Progress 12/15/14 to 12/14/17
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this program is Nevada Beginning Farmers and Ranchers (BFRs). The USDA definition of farmer and rancher is used, which is $1,000 or more of an agricultural product sold. More than 6% of the total budget is allocated to serving American Indians living on the Walker River, Duck Valley, Pyramid Lake and Fallon reservations. In addition, the program organizers will provide outreach activities to recruit military veterans, women, Hispanic and limited resource producers, which will add at least another 2% to the overall budget in staff time and travel. The target audience for this proposed project includes all Nevada BFRs which are identified and/or recruited through USDA agencies. The majority of the targeted audience qualifies as socially disadvantaged and limited resource BFRs and comprises a significant portion of Nevada's agricultural operators. In addition, most of these producers are living and operating in USDA designated StrikeForce communities. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?There are some participants that are with Non-governmental organizations and state and federal agencies. The project did offerprofessional development opportunities to these participants and linked them to the Nevada BFR community. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The overall results are reported to the Univiersity and submitted to the producers organizations by request.The training workbooks are available at any time by contacting the Mineral County Cooperative Extension office. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This is our final report. We do have a reapplication in to refund the program.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Nevada Beginning Farmer and Rancher Project called Herds & Harvest offered 55 training programs serving 1,098 Nevada beginning farmers and ranchers over the three-year project period. Year one held 24 in person training workshops on business strategies, meat slaughter and processing, small scale poultry and viticulture serving 288 BFR. Year two held 15 in person training workshops in business strategies, meat slaughter and processing, small scale goats, and vegetable farming serving 318 BFR. Year three held 16 in person training workshops on business strategies, meat slaughter and processing, hops, small scale poultry, viticulture, vegetable farming and social media marketing. There were 126 program evaluations returned from 392 program participants in the sixth year of the program. The viticulture trainings were the most highly attended in 2017. There were 11% of participants that served in the US Military. There were 38% of participants that had been farming or ranching less than one year, and 18% that had been farming less than 2 years. Sixty-two percent were farming or ranching 5 acres or less. Seventy-six percent learned how to improve quality in their products, and 75% reported they learned how to add value to the products they produce. Seventy-two percent reported that they learned how to increase their income. There were 58% of participants that reported the training taught them how to increase yields, and 57% reported they learned how to increase farm and ranch income. Mentoring activities are an integral part of the program and were designed to encourage producers to create enterprise budgets for new businesses and/or the diversification of existing ones. There also was an effort in Las Vegas with Community Roots in the third year of the project to provide expertise in vegetable production to increase yields to serve Las Vegas communities. There were 69 one-on-one sessions creating and discussing a BFR enterprise budget over the three-year project period. There were 12 new farms that participated in the mentoring program, five were researching new product development in 2017. There were 714 BFRs that participated one-on-one in the BFR mentoring program over the three-year project period. In year two, there were 150 mentoring sessions between a producer mentor and a BFR, with 75 of those sessions taking place on Nevada Indian reservations.Year 3 there were 167 one-on-one sessions between a mentor and a producer discussing production agriculture.There were an additional 21 mentoring sessions on Nevada Indian reservations serving 315 tribal members. The original proposal, funded in 2011, projected reaching 300 Beginning Farmers and Ranchers (BFRs), with 60 BFR's consistently participating in the 3-year project which included 24 workshops developed, conducted and evaluated. We recruited continuously at statewide agricultural association meetings and existing Extension program events. The resulting BFR mailing list grew steadily, from a baseline of zero in 2011 to more than4,000 producers in 2014. The project funded in 2015 continued to work with 600 BFRs but made an effort to increase BFRs in Nevada by 400. At the end of the project in December 2017, the project had a producer contact list of 3,010 producers; 2,873 mailing list and 949 producers via e-mail. Of these producers, 1,025 were self-reporting as BFRs. Since the beginning of the program, the program team has had to expand content in order to fully address topics prioritized by producers. This required the team to adopt a flexible approach to program design and delivery. Additionally, the program team learned that distance program delivery via Interactive Video Television (ITV) was essential to assuring greater participation. The incorporation of ITV into all trainings across the state, in order to be inclusive, required extensive coordination for program delivery. This included preparation of learning materials well in advance of the training, in order for materials to be sent via email to extension offices for production and assembly. It also required a significant investment in time and resources to provide for professional facilitation of trainings at each distant site. However, the ITV distance approach significantly increased participant numbers and served to institutionalize the program as a statewide educational resource.
Publications
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Progress 12/15/15 to 12/14/16
Outputs
Target Audience: Education, outreach and mentorship programs that focus on improving the skills and abilities of Nevada Beginning Farmers and Ranchers (BFRs) are imperative to building a sustainable agricultural economy in Nevada. Based on prior program evaluation results, this proposed project specifically targets training and assistance programs designed for Nevada BFRs to increase profitability and sustainability.The Nevada Herds & Harvest program combines a series of workshops on different topics, and provides educational business management and mentoring skill building to support Nevada beginning agricultural producers. The program completed its fifth year of existence in December 2016, and is currently in itsthird year of a three year funding cycle. The second year (of a three-year funding cycle) of the continuation of the Herds & Harvest (Nevada Beginning Farmer and Rancher Project) program increased BFR contacts by 200 participants and continued educational activities to those BFRs already in the program. Trainings focused on business management, viticulture, hops and goats. The Wolf Pack Meats program continued its Basics I and Basics II training courses adding additional curriculum in food safety, marketing, and business planning. A total of 15 trainings (including satellite sites) reached 318 beginning farmers and ranchers. There was only one training, Business Strategies for Growing Small Scale that was held compressed video. All other workshops were in person training. There were 28 participants in the Business Strategies for Growing Small-Scale; 17 participants in WolfPack Meats Basics I- Slaughter; 17 in WolfPack Meats Basics I Processing; 10 participants in WolfPack Meats Basics II; 69 participants in Hops: The Art of Fermentation; 33 participants in Small Scale Goat Production; 42 participants in Viticulture; 63 participants in Growing Grapes and Making Wine in Nevada; and 49 in Farming Principles for Growing Vegetables in Hoop Houses. At the end of Year two, the Herds and Harvest member database increased from 3,585 producers to 3,822 producers. The program currently has 2,873 mailing addresses, and 949 email addresses. In year two, there was an increase in participant contact information, which was in e-mail addresses obtained. Mentoring activities continued in year 2 and were designed to encourage producers to create enterprise budgets for new businesses and/or the diversification of existing ones. There were 32 one-on-one sessions between a mentor and producer discussing an enterprise budget for a new agricultural business in the first year. The production mentoring was a "Growing Produce" seminar with Nevada Department of Agriculture with 75 producers, and production hoop house mentoring on Indian reservations with 75 producers. A mentoring group was created under the Herds & Harvest program called "Great Ideas from Growers." This grower discussion forum was created to provide producers from across the many remote locations in Nevada the opportunity to learn from each other's' niche crop experiences, good and bad. There were 182 producers served in Nevada through the mentoring program. Changes/Problems:We did have one problem this year in that we lost the program organizer in the beginning of the year (2016). We rehired this position quickly, but unfortunately, the new program organizer also resigned after two months. We were able to find another new program organizer during the summer that is still with the program. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Faculty and staff involved in the project did participate in professional development. Team members sat on the National Small Farm Conference planning committee and participated in the small farms conference. In addition, team members went for training in ultrasound cattle to gain expertise for the WolfPack Meats programs or attended the National Risk Management Conference to present on the Nevada BFR project accomplishments. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Every year, we do presentation about the impacts of the BFR program. What our contacts are, how many BFRs we are reaching, demographics of BFRs and our mentoring activities. These presentations are with Nevada farming/ranching non-profits, the University, and local government agencies and non-profits. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We are increasing our numbers yearly. This next year, we need to re-evaluate the whole program to find success stories and impacts. We will do this through a survey approach, which we hope to get out by May of 2017.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The second year of the continuation of the Herds & Harvest (Nevada Beginning Farmer and Rancher Project) program increased BFR contacts by 200 participants and continued educational activities to those BFRs already in the program. Workshops focused on business management, viticulture, hops and goats. The Wolf Pack Meats program continued its Basics I and Basics II training courses adding additional curriculum in food safety, marketing, and business planning. A total of 15 workshops (including satellite sites) reached 318 beginning farmers and ranchers. There was only one training, Business Strategies for Growing Small Scale that was held compressed video. All other workshops were in person training. There were 28 participants in the Business Strategies for Growing Small-Scale; 17 participants in WolfPack Meats Basics I- Slaughter; 17 in WolfPack Meats Basics I Processing; 10 participants in WolfPack Meats Basics II; 69 participants in Hops: The Art of Fermentation; 33 participants in Small Scale Goat Production; 42 participants in Viticulture; 63 participants in Growing Grapes and Making Wine in Nevada; and 49 in Farming Principles for Growing Vegetables in Hoop Houses. At the end of Year two, the Herds and Harvest member database increased from 3,585 producers to 3,822 producers. The program currently has 2,873 mailing addresses, and 949 email addresses. In year two, there was an increase in participant contact information, which was in e-mail addresses obtained. Mentoring activities continued in year 2 and were designed to encourage producers to create enterprise budgets for new businesses and/or the diversification of existing ones. There were 32 one-on-one sessions between a mentor and producer discussing an enterprise budget for a new agricultural business in the first year. The production mentoring was a "Growing Produce" seminar with Nevada Department of Agriculture with 75 producers, and production hoop house mentoring on Indian reservations with 75 producers. A mentoring group was created under the Herds & Harvest program called "Great Ideas from Growers." This grower discussion forum was created to provide producers from across the many remote locations in Nevada the opportunity to learn from each other's' niche crop experiences, good and bad. There were 182 producers served in Nevada through the mentoring program.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Emm, S. K., Bishop, C., Gatzke, H. M., 2016 Extension Risk Management Education National Conference, Academic, Conference, "Nevada Beginning Farmer and Rancher Project (Herds & Harvest)"
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Progress 12/15/14 to 12/14/15
Outputs
Target Audience:This proposed project specifically targets training and assistance programs designed for Nevada BFRs to increase profitability and sustainability.The goal of this new 3-year project was to recruit an additional 600 BFRs. Specifically, the project utilizes the diverse disciplinary subject matter expertise and experience of 12 university faculty, two community-based organizations, the Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program, and multiple USDA agencies to provide outreach and education. American Indian reservations, veterans and low-income BFRs were recruited and attended educational programs on Building Business Strategies, Wolf Pack Meats Slaughter and Processing Basics I and Basics II, Small Scale Poulty Operations, and Grow Your Own Wine Production. Nevada Cooperative Extension provides distance education statewide via an Interactive Television Video (ITV) system, allowing producers living near satellite sites in all 19 Extension offices to participate. For example, the "Small Scale Poutry Operations" was broadcast from Clark County via ITV sites in Elko, Humboldt, Lyon and Churchill counties. Educational materials are provided to all instruction sites prior to the start of trainings. Selected trainings will be videotaped allowing absent producers to participate post-training. Changes/Problems:At this time, there are no major problems with the project. There should be additional evaluation data available after year 2. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Nevada project hosted the national Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program annual professional development meeting. This meeting was combined with the Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program professional development meeting. There were 166 participants in this meeting held September 21- 24, 2015. Seventy two percent of participants attended for BFRDP and 23% of participants for FRTEP. Ninety-four percent were satisfied or very satisfied with the conference and 95% reported the conference was well organized. Eighty-five percent of participants were satisfied that the panel topics were relevant and 97% reported they will use the new information learned. Ninety five percent reported they will maintain connections with the individuals that they met at the conference. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of the Nevada BFRDP project are reported back to all faculty and staff involved in the project. Impacts are reported through the Nevada State Cooperative Extension office. All partners discuss the impacts of the program followed by planning for the next year. A yearly evaluation document will be placed in the second year and third year. Comments are used from each program or workshop evaluation to make improvements to the overall program. Participants are asked what they found useful, what was not as relevant and what they would like to see in the future. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?A faculty team meeting will be held to access last year's program and plan for the new year in February. There needs to be an increase in the numbers of workshops for year 2, publications needs to be published for the Wolf Pack Meats program. Efforts will be made to hold workshops in soils, crop and livestock management, and continue to build upon the viticulture educational program. There are also discussions to hold a workshop on hops production and beer making.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The first year of the continuation of the Herds & Harvest (Nevada Beginning Farmer and Rancher Project) program increased BFR contacts by over 334 participants and continued educational activities to those BFRs already in the program. Workshops focused on business management, viticulture, and poultry. The Wolf Pack Meats program was expanded from Basics I to include Basics II with classroom instruction and hands-on training in the Wolf Pack Meats slaughter and processing facility. A total of 24 workshops (including satellite sites) reached 288 beginning farmers and ranchers. There were 29 participants at the Building Successful Business Strategies; 54 participants at the Wolf Pack Meats Basics I and Basics II; 81 participants at the Small Scale Poultry Operations, and 124 participants in the Grow Your Own Viticulture workshops. At the end of Year One, the Herds and Harvest member database included 3,585 producers; 2,825 mailing addresses (2,592 last year), and 760 email addresses (426 last year). While team members request electronic mailing addresses, most producers either do not have them, or choose not to provide them at workshops and/or events. In year one, there were over 233 additions to the BFR mailing list through outreach activities. However, there were also Herds & Harvest participants that requested to be taken off the mailing list or mailings were returned as bad addresses. Building Successful Business Strategies was held in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada. There were 29 participants that were farming five-acres or less. Seventeen percent of participants had served in the US Military and 9% were Latino or Hispanic. Eighty-three percent learned how to market and build quality within their product, and 92% reported that they learned how to increase the agricultural operations financial returns and build income. One hundred percent of attendees stated the workshops improved their business management skills; seventy-five percent learned how to apply for agricultural assistance programs under USDA. Small Scale Poultry Operations was held in seven different locations in Nevada: Reno, Yerington, Caliente, Winnemucca, Elko, Owyhee and Fallon. There were 81 participants in the workshops with 69% farming/ranching five acres or less, 10% on 6-20 acres, and 7% on 21-50 acres. There were also 7% that were on 641 acres or more. Twenty three percent served in the US Military and 17% of the participants were American Indian. Fifty percent reported that they learned how to increase their product yields, and 55% reported they learned how to improve the quality of their product. Fifty-five percent also reported that they learned how to increase their income from poultry production, and 57% reported learning how to add value to what they produce. Wolf Pack Meats programs Basics I Slaughter and Basics I Processing were held before our formal evaluation instrument was implemented. There were 17 participants in Basics I Slaughter and 21 participants in Basics I Processing. Evaluation results showed for Basics I Slaughter that all 14 program indicators were statistically significant at a P<.05 level with how to use a knife to slaughter being the top knowledge gain. Evaluation results for Basics I Processing showed that 11 out of the 14 indicators were statistically significant at a P <.05 level with learning the different cuts of meat being the top knowledge gain. There were 16 participants in Wolf Pack Basics II. Eighty-six percent of attendees have been involved in farming/ranching less than 10 years. Seventy one percent had five acres or less and 29% had over 641 acres. Thirty three percent of participants in this class had served in the US Military. Seventy-eight percent of participants learned how to improve their meat quality and 89% learned how to add value to what they produce. Seventy-eight percent also reported that they learned how to increase their farm/ranch income. Mentoring activities were designed to encourage producers to create enterprise budgets for new businesses and/or the diversification of existing operations, or provide information on USDA programs, marketing, and production. There were 45 one-on-one sessions between a mentor and producer. Fifteen sessions were held in Northern Nevada and 30 sessions were held in Southern Nevada. There were 25 sessions on Nevada Indian reservations. There were also enterprise budgets created for poultry, small scale hoop house, and pomegranates. In addition, alfalfa and livestock statewide budgets were updated and revised. A mentoring group was created under the Herds & Harvest program called "Great Ideas from Growers." This grower discussion forum was created to provide producers from across the many remote locations in Nevada the opportunity to learn from each other's niche crop experiences, good and bad. The producers are invited to participate through email lists, announcements and posters to meetings held through 11 ITV and teleconference sites across Nevada. The participants ranged widely in their locations, production focus and their years of experience. The majority of participants have less than 5 years of experience which matches the total niche crop farmer population in Nevada. There were 4 mentoring sessions in year one with 52 beginning farmers and ranchers attending.
Publications
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