ORGANIC GRAIN RESOURCES AND INFORMATION NETWORK (OGRAIN): SUPPORTING BEGINNING ORGANIC GRAIN GROWERS IN THE UPPER MIDWEST

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: TERMINATED
• Funding Source: OTHER GRANTS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1007193
• Grant No.: 2015-70017-23899
• Project No.: WIS01904
• Proposal No.: 2015-04700
• Program Code: BFRDA
• Project Start Date: Sep 1, 2015
• Project End Date: Aug 31, 2018
• Grant Year: 2015

Project Director
Silva, E. M.

Recipient Organization
UNIV OF WISCONSIN
21 N PARK ST STE 6401
MADISON,WI 53715-1218

Performing Department
Plant Pathology

Non Technical Summary
The Organic Grain Resources And Information Network (OGRAIN) will increase the number of organic grain farmers in the Upper Midwest by developing an educational resource base and building a network of engaged farmers, educators, and stakeholders. Beginning farmers interested in growing organic grain, for feed or for food, are entering a steadily growing industry with premiums capable of supporting an aspiring grower. However, agronomic challenges, a difficult transition process, and a lack of knowledge or skills in organic management keep beginning farmers from accessing this desirable market. OGRAIN will work to remove these barriers and ensure operational success through farmer-focused curriculum, effective mentoring, marketing assistance, and easily accessible resources. Through collaborating with partners who have proven track records implementing successful beginning farmer-focused programs, OGRAIN will accomplish the following: 1.) Create and implement a three-week intensive course hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Farm and Industry Short Course, co-taught by farmers and University faculty, and available streaming online at distance learning sites 2.) Provide full-day workshops at the annual Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) Organic Farming Conference, 3.) Invest in farmer networks by participating in MOSES' Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring Program, pairing beginning farmers with experienced growers, 4.) Increase farmer-to-farmer interaction and exchange through hosting multiple educational "field walks", 5.) Produce a series of training videos focusing on priority topics for beginning organic grain farmers throughout the country, and 6.) Build a regularly updated online learning library.

Animal Health Component

0%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
205	2410	3020	100%

Knowledge Area
205 - Plant Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
2410 - Cross-commodity research--multiple crops;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;

Keywords

ograin

curriculum

field walk

organic grain

organic university

video series

Goals / Objectives
The long-term goal of the Organic Grain Resources And Information Network (OGRAIN) is to increase the number of organic grain farmers in the Upper Midwest. OGRAIN will achieve this goal through the development of an educational resource base for organic production targeted toward beginning farmers growing a variety of grains (corn, soybeans, and small grains) for animal feed and human consumption.In achieving the Project's stated objective of becoming the first comprehensive and collaborative training program designed specifically for beginning organic grain farmers in the Midwest, the project will place particular emphasis on the following areas:Objective 1: Increase farmer capacity and success by offering the first course focusing entirely on organic grain production and targeted specifically towards beginning farmers in the country;Objective 2: Build beginning farmer skill sets by delivering one-day "Organic University" courses on organic grain production at the annual MOSES Organic Farming Conference;Objective 3: Participate in MOSES' Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring Program, encouraging the success of beginning organic grain growers;Objective 4: Host three field walks annually, grounding classroom understanding and building a community of practitioners;Objective 5: Create a 6-part video series focusing on priority topics for beginning organic grain growers; andObjective 6: Build a comprehensive, user-friendly online learning library for beginning organic grain growers.

Project Methods
Objective 1: Increase farmer capacity and success by offering the first course focusing entirely on organic grain production and targeted specifically towards beginning farmers in the country. The project's focal point is a three-week course that will be an official offering within FISC's catalogue as well as an educational opportunity available to all community members through CIAS. Fifty-minute classes will be held Monday through Friday for the entire three-week term totaling fifteen classes in all. There are two avenues through which participants can access the course. The first is by enrolling in FISC, either as a full-time certificate student or as a community member interested in receiving one academic credit awarded upon completion. The second path into the three-week course is to simply sign up through CIAS, OGRAIN's administrative partner. There are no restrictions on enrollment through CIAS, and no credit will be awarded. A small fee will be charged to encourage participants to remain engaged in the course content as well as to begin to accrue funds to cover educational costs after the grant has been completed. All classes will be held on the UW-Madison campus. However, we will also use an established network of technical colleges, community colleges, and other educational partners to provide live streaming video of each class to remote participants. The School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers, a 2011 BDFRDP sub-grantee, established this network and pioneered the use of webinar technology to extend sustainable agriculture curriculum throughout the Midwest. We are partnering with this program, based in CIAS and in FISC, and will model our courses after their successes. All lectures associated with course instruction will be recorded and archived.Objective 2: Build beginning farmer skill sets by delivering one-day "Organic University" courses on organic grain production at the annual MOSES Organic Farming Conference. As a preconference event to the Organic Farming Conference (the largest organic farming conference in the U.S., attracting 3,500 participants) MOSES offers numerous full-day workshops, collectively called "Organic University" (OU). OGRAIN, in partnership with MOSES, will create a new series of Organic University workshops for beginning organic grain growers, co-taught by farmers and researchers, marrying practical knowledge with technical, science-based contributions. The first course will be a comprehensive primer for beginning organic grain farmers, and although much can be accomplished in a full-day session, certain topics are often discussed only cursorily due to time constraints. To allow for depth of instruction, and therefore participant understanding, the possibility of a two-day workshop will be discussed. Four conference workshops will also be offered in an effort to further develop topics introduced in the Organic University, as well as to reach beginning farmers attending the conference, but not OU. At the end of the first Organic University, a discussion will be facilitated to collaboratively decide what topics will take priority the following year. As an organization with considerable connections to a vast network of farmers, organizations, institutions, and businesses, MOSES will lead the advertising of the OU course.Objective 3: Participate in MOSES' Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring Program, encouraging the success of beginning organic grain growers. Both the CIAS and Sustainable Food Lab reports discussed above identified farmer networks engaged in peer-to-peer education as a strategy to reduce the number of barriers to successful organic production. Eight to ten experienced mentors will provide support, expert knowledge, and consultation to beginning organic grain farmers each of the two grant years. MOSES has already gathered a group of mentors with experience growing organic grain waiting to be matched with aspiring producers. Beginning farmers who successfully apply to the mentorship program will host two on-farm visits by the mentor, benefit from as-needed phone and email communication, and receive free registration to the MOSES Organic Farming Conference and Organic University for two years- at the beginning and end of their program tenure. The mentor is given a modest stipend for their time and resources used, as well as free conference registration to facilitate mentor-mentee meetings among the richness of the largest gathering of organic farmers and researchers in the country. Objective 4: Host three field walks annually, grounding classroom understanding and building a community of practitioners. Information exchange and the formation of networks are common among organic vegetable farmers and pasture-based producers (Hassanein and Kloppenberg 1995). Among Midwestern farmers engaged in more land-intensive and isolating activities like grain production, however, a learning community is uncommon and support networks are rare. Inspired by successful grower networks in the Northeast such as Organic Grains for the Northeast and the Northern Grain Growers Association, OGRAIN will enhance farmer-to-farmer interaction and information exchange by organizing three "field walks", modeled after the "pasture walks" popular within pasture-based producer networks in Wisconsin. The walks will be hosted on organic grain farms, by both beginning and experienced farmers, to give participants diverse perspectives and to encourage interactions between novice and expert producers. Events will be held in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Each field walk will be co-hosted by OGRAIN, MOSES, and a local partner in the host farmer's community. An organic feed mill, a technical or community college, a cooperative, or county extension office are included as collaborators. Each event will feature a speaker focusing on a topic of interest and a farm tour, with opportunities for interaction and discussion throughout. Organic Valley will assist in identifying potential hosts and guest speakers for these co-learning events.Objective 5: Create a 6-part video series focusing on priority topics for beginning organic grain growers. As computer usage among farmers has increased, so too has the dependence on the Internet as an information source for agronomic and marketing resources (USDA-NASS 2012). Print sources pertaining to organic grain production abound; however, research indicates that learning is enhanced through a combination of stimuli, including auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Instructional videos address two of the three learning styles, adding depth to the information conveyed. The training videos will be posted to the OGRAIN online learning library, with the video file available, free of charge, to any interested party.Objective 6: Build a comprehensive, user-friendly online learning library for beginning organic grain growers There are numerous valuable resources already available online, including University of Minnesota's Organic Risk Management Handbook and North Carolina State University's NC Organic Grain Production Guide, but to our knowledge there are no aggregated clearing houses of information relating to organic grain production or marketing. OGRAIN's online learning library will be a carefully organized compendium of appropriate online resources, from university research to farmer case studies, government publications to helpful producer newsletters. In addition to being an aggregator of external resources, all content created by OGRAIN will be made available.

Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audiences are beginning organic grain farmers and the agricultural professionals who support them to be successful. Changes/Problems:No major changes or problems to report. The program has been even more successful than hoped or anticipated, and is held up nationally as a model for organic Extension. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The entire scope of our project, as listed above, is training and professional development. All the aforementioned activities fall into this category. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Through our listserv, website, and nonprofit and industry partners' websites and e-communications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Aug 2015- Aug 2017 Winter webinar series with 14 sessions and 69 registrants, 17 guest speakers. This including 12 students from the UW Farm and Industry Short Course (FISC) Organic University - two courses offered - Transitioning to Organic Grains for beginning farmers and Advanced Row Crops for intermediate farmers - with 61 farmers registered, 56% of farmers under the age of 50 farmer to farmer mentoring program - 7 pairs four field walks - Doudlah (220 attendees), Dolan (106 attendees), Erisman (135 attendees), Olson (54 attendees) 1 article in the MOSES Organic Broadcaster newletter, which reaches 1000s of farmers Aug 2016-Aug 2017 3 field walks: Bickford (142 attend) Hazzard (78 attend), Wallendal (88 attend) Organic University focused on growing cereal grains (51 attend) Winter OGRAIN conference (100 attend) - this was integrated into the FISC course with 10 students enrolled 12 videos posted on OGRAIN YouTube site 16 mentor/mentee pairs Website launched listserv started to facilitate farmer-farmer learning 2 articles in the MOSES Organic Broadcaster newletter, which reaches 1000s of farmers Reported: 7 startup farm businesses 105 farmers making beneficial changes 549 farmers understand organic grain production 0 access to financial & business tools 343 participate in networking 7 meetings 459 participants, 195 new farmers reached 88% improved farming success 74% more likely to start farming Aug 2017-Fall 2018 OGRAIN winter conference (200 attendees) Organic University Course (Growing & Marketing Food-Grade Small Grains) (61 attendees) 614 participate in listserv 12 mentors/mentees 374 attend 3 field days (Hughes, Wilson, Campbell) 48 attend summer field clinic 5 Organic Broadcaster articles 12 Youtube videos posted 2 learning hubs initiated 8 growers northern Iowa 12 growers eastern WI Reported: 96% beginner's chance of success increased 82% already farming success increased

Publications

• Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: https://ograin.cals.wisc.edu

Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of our project were: 1) Junior operators coming into managerial roles on established farms hoping to improve organic production or transition some or all of their conventional acres to organic production: 2) New farmers interested in entering the organic grain market; 3) Organic livestock producers who have been farming for fewer than 10 years interested in growing their own organic feed; and 4) Beginning organic vegetable farmers looking to expand their salable crops to include small grains, heritage grains, and value-added, grain-based products. Actual cumulative number of participants who as a result of your program: Total attendees: Wallendal field day: 88; Hazzard field day: 78; Bickford field day: 142; MOSES Organic University: 51; OGRAIN Winter Workshop:100 Beginning farmers reached: 195 during 2017 (Target was 155 over two years, which was dramatically exceeded when previous year added) Improved farming success of beginning farmers: 88% (target was 50%) 74% of participants not yet farming said they were more likely to start farming as a result of OGRAIN programming. Changes/Problems:Anders Gurda departed the program November 2017. Dr. Silva will take the leadership on the project in his absence. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Total Meetings: 7 (Winter workshop, UW Farm and Industry Short Course, three field days, and MOSES Organic University) Total Meeting Participants: 459 Also: Ability to ask questions and get feedback on on-line platform that engages over 500 organic farmers and industry members How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Promotional Materials: Bickford, Hazzard, and Wallendal Field Day Flyers- Flyers sent throughout our regional network to spread the word about this field day; also sent to our extended regional network (through email, posted to social media) January seminar flyer (2017) A promotional flyer sent to our extended regional network - sent through email, posted to social media, hung on bulletin boards throughout the Upper Midwest. Field day press releases: Press releases sent to all agricultural papers, periodicals, and websites in the Upper Midwest. Published widely. Organic grain production and marketing seminar press release: A press release sent to all agricultural papers, periodicals, and websites in the Upper Midwest. Published widely. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?• Continue to implement a very successful listserv that allowed participants to share lessons learned, resources found, questions generated and answers that resulted. • OGRAIN project coordinator easy to reach and responsive. • Continue to implement a very successful publicity and outreach system to reach a broad, diverse, and large audience. • Continue to deliver content, events, and resources that are generated by a Curriculum Advisory Committee that contains beginning farmers and those who work directly with them. This ensures that all programming is appropriate, effective, and useful. • Continue to facilitate farmer-to-farmer interaction and sharing. This is often our most important role.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Result 1. To facilitate the startup of at least twenty new farm businesses resulting from the three-week FISC course, the full day Organic University workshop, and the Farmer-to-Farmer Mentorship Program. When measured: At completion of educational experiences Estimated Number: 20, Actual Number: 7 How verified: Survey and follow-up data collection Result 2. To assist 155 new farmers in making beneficial changes as a result of the project. Producer action: Develop, Topic: Field Crops When measured: At completion of educational experiences Estimated Number: 155, Actual Number: 105 How verified: Survey Result 3. Beginning farmers will have an improved understanding of production aspects of organic grain production: weed management, fertility, implement use, pest control etc. Producer action: Understand, Topic: Field Crops When measured: At completion of educational experiences Estimated Number: 1000, Actual Number: 549 How verified: Survey and online analytics Result 4. Participants will have access to resources and tools that will increase the success of marketing, business planning, capital management, and wise infrastructure investments. Producer action: Understand, Topic: Marketing plans and strategies When measured: At completion of educational experiences Estimated Number: 1000, Actual Number: 0 How verified: Survey and online analytics Result 5. Producers will develop a network of engaged and knowledgeable peers that will continue long beyond the completion of the project. Producer action: Develop, Topic: Interpersonal, family, and business relationships When measured: At completion of educational experiences Estimated Number: 100, Actual Number: 343 How verified: Survey, conversations, and listservs Result 6. Producers will participate in a facilitated mentor/mentee relationship that will equip beginning farmers with the tools and experiences necessary for success. Producer action: Understand, Topic: Mentoring, apprenticeships, and internships When measured: At completion of educational experiences Estimated Number: 16

Publications

Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16

Outputs
Target Audience:1.) Junior operators coming into managerial roles on established farms hoping to improve organic production or transition some or all of their conventional acres to organic production, 2.) New farmers interested in entering the organic grain market, 3.) Organic livestock producers who have been farming for fewer than 10 years interested in growing their own organic feed, and 4.) Beginning organic vegetable farmers looking to expand their salable crops to include small grains, heritage grains, and value-added, grain-based products. Organic producers Specialty crop producers Small farms Traditional commercial producers Total Number of Participants: 549 Enter the actual cumulative number of participants who as a result of your program: Started farming: Target - 20, Actual - 7 Helped prepare to start farming: Target - 155, Actual - 74 Improved farming success: Target - 1000, Actual - 549 Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Total Meetings: 7 Total Meeting Participants: 490 Total Webinars: 14 Total Webinar Participants: 966 Total Website Visits: 0 Total Online Course Participants: 54 Meetings 7/7/2016: Dodgeville, WI -- Number of Attendees 106 7/28/2016: Pana, IL -- Number of Attendees 35 8/11/2016: Evansville, WI -- Number of Attendees 220 9/15/2016: Cottonwood, MN -- Number of Attendees 54 2/25/2016: La Crosse, WI -- Number of Attendees 40 2/25/2016: La Crosse, WI -- Number of Attendees 21 2/26/2016: La Crosse, WI -- Number of Attendees 14 Webinars We had webinars on: 1/11/2016, 1/12/2016, 1/13/2016, 1/14/2016, 1/15/2016, 1/19/2016,1/20/2016, 1/21/2016, 1/22/2016, 1/25/2016, 1/26/2016, 1/27/2016, 1/28/2016, 1/29/2016: All webinars had 69 attendees. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Promotional Materials: Doudlah Field Day Flyer- Flyer sent throughout our regional network to spread the word about this field day. Dolan Field Day flyer A promotional flyer send to our extended regional network - sent through email, posted to social media, hung on bulletin boards throughout the Upper Midwest. Dolan field day flyer #2 A promotional flyer send to our extended regional network - sent through email, posted to social media, hung on bulletin boards throughout the Upper Midwest. Erisman field day flyer A promotional flyer sent to our extended regional network - sent through email, posted to social media, hung on bulletin boards throughout the Upper Midwest. Olson field day A promotional flyer sent to our extended regional network - sent through email, posted to social media, hung on bulletin boards throughout the Upper Midwest. January seminar flyer (2016) A promotional flyer sent to our extended regional network - sent through email, posted to social media, hung on bulletin boards throughout the Upper Midwest. January seminar flyer (2017) A promotional flyer sent to our extended regional network - sent through email, posted to social media, hung on bulletin boards throughout the Upper Midwest. Field day press release A press release sent to all agricultural papers, periodicals, and websites in the Upper Midwest. Published widely. Organic grain production and marketing seminar press release. A press release sent to all agricultural papers, periodicals, and websites in the Upper Midwest. Published widely. Doudlah Field day flyer #2 Another field day flyer sent to our extended regional network. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Continue to implement a very successful listserv that allowed participants to share lessons learned, resources found, questions generated and answers that resulted. OGRAIN project coordinator easy to reach and responsive. Continue to implement a very successful publicity and outreach system to reach a broad, diverse, and large audience. Continue to deliver content, events, and resources that are generated by a Curriculum Advisory Committee that contains beginning farmers and those who work directly with them. This ensures that all programming is appropriate, effective, and useful. Continue to facilitate farmer-to-farmer interaction and sharing. This is often our most important role.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Result 1. To facilitate the startup of at least twenty new farm businesses resulting from the three-week FISC course, the full-day Organic University workshop, and the Farmer-to-Farmer Mentorship Program. Producer action: Implement, Topic: Organic production When measured: At completion of educational experiences Estimated Number: 20, Actual Number: 7 How verified: Survey and follow-up data collection Result 2. To assist 155 new farmers in making beneficial changes as a result of the project. Producer action: Develop, Topic: Field Crops When measured: At completion of educational experiences Estimated Number: 155, Actual Number: 105 How verified: Survey Result 3. Beginning farmers will have an improved understanding of production aspects of organic grain production: weed management, fertility, implement use, pest control etc. Producer action: Understand, Topic: Field Crops When measured: At completion of educational experiences Estimated Number: 1000, Actual Number: 549 How verified: Survey and online analytics Result 4. Participants will have access to resources and tools that will increase the success of marketing, business planning, capital management, and wise infrastructure investments. Producer action: Understand, Topic: Marketing plans and strategies When measured: At completion of educational experiences Estimated Number: 1000, Actual Number: 0 How verified: Survey and online analytics Result 5. Producers will develop a network of engaged and knowledgeable peers that will continue long beyond the completion of the project. Producer action: Develop, Topic: Interpersonal, family, and business relationships When measured: At completion of educational experiences Estimated Number: 100, Actual Number: 343 How verified: Survey, conversations, and listservs Result 6. Producers will participate in a facilitated mentor/mentee relationship that will equip beginning farmers with the tools and experiences necessary for success. Producer action: Understand, Topic: Mentoring, apprenticeships, and internships When measured: At completion of educational experiences Estimated Number: 16, Actual Number: 14 How verified: Survey

Publications