. We have submitted a formal request to USDA to allow us to accelerate our vegetable production activiites (installing high tunnels and packing shed) , and move the fruit orchards to the end of the project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? 1. We have been very active in sharing our successes with other Tribes that are pursuing local food system projects. During this reporting period, we have made formal presentations at the following events: Native American Food Sovereignty Conference, Green Bay, WI, October 2014 Administration for Native Americans, Annual Meeting, Santa Fe, NM, January 2015 White Mountain Apache People's Farm, Planning Session, February 2015 Local Foods as Economic Development, Minneapolis, MN, July 2015 What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We intend to focus our near-term efforts on the production of vegetables. We have received significant demand for locally-grown, organic vegetables. For example, we increased our CSA subscriptions from 20 in fall 2014 to 100 in spring 2015, and still sold out of memberships and have a waiting list. We also have large, commercial accounts including the Choctaw Resort and Whole Foods that have expressed a strong interest in buying our fresh vegetables. We would like to build the 3 high tunnels immediately (originally scheduled for Year 2), and remodel the barn/packing shed to handle our demand. We will move to the orchard projects after we are able to fill the vegetable demand. We have submitted a modification request to USDA for your consideration.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal #1 - Objective A: The greenhouse is installed and working great Objective B: We have grown 25,000 starts Goal #2 - Obective B: We will have harvested >20,000 lbs of fresh produce between Sept 2014 - Aug 2015 Goal #4- Objective B: We have installed a temporary processing/packing line that is sufficient to pack our current production levels Goal #5 - Objective A: We have not requested GAP certification yet, but we have put all of our GAP systems in place. Goal #6 - Objective B: We have provided student tours to more than 200+ Choctaw Students
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