Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:VEBCOG's AGVET Training Program serving eastern North Carolina, was able to enhance the farm operation of 300+ military participants and their families by giving them the knowledge, proficiencies, and tools needed to make informed decisions about ranching and farming. This program included a 1-day ag orientation program, bi-annual 6-week series of intensive trainings, hands-on workshop at the UMO Incubator farm in Mount Olive, NC, and Farm tours in Southeastern NC with the NCSU Farm School. This basic ag education program was supplemented with the opportunity for military participants to enroll in the Department of Defense certified Skillbridge internship at VEBCOG's urban farm and attend a Meet and Greet workshop with USDA and other resource providers as well as other advanced topic workshops. The strength of our program came from the partnerships VEBCOG has with the University of Mount Olive, North Carolina State University, and the Farmer Veteran Coalition for the past three years during the USDA AGVET training program. At VEBCOG we understand the special needs of veterans. As an early pilot of USDA's AGVET program and as an advocate for veteran farmer and rancher networking, VEBCOG was uniquely positioned to serve veterans who are just entering or who still need mentoring in the farming industry. Located in New Bern, North Carolina, we were ideally suited to assist the veteran population living in North Carolina and contiguous states with their farm training needs. From USDA research we found that as of 2018, there were approximately 46,400 farms in North Carolina. That's 3,800 fewer than there were in 2012 and 6,500 fewer than there were in 2007. The average age of North Carolina principal farm or ranch operators increased from 57.3 in 2007 to 58.9 in 2012--mirroring the national trend. (1) According to the Defense Manpower Data Center, North Carolina currently has the fourth largest military population in the United States. There are five military bases, along with a military ocean terminal and a U.S. Coast Guard base located within the state. More than 790,000 military veterans reside in the Tar Heel state, ranking it the eighth largest veteran population in the nation. More than 225,000 of those veterans are under 50 years old, which could provide a well-trained and disciplined labor pool for the agricultural sector. (2) NC veterans who currently farm and ranch include the 1,473 members of the North Carolina chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition. To address some of the above-mentioned farm loss and to fill the talent pipeline for the agricultural industry, VEBCOG recruited and trained veterans and active-duty military from NC and 4 surrounding states to build a strong cohort of farming and ranching professionals. Our research shows that there were seven other North Carolina beginning farmer and rancher education and training programs (a variety of which are listed in the USDA FarmAnswers.org online platform), but only two of them specifically serve veterans. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Short-term Impacts: In Summer 2021 we conducted a post-training survey of the 2019 and 2020 VEBCOG AgVETS trainees. Twenty-five respondents indicated the following: 60% indicated that they owned or leased farmland prior to the AgVETS training. 22% of the balance indicated that they have purchased or leased farmland since the AgVETS training. The remainder indicate that they intend to own or lease farmland in the future. 57% of respondents, if they own or lease farmland now, have developed a business plan. 9% of respondents indicated that they sold between $5,000 and $9,999 worth of product. 36% indicated that they sold no more than $2,499 worth of product, and over 50% did not sell product in 2020. 50% of respondents indicated that they increased acreage planned for farming or ranching as a result of the AgVETS training. 77% indicated that they had changed their original farm business concept as a result of the AgVETS training. 38% indicated that they had instituted a food safety protocol at their farm. 88% of respondents indicated that they had learned how to access land, equipment, and capital as a result of the AgVETS training. 20% have sought financing for their farming operation, and 28% have sought other professional services (accounting, legal, insurance). 68% of respondents are considered disabled veterans, and 58% are now familiar with the VA vocational and rehabilitation program and its benefits to farmers and ranchers. Testimonials "This was a wonderful program! I feel fortunate I was able to attend virtually because in-person would have almost been impossible. I wanted to learn more about the business of farming and learn about potential income streams and the necessary requirements for success with each. I needed sound information to help with planning and deciding on the type of farm and farming practices I want to implement. There was a nice mix of guest speakers, some had rotational practices and others conventional. It would be helpful to have a "next level" set of programs offered where each program is focused on a specific farm type/practice. I am hoping to learn more about small scale, regenerative farming practices. It would also be helpful if there was some kind of on-going resource for AgVet alumni like a resource page, weekly newsletter, Facebook group etc. Maybe those already exist but I'm just not aware of them. Again, this was a wonderful program with great leaders, speakers, and content. Thank you!!!" In regards to how learning about business plans changed their original farm business concept, "It changed the scale of our operation. We are keeping things small for present time until we get more experience. We are also going through the Heroes to Hives program to begin our Honey bee apiary." "Size and scope. Decided to focus on more of a micro style farming model and diversify into more crops. I'm considering adding cut flowers to my operations, which I would not have considered before as a farming option." "I initially planned to have a vegetable farm but we are currently doing market research with regards to expensive herbs and spice." How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In the first year of our USDA/NIFA AGVET grant, our partnership enabled us to exceed our outcomes even with the Covid-19 requirements. Our classroom program in the second year was switched to online studies, which allowed an increase in the number of veterans and active-duty members that were able to directly participate from 12 to 42. Our outreach numbers increased respectively from 2,302 to over 6000 with the assistance of FVC membership outreach. Initially we averaged 2-3 meetings a month at the on-base Transition Readiness Program with direct contact to 50 to 150 active-duty members. During Covid-19 we switched our outreach to online only networking and recruiting but increased our contact 200% as we expanded the advocacy of farmer veterans to surrounding states. We will continue to provide outreach to new and beginning farmers from active-duty military, their families and veterans and provide them with hands-on and classroom agricultural training through University of Mount Olive, NCSU Farm School and the VEBCOG program. We shall also adapt theincubator farm curriculum to meet baseline survey needs for entry-level and advanced Incubator Farm veterans. Strengthen farm incubator training and education through farmer-to-farmer mentoring, farm-field days, on-farm demonstrations, web-based instruction and Farm School certification programs. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Outreach 3-year Outreach Total: 2019: 3913, 2020: 3405, 2021: 3452 A primary objective of the VEBCOG AgVETS program was to reach nearly 10,000 transitioning military over the 3-year term of the grant. Since 2019, 10,770 veterans have been made aware of the formal and hands-on trainings available through the program. Outreach was made in-person until March 2020 and then was switched to virtual presentations through a variety of military-related outlets or advertised through social media. The most effective marketing channel was through the Farmer Veteran Coalition. Ms. Wallace-Singleton, VEBCOG's Executive Director, heads the NC FVC Chapter. Objective 2: Trainings 3-year Total Number of Training Attendees: 2019: 154, 2020: 96, 2021: 75 A second objective of the VEBCOG AgVETS program was to provide formal and hands-on trainings to 50-70 military veterans on an annual basis. In 2019, 154 veterans and 22 family members were provided hands-on training at VEBCOG's organic garden. Twelve veterans or family members received formal classroom face-to-face training from the University of Mount Olive and the NC Farm School. In 2020, COVID impacts resulted in a decrease of hands-on training at the VEBCOG organic garden from a total of 176 to 72 veterans and family members. However, the pivot to a virtual training resulted in an increase from 12 to 42 military veterans participating in the University of Mount Olive series of classes and 54 military veterans participating in the NC Farm School series of classes. Interestingly, a majority of the veterans who had attended the UMO trainings also chose to attend the NC Farm School trainings, even though they were advertised as two different training series. In 2021, fifty active-duty or veteran military attended the UMO trainings and 29 attended the NC Farm School trainings. Again, most of the trainees attending the NC Farm School trainings had also attended the UMO trainings. This indicates the commitment of the trainees to learn as much as they can about the topics presented. The number of trainees engaging with the VEBCOG organic garden in 2021 decreased to 12 due to Covid 19 restrictions. Because the formal classes were 100% virtual, veterans and their family members were able to participate using their home computers. There were relatively few trainees who experienced difficulty using the Zoom software, and the chat feature encouraged plenty of sharing during class time. (Open mikes were sometimes an issue, and a request was made that someone other than the instructor be responsible for muting participants and dealing with other technology issues.)The technology also allowed the classes to be recorded, which were then sent to trainees for review at a later time, if needed. The University of Mount Olive made class materials available after class. The NC Farm School requested trainees to review some class materials before class, and followed up each class with a summary of topics covered, helpful hints, and suggested homework materials. Objective 3: Refine Training Curriculum to Meet Baseline Training Needs for Farm Business Health Assessment Both the University of Mount Olive and NC Farm School were made aware of USDA's Farm Business Health Assessment in 2020 and were asked to modify their 2019 training content to address the issues that are covered in the assessment. NC Farm School coordinated its training content with the University of Mount Olive, agreeing that more business planning and legal content would be addressed by UMO, while NC Farm School focused more of its training content on different types of production needs. Both institutions expanded each of their offerings each year to more fully accommodate trainee interest.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Veterans Employment Base Camp and Organic Garden launched the Onslow and Craven County Veterans Outreach Project to Develop Beginning Farmers because of the desire to increase the number of military veterans and active duty members that enter into and sustain successful careers in farming and agribusiness by providing the knowledge and skills needed through a comprehensive, hands-on program. It has been an honor to provide these essential services to USDA/NIFA with our first year of services. This report includes a variety of conclusions from the first 12-month programming and includes some surprise developments in the agricultural industry. VEBCOG's program includes a re-evaluation of current farming transition programs to accelerate the movement into the agricultural industry with a condensed version of training. Many of the veterans are interested in becoming a farmer so that they can raise field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry and add livestock. They are leaving the military with leadership, strategic and time management skills that will accelerate their success in agriculture. We targeted these active duty military members by partnering with the Transition Readiness programs on the military bases in Craven and Onslow Counties. We averaged 2-3 meetings a month with direct contact to 50 to 150 active duty members. VEBCOG is DOD SkillBridge certified which is of benefit to those transitioning members interested in agriculture. The DoD SkillBridge program is an opportunity for Service members to gain valuable civilian work experience through specific industry training, apprenticeships, or internships during the last 180 days of service. SkillBridge connects Service members with work and intern opportunities with industry partners in real-world job experiences. These separating Service members can be granted up to 180 days of permissive duty to focus solely on training full-time with approved industry partners after unit commander (first O-4/Field Grade commander in chain of command) provide written authorization and approval. By using this program VEBCOG can offer the real-world training and work experience in the in-demand field of agriculture while having the prospect to evaluate the Service member's suitability for farming. The foundations for the program are Onslow and Craven Counties, which are the home of MCB Camp Lejeune, MCAS New River and Cherry Point. On an annual basis these installations see over 10K active duty military transitioning back to the civilian community as veterans. About 2 1/2 million veterans have returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan, most of them to rural counties. Despite these numbers, few veterans currently work in agriculture: just 2 percent of rural veterans of Iraq and the Gulf War, according to USDA. The AGVET program is improving the engagement of veterans with agricultural training, education and exposure to farming careers while increasing the number of beginning farmers and ranchers while increasing their chances for sustainability. VEBCOG delivered the first year of the Agricultural Veteran series after the loss of our first Program Partner, Onslow County Farmers Market, to be replaced by the University of Mount Olive which made a seamless transition into teaching the agricultural aspects, farm training and farm concepts needed by the veterans. Changes/Problems: EVALUATOR'S COMMENTS The VEBCOG AgVets program experienced early significant challenges because of (i) the untested partnership between VEBCOG and OCIF and (ii) the lack of corporate oversight by OCIF. In other words, the OCIF board did not appear to have a good grasp of what its staff had committed OCIF to in the grant application process. On the other hand, VEBCOG, under the leadership of Ms. Singleton, took its obligations under the grant very seriously. Immediately upon receiving news of the grant award, Ms. Singleton scheduled monthly meetings with OCIF and the evaluator. When the partnership with OCIF unraveled, she sought advice regarding next steps from the evaluator as well as from other contacts she had within the state, including the Craven County Extension Office, the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, and the NC Farm School. Despite the abrupt departure of a critical partner, Ms. Singleton persisted until she found a competent replacement for that partner. Consequently VEBCOG was able to successfully hold classes in the program's first year. VEBCOG's outreach and recruitment efforts were hampered by the chaotic start to its program, as described earlier. We anticipate that VEBCOG will successfully recruit greater numbers of veterans and active duty personnel to the program in 2020 and 2021 for the following reasons: (a) VEBCOG has successfully negotiated a renewal to the UMO contract and is actively planning improvements to both the content and delivery of the UMO classes; (b) VEBCOG has successfully become Department of Defense skill-bridge certified, meaning active duty personnel may take classes off base and still get active duty pay; (c) Recruitment efforts will begin earlier with more detail than in 2019; (d) Additional marketing channels will be used including state and federal offices and agencies that cater to farmers; and (e) Beginning farmer classes will be offered 3 times annually - UMO will offer two sessions, and NC Farm School will offer one. We recommend that trainee testimonials be included in marketing materials and/or as ambassadors of the program when making face to face presentations. UMO Classes UMO classes began July 10 and ran to August 15, 2019. Fourteen people attended the 6-week UMO beginning farmer trainings, five with perfect attendance. Of the fourteen trainees, three were US Navy veterans, three were US Marine Corps veterans, four were dependents, two were US Army veterans, and two were active duty Marines. Classes were two hour-long weekday evening classes, held in both New Bern and Jacksonville, and included Saturday field days. Included topics of the UMO trainings and class evaluation results are at the end of this report. Based on these paper evaluations, the trainees were satisfied with the content and delivery of the UMO trainings. A baseline survey administered at the beginning of the UMO classes received 12 responses and is included at the end of this report. NC Farm School Classes The initial VEBCOG AgVets grant application envisioned OCIF providing introductory classes in production practices, followed by NC Farm School providing trainings in business planning and specialty crops and practices. Trainees who attended the UMO classes were encouraged to attend the NC Farm School classes in order to gain more in-depth knowledge of the topics covered at the UMO trainings as well as receive one-on-one mentoring from the NC Farm School trainers. A total of four trainees attended the 6-week NC Farm School training. Only two trainees were consistently present at the classes, which were held on Saturdays in September and October 2019. Pre- and post-class evaluations were conducted, indicating satisfaction with the content and delivery of the classes. Four business plans were submitted for review by the NC Farm School instructors. EVALUATORS' COMMENTS We are currently conducting post-training interviews of the trainees and have the following observations: (a) The UMO trainings covered many of the same topics as the NC Farm School Trainings; we recommend better coordination of these service providers. (b) The field day experience is preferred to the classroom experience; powerpoints were dry and overwhelming. We recommend more interactive in-class exercises, with resource materials available online. (c) Instructors should make themselves available outside of class time to answer questions; offering a chat forum and taped classes are a means to increase peer to peer learning opportunities. (d) The program offers excellent networking opportunities among the trainees. More networking should be encouraged as this may lead to equipment sharing, bulk purchasing, and other collaborative farming opportunities. FIRST YEAR IMPACTS The baseline survey indicated that of the twelve respondents, only 25% of them expected to become full-time farmers, the rest indicating that they were more interested in become part-time or hobby farmers. This level of interest was borne out by the number of attendees interested in the more in-depth classes delivered by the NC Farm School. Based on an interview with one trainee in the UMO classes, there were behavior changes experienced as a result of the trainings. Such behavior changes include: (i) Conducting soil sampling (ii) Using hoop houses for season extension (iii) Diversifying to include dwarf fruit and nut trees and beekeeping (iv) Using FSA and other state and federal resources (v) Considering an operating loan for expansion AgVets Baseline Survey Summer 2019 - VEBCOG 12 responses US. Veteran Active Duty Spouse 9 1 2 Branch of Service US Marines US Navy US Army US Air Force US Coast Guard Spouse 3 5 2 2 Do you have access to family land to farm? Yes - used in farming Yes - not used in farming No 2 5 4 Level of interest in farming None Some Great 0 3 9 What will you do with the knowledge you gain from a beginning farmer program? (check all that apply) 5 Become a hobby farmer (farm part-time with little expectation of earning a living from the farming experience) 3 Become a part-time farmer (with the expectation of earning part of my living from the farming experience) 3 Become a farmer as a profession (farm full-time with an expectation of earning a living from the experience) 7 Farm in order to reconnect with the land and find inner peace (farm as therapy opportunity) 5 Farm to connect with and support the community I live in (farm for social and community engagement) 5 Farm to be a steward of the land (farm using environmentally sustainable methods) 2 Take over a family farming business 0 Other Years of farming experience 0-1 year 1-3 years 3-5 years 5+ years 5 1 1 5 Challenges you expect to encounter if you enter the farming profession (check all that apply) 2 No land to farm 2 No knowledge of needed equipment or supplies 6 Inability to access needed capital/financing 6 Lack of farm business planning experience 5 No knowledge of production best practices 6 No knowledge of regulatory framework 2 Other (legal and risk management) Familiarity with available resources for farmers None Some 7 5 Examples of major changes include: d. major problems or delays that may have a significant impact on the rate of expenditure; ? e. significant deviations from the research schedule or goals; ? f. unexpected outcomes; or changes in approved protocols for the use or care of animals, human ?subjects, and/or biohazards encountered during the reporting period. ? What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1. The overall goal was to provide outreach to nearly 10,000 transitioning military over the life of the grant. a. Major activities completed: 3,901? b. Data collected: Evaluation responses? c. Summary statistics and discussion of results: Behavior changes 94? 2. Direct training to 50-70 veterans annually. a. Major activities completed: 187 ? b. Data collected: Evaluation responses to improve programming ? c. Summary statistics and discussion of results. Changes in economics: American farms now require a highly skilled workforce to meet the demands of today's increasingly competitive and technical global economy. However, while education has become increasingly important over time, there have also been growing concerns about the accessibility and affordability of agricultural training programs. One of the other things we teach is economies of scale, which are cost advantages reaped by farms when production becomes efficient. Farms can achieve economies of scale by increasing production and lowering costs. Community dynamics: We developed marketing and outreach to active duty military, their families, and veterans through the Camp Lejeune Personal & Professional Development Program and Transitions Assistance Program; Onslow/Craven Veterans Affairs Organizations; VEBCOG; and Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. This program reaches the military member at the family level and provides inclusive decisions for solo farmers and family farms. Agricultural norms: Both university institutions have refined their curriculum to meet baseline survey training needs of military members and incorporate the Farm Business Health Assessment and booklet for the students. For the initial farmer we try to address many of the issues that may become an impediment as they become farmer. For example, during the farm budget sessions we talk with farmers about incremental cost, which is the total cost incurred due to an additional unit of product being produced. Incremental cost is calculated by analyzing the additional expenses involved in the production process, such as raw materials, for one additional unit of production. Understanding incremental costs can help farmers boost production efficiency and profitability. Incremental costs will include the following: • Raw materials such as seed and fertilizers inventory • Utilities, such as the additional fuel needed to power the equipment • Wages involved in produce production • Packaging and Marketing Economic advantages are among the biggest pros of small-scale agriculture. Local farmers buying local, thus contributing to the development and growth of their rural communities. Since they don't need big volumes of things, they prefer to shop locally and pay a little more, rather than spending a lot of time with researching other markets. Since small farmers tend to sell their products directly to consumers, they manage to avoid the middlemen. This means they can offer high quality, fresh products at relatively low prices. Small farming has another great advantage that might prove to be essential for tomorrow's world. By cultivating small plots of land, it is possible to farm effectively in a sustainable way. You can rotate crops according to their natural cycles, so that each of them benefits from the previous one, while preparing the soil for the next one. Old farmers knew such secrets and they always took them into consideration when they decided what their next crops should be. What issue do we address: VEBCOG established a baseline for the AGVET program that identifies and tracks each individual veteran and active duty participant in the following areas: farming, produce safety and farmers market needs. Last year we had issues with finding a farmer's market but we have resolved that issue even with the outbreak of Covid19. • Commercial mega-farms -- those with at least $250,000 in annual sales -- represent just 7 percent of U.S. farms but command about 70 percent of total farm sales. • The smaller the farm, the less profitable it is: "farm operating margins become more negative and share of household income from farm sources decreases as farm size diminishes." • Here's the kicker: 85 percent of U.S. farms generate income of less than $100,000/year. These farms generate just "15 percent of [total U.S. farm] sales, and earn negligible income from farming." • Working the land is always more difficult if you don't have the powerful tools used by big farms. As that kind of equipment is very expensive, chances are most small farmers aren't going to afford it. Even when they form small local associations, they still have a hard time securing all needed tools for obtaining the best performance. • The other challenge is the insurance of crops. This kind of coverage can be expensive, so some farmers decide to take the risk of seeing their work ruined by natural disasters. Buying a crop insurance policy is a risk management tool available to agricultural farmers. Farmers should consider how a policy will work with their other risk management strategies to insure the best possible outcome each crop year. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The curriculum developed through this project will be available to and shared with any institution or organization interested at no cost. Entities will be able to take the curriculum and adapt it to meet their specific needs. Additionally, the curriculum may lay the groundwork for a beginning farmer program at UMO and NCSU that is more conducive to veterans. Strategic outreach and collaborative planning for veterans to focus on the utilization of the Mount Olive University Agriculture and the VEBCOG training program. Use the site of the Incubator Farm at Mount Olive University and VEBCOG's organic training site, to assist veterans in gaining the skills and knowledge necessary to enter into farming and agribusiness. Through the University of Mount Olive University Agricultural University assistance, the incubator farm is equipped with a high tunnel, hoop house, and basic farming equipment. Participants will develop and follow a farm plan from crop planning, scheduling harvesting and marketing. Key Stone curriculum will be the North Carolina State Universities "Farm Plan" which prepares veterans for making sound decisions in becoming a successful farmer. What audience do we impact: For each goal and objective: The goals of the Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans Competitive Grants Program are to provide a comprehensive, hands-on immersive training program to active duty military, their families and veterans through the Mount Olive University Agriculture program and USNC NC Farm School. This training program will include a strategic collaboration with the Veterans Employment Base Camp and Organic Garden (VEBCOG). The project encourages farm entry while removing the initial barriers that face the next generation of farmers by: 1) providing access to training, education, and technical assistance; 2) access to land; 3) access to markets. The grant objective include: 1) Develop marketing and outreach to active duty military, their families, and veterans through the Camp Lejeune Personal & Professional Development Program and Transitions Assistance Program; Onslow/Craven Veterans Affairs Organizations; VEBCOG; and Carolina Farm Stewardship Alliance. 2) Establish a baseline for the program that identifies and tracks individual veterans in the following areas: farming, produce safety and farmers market needs. 3) Refine curriculum to meet baseline survey training needs for Farm Business Health Assessment and 2nd year Incubator Farm students. 4) Procure equipment for the program to support harvesting, washing, storage and transportation of produce. Performance outcomes include: The immediate impact on the military and veteran community surrounding MCAS Cherry Point, Havelock NC, MCAS New Rivers and Camp Lejuene in Jacksonville, NC, has been outreach, education, training and mentoring for the next generation of small to mid-sized farmers. The exposure of the Onslow and Craven County Veterans Outreach farming program in the first 12 months, has reached 1/3rd of its goal by providing outreach to 3903 active duty and veterans and direct services to 70 members along with providing the following services: 1) Development of a beginning farmer curriculum completed for professional agricultural training and potential veteran farmer certificate program; 2) Inserting Sustainable Agriculture curriculum into the current lesson plan; 3) Ensuring NC Cooperative Extension personnel are participating in the workshop series along with the Department of Veterans Affairs and NC Agrability personnel in order to include Vocational Rehabilitation options for funding and resources; 4) Guaranteeing that the 9 University instructors and the Program coordinator completed the workshop series; 5) Summary statistics and discussion of results. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?VEBCOG has received a $1000 Grant that has approved the purchase of safety equipment, I.E. Mask, gloves, hand sanitizer for attendees of our overall VEBCOG programming. We have located a suppliers and source for PPE equipment. We have acquired a variety of masks with (3) layers of protection, for outdoor use and some which are one use and disposable. Sept 2018 - Hurricane Florence/Recovery: VEBCOG suffered great damage at their facility and had to renovate Jan 2019 - Government Shutdown Apr 2019 - Withdrawal of Training Partner May 2019 - Work Plan Revision and Orientation of New Training Partner July 2019 - UMO Trainings Sept 2019 - NC Farm School Trainings If benchmarks are not being met, Project Director and University Leads will together determine what adjustments and/or steps need to be taken. Additionally, based on the evaluation data written below by our 3rd Party evaluator Becky Bowen, NCSU, changes are being made to enhance and improve the existing curriculum. AgVets Grant Year 1 - Evaluation Report Veterans Employment Base Camp and Organic Garden Craven and Onslow Counties, North Carolina December 13, 2019 History Prior to Start of Program In late 2018 a $281,659 NIFA AgVets grant award was made to the Veterans Employment Base Camp and Organic Garden (VEBCOG) in New Bern, NC to fund a beginning farmer outreach program for veterans located in Craven and Onslow Counties, NC. Craven County is home to the Cherry Point and New River Marine Corps Air Stations. Onslow County is home to the Camp LeJeune Marine Base. Partnering with VEBCOG on the AgVets application was the Onslow County Incubator Farm (OCIF), a nonprofit corporation operating an incubator farm connected to the Onslow County Extension Office in Jacksonville, NC. The initial AgVets application contemplated beginning farmer trainings by both the Onslow County Extension office and VEBCOG as well as access to and use of the OCIF incubator farm by trainees. As a condition to the award of grant funds, USDA required VEBCOG to enter into a contractual arrangement with an objective third-party evaluator. The initial application had listed the Onslow County Extension staff as the evaluator. However, because the Onslow County Extension staff was also committed under the grant to provide trainings for the program and was closely tied to OCIF, Onslow County Extension did not satisfy USDA's requirement for objectivity. As a result, NC State Extension was selected as the program's evaluator for a period of 3 years. The VEBCOG AgVets program got off to a rocky start. In September 2018, two months prior to the AgVets grant announcement, New Bern and Jacksonville were devastated by Hurricane Florence, resulting in flooding that caused hundreds of residents to evacuate and millions of dollars of damage to homes, businesses, and farms in the area, including the VEBCOG garden and the OCIF facility. In addition, the successful award of the AgVets grant in November took both VEBCOG and OCIF by surprise. With little history of collaborative work between them, the VEBCOG and OCIF partnership was tenuous from the outset. The unanticipated departure of the primary author of their joint AgVets application created more uncertainty about their partnership, particularly in respect of certain budget items. Months of meetings between VEBCOG and OCIF ensued for the purpose of reaching an agreement about the budget, but ultimately the partnership fell apart in April 2019. Ms. Lovay Wallace-Singleton, Executive Director of VEBCOG, immediately contacted Brent Elrod at USDA to inform him of the project's changed circumstances. Mr. Elrod advised her to submit an updated plan of work, which she did as soon as she found a replacement for OCIF. On very short notice, the University of Mount Olive (UMO), a private university which specializes in ag education and has satellite campus locations in both New Bern and Jacksonville, agreed to provide beginning farmer trainings for the AgVets program in Summer 2019. The agreement between VEBCOG and UMO was reached in May 2019. Recruitment efforts by VEBCOG began in February 2019, when OCIF was still a partner in the AgVets program, and continued through July 2019. Flyers and other handouts were developed, tabling occurred at a number of veterans functions, and presentations were made to recruit veterans from both Cherry Point and Camp Lejeune, as well as at the VEBCOG veterans stand-down. In total, outreach was made to 3,913 veterans through emails and PSAs, and 15 direct marketing occasions (physically present with face to face contact) were documented with 199 veterans.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In planning our program, we mirrored the 2018 Strategic Plan Goals set by NIFA/USDA: 2014-2018 NIFA STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS: GOAL 1--SCIENCE: Catalyze exemplary and relevant research, education, and extension programs: VEBCOG is using science-based learning taught by professors at NC State University Farm School and University of Mount Olive Agricultural Program. This ensures that the military members that are transitioning from active duty and those veterans that are currently farming will receive the most up to date information and technologies. GOAL 2--PEOPLE: Transform NIFA into a model agency with a highly motivated workforce: Along with creating an information channel for military members about the NIFA programs we are also introducing NIFA employees to the specific needs of these military members and in some cases looking to NIFA for employment opportunities. GOAL 3--PROCESS: Institutionalize streamlined, effective technologies, policies, and processes: The 3rd party evaluation by NCSU ensures that we are making an effective technological program that is relevant to the technical needs of the potential farmers and up to date with agricultural policies and processes. GOAL 4--COMMUNICATION: Advance America's global preeminence in food and agricultural sciences: Who is in a better position to view America from a global perspective than the American military member who has served their country in a variety of capacities and witness the cultural agricultural processes. One U.S. farm feeds 166 people annually in the U.S. and abroad. The global population is expected to increase by 2.2 billion by 2050, which means the world's farmers will have to grow about 70% more food than what is now produced. 25% of all farmers are beginning farmers (in business less than 10 years); their average age is 46. (https://www.fb.org/newsroom/fast-facts) In FY2018, the average active duty non-disability enlisted retiree was 43 years old and had 23 years of service at retirement; the average officer was 47 years old and had about 24 years of service at retirement. (Department of Defense, Statistical Report on the Military Retirement System; Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2018, Office of the Actuary, May 2019, pp. 83 and 98.) The University of Mount Olive and NCSU NC Farm School; respective AGVET project, encourages farm entry by removing the initial barriers that face the next generation of farmers by: 1) providing access to training, education, and technical assistance; 2) access to funding options and land acquisition; 3) access to markets for trade, export and exchange. VEBCOG is collaborating with: NCSU NC Farm School, University of Mount Olive Incubator Farm, NC Cooperative Extension, and a variety of local farmers to network and increase the awareness of USDA programming that will improve their transition. With Cherry Point located in Craven County and Camp Lejeune in Onslow county, the area attracts veterans who are interested in local farming, who were stationed at one of the 3 Marine Corps bases. Of the more than 214,058 people living in the 4 counties, veterans and their families represent approximately 10% of the residents, a significant segment of the population. Changes in economics: American farms now require a highly skilled workforce to meet the demands of today's increasingly competitive and technical global economy. However, while education has become increasingly important over time, there have also been growing concerns about the accessibility and affordability of agricultural training programs. One of the other things we teach is economies of scale, which are cost advantages reaped by farms when production becomes efficient. Farms can achieve economies of scale by increasing production and lowering costs. Community dynamics: We developed marketing and outreach to active duty military, their families, and veterans through the Camp Lejeune Personal & Professional Development Program and Transitions Assistance Program; Onslow/Craven Veterans Affairs Organizations; VEBCOG; and Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. This program reaches the military member at the family level and provides inclusive decisions for solo farmers and family farms. Agricultural norms: Both university institutions have refined their curriculum to meet baseline survey training needs of military members and incorporate the Farm Business Health Assessment and booklet for the students.
Publications
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