Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Legal Aid of Nebraska's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Project target audience includes farm and ranch families located in Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming and eastern strikeforce Colorado. For Legal Aid's Project, our main goal is to help farms and ranches that in transition, focusing on distinct groups to meet this goal. Veterans was a target group for this project. In years two and three, Legal Aid along with the assistance of the Center for Rural Affairs provided outreach and educational events. In the second and third year for the project, we held "Answering the Call: Veteran Farmer Conference." Both years were successful in reaching veterans as a target audience. The first year's conference consisted of outbreak session and presentations along with visiting local farms. The second year these activities were scheduled for two separate days. This provided the time for the participants to interact with each other and start to network. We hope these events establishes relationships that will help continue to develop in the future. Additionally, Legal Aid focused on reaching out to women producers throughout the entire project. We focused on attending events directed towards women farmers and ranchers and develop materials specifically targeted towards women involved in transitioning operations. Farmers and ranchers that are in or interested in the transition process for their operations is another target group for this project. We focused on our workshops and clinics to ensure the transition farmers and ranchers learned about the tools and resources available to them to help make the transition to the beginner successful. Fortunately, Legal Aid was able to send experts to rural areas where these services often times lack to reach a broader audience of these transitioning farmers and ranchers. Workshops and clinics throughout the project were well attended. We regularly update all resource to reflect changes in the law and keep farmers and ranchers up to date on activities and educational opportunities in their area. Additionally, we continued to focus on beginning farmers and ranchers in the region. For this target group, we provide additional workshops focusing on legal issues and resources specifically for them. This includes issues on leases, business structures, and programs specifically designed to support beginning farmers and ranchers and those interested in starting to farm. The beginners also received direct assistance with establishing business entities, contract issues and business structures. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society Conference, 1/29/2016-1/30/2016, Nebraska City, NE Women in Agriculture Conference, 2/25/2016-2/26/2016, Kearney, NE Farming 101, 4/1/2016, Wisner, NE Urban Food Symposium, 6/24/2016-6/25/2016, Olathe, KS No Wrong Door Training, 7/16/20, Lincoln, NE SARE Value-Added Farm Tour, 8/4/2016, Eastern Nebraska Farm Mediation Training, 8/16/2016-8/17/2016, Schuyler, NE 2nd Annual Local Foods for Local Tables Conference, 8/19/2016, Omaha, NE Nebraska State Bar Association Annual Meeting, 10/28/2016, La Vista, NE Women Food and Ag Network Conference, 11/4/2016-11/5/2016, Nebraska City, NE Wind and Solar Conference 11/7/2016-11/8/2016, Lincoln, NE Growing for the Future, Farmer's Union Online Conference, 12/5/2016-12/8/2016 Nebraska Sustainable Ag Society Annual Conference, 1/27/2017-1/28/2017, Columbus, NE Local Food Impact Conference, 4/3/2017-4/4/2017, Online Changing Lands, Changing Hand 6/13/207-6/15/2017, Denver, CO BFRDP Project Director's Meeting, Nashville, TN, 9/26/17-9/27/17 Water Law Symposium, UNL College of Law, Lincoln, NE, 10/6/17 Housing Law Basics, Lincoln, NE, 4/20/18 Mediation Training, Schuyler, NE, 7/24/18 - 7/25/18 Current Issues in Agribusiness, Omaha, NE, 8/23/18 How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?All materials and resources created through this program are disseminated through various methods. First, all materials were discussed and given to all participants in the workshops. Additionally, information was disseminated via the one-on-one clinics and at-home mentoring sessions. Resources developed are also shared through the hotline where individuals can call in a get individualize advice for their operations. Materials and resources are regularly updated to reflect changes current issues pertinent to beginning farmers and ranchers and also changes in the law. Blogs concern relevant issues and promote upcoming events. In addition to our own method of disseminating information, we work closely with our partners to ensure that our information is reaching a broader audience. Throughout the project, we have broadened the group of partners we share information with to help disseminate the information. All of these methods allowed us to reach a broad audience throughout the project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Legal Aid of Nebraska's Farmer and Rancher Development Project had successful three years of the program. Our work helped us reach our overarching goal of increasing the number and sustainability of beginning farmers and ranchers in Nebraska, South Dakota, eastern Colorado and Wyoming. We continued our work to provide quality educational opportunities throughout the target areas for all three years. The impact of this education included educating established farmers and ranchers about the tools available to them to make their transitions to beginners successful. Additional, beginning farmers learned about resources available to them to help make their operations more sustainable and vibrant. This includes information about business entities, the Nebraska NextGen Beginning Farmer Tax Credit Program, leases, organic certification and direct marketing. The impact of this information was to ensure they received information regarding decisions on their operation. Workshops, one-on-one clinics, and mentoring session were additional forms of education opportunities. The direct impact of the one-on-one clinics and mentoring sessions was direct guidance and advice on complicated issues facing their operations. This individualized attention ensured they received directly relevant information for their operations. Participation in a use of all these opportunities went well beyond the goals set forth in the original proposal. Materials and resources were developed in regard to the issues discussed previously. All these materials were disseminated during the workshops and clinics and also uploaded to farmerandrancher.org website. Blogs were created and updated throughout the entire grant period. Total of 5,461 beginning farmers took some action; Increased number of beginning farmers in the targeted states by 526 start-ups/individuals in the three years of program; Total of new participants in Nebraska Network for Beginning Farmers was 7 individuals and 4 new organizations in total; Total of 57 workshops were offered in during the project with 2,379 individuals participating. 25 Roundtables/Outreach Presentations during the project with 1,229 in attendance; One-on-one clinics: 118 in total with 1,054 in attendance; At-home mentoring sessions: 112 in total during projects of project; Total number of views of the dedicated website over the project is 32,377; 2 Veteran Farmer and Rancher conferences with 109 participants and 1 Veteran Farmer Tour with 44 in attendance; 5 veteran activities throughout the project; and Statistical analysis completed of Nebraska Beginning Farmer Tax Credit and Personal Property Tax Exemption.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Growing the Good Life: A Statistical Analysis of the Nebraska NextGen Beginning Farmer Tax Credit Program, available at: https://farmerandrancher.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/growing-the-good-life.pdf.
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Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Legal Aid of Nebraska's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Project target audience includes farm and ranch families located in Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming and eastern strikeforce Colorado. For Legal Aid's Project, our main goal is to help farms and ranches that in transition, focusing on distinct groups to meet this goal. Veterans was a target group for this year of the project. The success of last year's Veteran Farmer Conference continued into this year. To better meet the needs of this group, the conference and farm tour were separated into two separate days. The conference was help in early spring and followed by a farm tour later. This allowed for more time for the veteran participants to engage one another and start to develop a stronger community. In addition to Veterans, women were a target group for this project. Legal Aid focused on attending events directed towards women farmers and ranchers and develop materials specifically targeted toward women involved in transitioning operations. Farmers and ranchers that are in or interested in the transition process for their operations is another target group for this project. We focused on our workshops and clinics to ensure the transition farmers and ranchers learned about the tools and resources available to them to help make the transition to the beginner successful. Fortunately, Legal Aid was able to send experts to rural areas where these services often times lack to reach a broader audience of these transitioning farmers and ranchers. We regularly update all resource to reflect changes in the law and keep farmers and ranchers up to date on activities and educational opportunities in their area. Additionally, in this reporting period, we continued to focus on beginning farmers and ranchers in the region. For this target group, we provide additional workshops focusing on legal issues and resources specifically for them. This includes issues on leases, business structures, and programs specifically designed to support beginning farmers and ranchers and those interested in starting to farm. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? BFRDP Project Director's Meeting, Nashville, TN, 9/26/17-9/27/17 Water Law Symposium, UNL College of Law, Lincoln, NE, 10/6/17 Housing Law Basics, Lincoln, NE, 4/20/18 Mediation Training, Schuyler, NE, 7/24/18 - 7/25/18 Current Issues in Agribusiness, Omaha, NE, 8/23/18 How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?All materials and resources created through this program are disseminated through various methods. First, all materials were discussed and given to all participants in the workshops. Additionally, information was disseminated via the one-on-one clinics and at-home mentoring sessions. Resources developed are also shared through the hotline where individuals can call in a get individualize advice for their operations. Materials and resources are regularly updated to reflect changes current issues pertinent to beginning farmers and ranchers and also changes in the law. Blogs concern relevant issues and promote upcoming events. In addition to our own method of disseminating information, we work closely with our partners to ensure that our information is reaching a broader audience. Throughout the project, we have broadened the group of partners we share information with to help disseminate the information. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This is the final progress report. The grant will terminate at end of the reporting period.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Legal Aid of Nebraska's Farmer and Rancher Development Project had a successful final year of the program. The work we continued throughout our third year helped us reach our overarching goal of increasing the number and sustainability of beginning farmers and ranchers in Nebraska, South Dakota, eastern Colorado and Wyoming. We continued our work to provide quality educational opportunities throughout the target areas. The impact of this education included educating established farmers and ranchers about the tools available to them to make their transitions to beginners successful. Additional, beginning farmers learned about resources available to them to help make their operations more sustainable and vibrant. This includes information about business entities, the Nebraska NextGen Beginning Farmer Tax Credit Program, leases, organic certification and direct marketing. The impact of this information was to ensure they received information regarding decisions on their operation. Workshops, one-on-one clinics, and mentoring session were the forms these education opportunities. The direct impact of the one-on-one clinics and mentoring sessions was direct guidance and advice on complicated issues facing their operations. This individualized attention ensured they received directly relevant information for their operations. Participation in a use of all these opportunities went well beyond the goals set forth in the original proposal. Materials and resources were developed in regard to the issues discussed previously. All these materials were disseminated during the workshops and clinics and also uploaded to farmerandrancher.org website. Blogs were created and updated throughout the grant period. Total of 5,461 beginning farmers will take some action; Increase number of beginning farmers in the targeted states by 378 start-ups/individuals: Total Number through all three years of program equals 526; Total of new participants in Nebraska Network for Beginning Farmers was 5 individuals and 3 new organizations in Year Three; Total of 17 workshops were offered in Year Three of the project with 499 individuals participating. Roundtables 14 in Year Three of project; One-on-one clinics 34 in Three of project with 262 in attendance; At-home mentoring sessions served 64 in Year Three of project; Total number of views over the project is 32,377; 1 Veteran Farmer and Rancher conference in Year Three of project, with 44 participants; Veteran Farmer Conference with 45 in attendance and the Veteran Farm Tour with 44 in attendance; and Statistical analysis (1) of Nebraska Beginning Farmer Tax Credit and Personal Property Tax Exemption: Completed.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Growing the Good Life: A Statistical Analysis of the Nebraska NextGen Beginning Farmer Tax Credit Program, available at: https://farmerandrancher.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/growing-the-good-life.pdf.
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Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for our project inlcudes farm and ranch families in Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, and strikeforce counties in eastern Colorado. For Legal Aid of Nebraska's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development project, our main goal is to help farms and ranches that are in transition focusing on two distinct groups. The first is farmers and ranchers that are in or interested in the transition process for their operations. For this group, we focused on providing workshops and clinics to educate families about tools and resources to help their families through the process of transition. Dave Goeller and Joe Hawbaker travelled across the state to provide these services in rural areas were services often lack. We regularly updated our online resources to reflect changes in the law and keep farmers and rancher up to date on activities and educational opportunities in their area. The second group is beginning farmers and ranchers. For this group, we provide additional workshop and seminars focusing on programs that target those groups including USDA beginning farmer and rancher loans, FSA Disaster programs, information on leases and lease structures, entity formation, and the Nebraska NextGen Beginning Farmer Tax Credit. Online resources were also developed and made available online for issues specifically regarding issues for beginning farmers. Our partners in South Dakota and Colorado continued their work with workshops and clinics in their specific areas. These included workshops on estate planning for ranch families and farm sucession. Women were another group we focused on this past year. Amy Swoboda presented at the Women and Food Network Annual Conference in Nebraska City, with Susan Stokes from Minnesota. The presentation was titled, "Women Transitioning the Farm: Empowering Women to Achieve Financial, Family, and Personal Goals." This presentation gave a different perspective of estate planning and highlighted the important role of women in the farm transition process. Veterans were another key target audience that we reached through our efforts this year. We broadened our outreach specifically to target groups that assist military Veterans throughout Nebraska and took part in outreach opportunities specifcally for Veterans. On June 22, we held Answering the Call: Veteran Farmer Conference at the Seward Civic Center. This daylong conference was geared towards providing Veterans interested in farming the resources they need to get started. We had 65 participants join us for the day. We broke the day into two sections. The morning focused on educational resources available starting with a presentation from FSA about programs for beginning farmers. Two breakout sessions, one focusing on financial resources for Beginning Farmers and the other on Land Access Issues, provided a time for participants to talk about issues they are facing in their own journey. In the afternoon we moved on to farm tours with our first stop at Del Ficke's cattle operation. Del has a young Veteran farmer whom he mentors so this stop truly highlights the relationship/mentoring that is very valuable for a beginning farmer. Along with touring the farm, we had a local lunch provided by Marrow Market. After our first stop, we motored on over to Shadow Brook Farm which is a diverse veggies/goat/dairy operation south of Lincoln. Initial feedback from the conference has been very positive and we look forward to next year. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nebraska State Bar Association Annual Meeting, October 28, 2016, La Vista, Nebraska- Ag Law Section presentations on ag land valuations and updates on Waters of the United States Rulilng. Women Food and Ag Network Conference, November 4-5, 2016, Nebraska City, Nebraska- Amy Swoboda presented "Women Transitioning the Farm: Empowering Women to Achieve Financial, Family, and Personal Goals." Wind and Solar Conference, November 7-8, 2016, Lincoln, Nebraska. Growing for the Future, Farmers' Union Online Conference, December 5-8, 2016. Nebraska Sustainable Ag Society Annual Conference, January 27-28, 2017, Columbus, Nebraska. Amy Swoboda presented about agricultural leases Local Food Impact Conference, April 3-4, 2017. Online. Continuing Legal Education Presentations- USDA Beginning Farmer Programs, FSA Disaster, and Entity Issues. CLE credits were offered to members of the Nebraska State Bar Association Members Grand Island, Nebraska, June 6, 2017 Ogallala, Nebraska, June 29, 2017 Changing Lands, Changing Hands, June 13-15, 2017, Denver, Colorado How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?All of the materials created for this project are posted and regularly updated on our dedicated website farmerandrancher.org. We continue to write blogs about topics pertinent to our participants. We have witnessed increase in the use of our website over the project year and will continue to increase the number of posts and updated materials to ensure the resources are disseminated to communities of interest. We also continue to broaden the focus of our outreach efforts to include those organizations and groups that have not traditionally accessed our services. For example, we have made a concerted effort to reach out to many veteran organizations. This included presenting to the VA about our program, participating in numerous outreach events strictly for veterans, and holding our first Veteran Farmers Conference in Seward. Our hope is to continue to develop these relationships and grow our outreach to members of the veteran community whom are interested in beginning to farm. Moreover, we work through our network partners to disseminate our materials through their own networks. This helps us ensure that residents throughout our area of focus are up to date about opportunities. We have invited numerous organizations to be part of the network to share their work and also inform them of issue pertinent to the members they work with. We continue to also do outreach to direct market, niche farmers in the area. We have formed closer relationships with orgnaizaiton working with beginning farmers to broaden the number of participants our services reach. We plan to continue develop these relationships throughout the last year of this project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to follow the outline set forth in the grant. We will work with our partners to continue to work towards the objectives for this grant. We will continue to expand the nextwork to include organizations that work with veterans including support the development of on-the-job training programs specfically for veterans. Our work will also include developing connections with smaller niche market farmers. Our goal is to continue to expand our service in these populations and also provide legal service and possibly representation. We will work closely with our partners in other states to fulfill the requirements of the grants. Wyoming will have another conference in year three and we will also continue to work in South Dakota to fulfill the grant requiremetns there. Year three also includes a veterans conference and we will work with the Center for Rural Affairs to make the next year's conference as successful as the first. Developing additional materials to diseminate throughout the state is another goal for the upcoming year. Additionally, we will start our analysis of the NextGen Beginning Farmer tax credit. This report will analyze the use of this progam and determine patterns of use and areas for improvement. This task will continue throughout the final year culminating with a published report.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Our work this year helped us meet our main objective which was to increase the number and sustainability of beginning farmer and ranchers in Nebraska, South Dakota, eastern Colorado and Wyoming. Through our work this year, we reached and went beyond the goals outlined in the grant. We were able to provide information and educational materials to farmers and ranchers in transition to help make their transfer successful and protect their operation. We provide these services through a wide variety of methods including workshops, clinics and one-on-one mentoring sessions throughout the target areas. These workshops provide detailed information on aspects of farm transition and estate planning and educated participants on tools and resources available to them for successful farm transitions. Not only did our efforts focus on operation transitioning out of farming, but our efforts also focused on the needs of beginning farmers and ranchers. This included developing educational materials directly related to their needs as well as held workshops and conferences focused directly on resources available to them to start farming. Legal Aid also assisted those prospective and beginning farmers and ranchers interested in direct marketing, local food production, and novel enterprises thorugh educational materials and assiting with specific questions and issues. We regularly posted blogs and updated our farmerandrancher.org to reflect the needs of beginning farmers and ranchers throughout our target area and audience. All of this work culiminated in a sucessful year and helped a lot of farms and ranches across the state. Total of 2,773 beginning farmers will took some action; Increase number of beginning farmers in the targeted states by 378 start-ups/individuals.Total at end of Year 2 - 312; Increased participation in Nebraska Network for Beginning Farmers by 3 organizations and two individuals dedicated to increasing number and sustainability of veteran farmers and ranchers in Year 2; 21 workshops in Year Two- Attendance 890; 7 Roundtables/Outreach presentation in Year Two of project, Attendance- 358; 42 One-on-one clinics in Years Two; Attendance 407; 36 At-home mentoring sessions in Year Two of project; Increased number of views of dedicated one-stop-shop website, with 12,708 views in Year Two of project; Answering the Call: Veteran Farmer Conference in Year 2 with 65 participants in attendance; Veteran Presentation, 3-23-17; Veteran Resource Fair, 04-19-2017 and Welcome Home Resource Fair 7-19-2017, Total Veterans Served- 525 ; and N/A in Year 2.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience includes all Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, and eastern Colorado transitioning landowners, beginning farmers and ranchers and prosepective beginning farmers and ranchers, socially-disadvantaged/historically underseved farmers and ranchers, including women, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socio-economic status. Legal Aid will provide additional outreach to veteran farmers and ranchers in this region. Since the early 1980's, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado have experienced a dramatic decline in the numbers of beginning farmers and ranchers and an increase in the number of landowners over the age of 65. This project will also work with individuals that work with transitioining landowners and beginning and prospective farmers and ranchers, including but not limited to attorneys, bankers, CPAs, and community economic development groups. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Trainings and Professional Development Nebraska Sustainable Agricutlure Society Conference, January 29-30, 2016, Nebraska City, Nebraska. Women in Agriculture Conference, February 25-36, 2016, Kearney, Nebraska. Farming 101, April 1, 2016, Wisner, Nebraska. Urban Food Symposium, June 24-25, Olathe, Kansas. No Wrong Door Training, July 13, Lincoln, Nebraska. SARE Value-Added Farm Tour, August 4, Eastern Nebraska. Farm Mediation Training, August 16-17, Schuyler, Nebraska. 2nd Annual Local Foods for Local Tables Conference, August 19, Omaha, Nebraska. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?All products produced are posted to the online web portal. This includes announcements and advertisements of upcoming clinics and workshops,and a blog concerning beginning farmer issues. We disseminated information through other publications and handouts.We workdiligently to go out into the communities and hold workshops and clinics. Additionally, we work closely with our partners to reach the participants within their geographic regions. Another important component of disseminating our results and information to communities of interestis by continuing to focus on outreach and developing partnerships with other organizations. We have been focusing on sharing information about our organization and projects by directing our attention within organzations that offers services to traditionally underservedand Veterans. These organizations are vital in reaching our target audience and dissemnating information about our program. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to develop our program as defined in the grant proposal. Weare broadening the winter workshop series to focus on issues directly concerning beginning farmers and ranchers. We will work with the partners over the next year to continue the work that has already begun. Wyoming will be added as an area to expand into and we will work closly with them to help them organize workshops and clinics in their region. We will continue to strengthen the Nebraska Network for Beginning Farmers hosted by Legal Aid of Nebraska at its quarterly meetings. We will branch out to include other organizations, including those that focus on and work with the traditionally underserved and Veterans. This will include organizing a conference for Veterans interested in farming which will include farm tours and hands-on education.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Legal Aid of Nebraska's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Project has had a successful first year. The biggest impact we've experienced is advocating for and assisting beginning farmers and ranchers in Nebraska. We held several productive winter workshops and clinics throughout the states ofNebraska, Colorado, and South Dakota. The workshops provided direct educational materials to the participants to help them transition their farms and also access programs and resources to start farming. In many instances, the impact was allowing the space and guidance to get the conversation started about transtitioning their farms to the next generation. We have also had more personal interactions with the participants through our clinics, one-on-one mentoring sessions, and at-home meetings. Through these meetings we have helped many farmers and ranchers address issues of transition and business planning for their farm enterprises. Unfortunately, we have alsoassistedbeginning farmers and ranchers with financial distress issues due to the current commodity prices. We have been able to help them restructure or provide them with other resources. This is a trend we will closely monitor and do what we can to address the situation. In regard to advocating for beginning farmers and landowners, we have had successful quarterly meetings with the Nebraska Network for Beginning Farmers. Thisis an environmnet for representatives from governmental and non-governmental organizations to come together and discuss issues surrounding begining farmers. It has helped us to understand whatis being accomplished accross the state, and has allowed us to discuss issues that the practioners have recognizedin working with their producers.Thisgrouphas been a vital resource to brainstorm and network for the participants. Objective Year 1: Total of1740 beginning farmers took some sort of action. Increase number of beginning farmers in the targeted states in year 1 - 103 2 - Increases in Network Particiaption in year1 - Community Crops & Central for Rual Affairs Beginning Farmer Outreach 19 Workshops in year 1 - Attendance 990 4 Roundtables in year 1 - Attendance 35 42 One-on-one clinics in year 1 - Attendance 385 12 - At Home Mentoring Sessions in year 1 - Attendance 29 Website Views in year 1 -10,376 Joined Veterans Community Task Force and the Center for Rural Affairs Veteran Outreach Project in year 1 N/A for year 1 N/A for year 1
Publications
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