Source: CORNELL UNIVERSITY submitted to
ACCELERATING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOR THE CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1022391
Grant No.
2020-67037-31036
Cumulative Award Amt.
$495,799.00
Proposal No.
2019-07604
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Jun 1, 2020
Project End Date
May 31, 2025
Grant Year
2020
Program Code
[A7601]- Agricultural Workforce Training Grants
Project Director
Mattson, N.
Recipient Organization
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
ITHACA,NY 14853
Performing Department
Section of Horticulture
Non Technical Summary
A shortage of qualified labor is the primary concern in the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) industry to sustain rapid growth in greenhouse and indoor farm production that has occurred nationally. This problem is consistent across all the CEA job titles, from hourly manual labor to management positions. This 3-year project aims to 1) create short-term technical training certifications on advanced CEA production and business management to meet current industry needs; and 2) to expand curriculum content and delivery for a 2-year associates degree for students interested in entering careers in the CEA industry. The new CEA short-term training and 2-year curriculum will be developed by a unique partnership among universities, community colleges and industry partners. Guided by our industry advisors, this dynamic program will create pathways and pipelines to increase the number of new employees entering the CEA industry and will provide continuous education (online training, microcredentialing) to enhance the skills of existing employees. By working with industry partners, several job titles and hard to learn tasks will be prioritized following the DACUM (designing a curriculum) process. These active workforce training opportunities will allow current employees to improve their technical and leadership skills and support career development using a "learn while you earn" model. Cornell University and the Ohio State University (OSU) will create online platforms and content for these trainings. Nine modules will be created and piloted for evaluation by industry members. OSU's Agricultural Technical Institute and SUNY Broome Community College will expand 2-year associates degrees in CEA.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
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
2051499303050%
4025399303030%
6011499303010%
7121499303010%
Goals / Objectives
Objective 1. Engage industry networks and advisors to prioritize Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) training and test online modules.Objective 2.Validate job titles and duties, core competencies and critical tasks with domestic and international CEA managers resulting in a detailed task analysis on up to 80 essential tasks verified in a survey of 50 CEA industry members. Findings from the verification survey and task analysis will be shared with the industry advisors to prioritize curriculum development for industry training and AAS degrees.Objective 3. Define and create a flexible industry-led accreditation strategy for technical trainings targeting existing employees, prioritize 20 microcredentials, and establish a database to track microcredentials earned.Objective 4.Build targeted online technical and business training modules to address priority CEA industry needs for professional workforce development. Create 9 online learning modules based on the priorities set forth by industry members, pilot test the modules, and develop a sustainability plan so the online training modules can continue to be offered.Objective 5. Advance adoption of specific curriculum and create new courses to expand 2-year Associates in Applied Sciences (AAS) degree programs with certificates in CEA in Ohio and New York. Through a curriculum-mapping process that includes short-term training content and microcredentials developed in Obj. 1-4, curriculum pathways will be developed to close student training gaps that currently exist and provide flexible options to address CEA industry workforce and educational needs.
Project Methods
Objective 1:We will convene both domestic and international CEA managers to clarify job titles, prioritize training needs and solve recruiting challenges.Our industry engagement will be led by Agritecture and GLASE. Project announcements will be sent via these groups' existing networks to set the stage for CEA task analysis and job title refinement (Obj. 2). Our Industry Advisors represent universities, nonprofits and private CEA companies. Advisors will review work plans, training priorities and curriculum materials developed. International industry networks will be invited to provide feedback on the development of the training solutions.Objective 2:We will first engage our industry advisors to define three to five unique CEA job titles and descriptions that capture the majority of duties and tasks identified in the designing a curriculum (DACUM) chart. This process will support curriculum development by clarifying the level of jobs (entry, middle, director), the scope of responsibilities, and trajectory for professional development. Next, we will administer an online survey to our industry networks to verify the duties and tasks identified by the DACUM panel. The verification survey will be analyzed to identify the most important tasks for more critical industry analysis and future curriculum development. With support from the OSU Center on Education and Training for Employment (consultants), we will convene online panels of industry representatives and DACUM panelists to perform detailed task analysis on up to 80 essential tasks verified in the survey. Findings from the verification survey and task analysis will be shared with the industry advisors to prioritize curriculum development for industry training and AAS degrees.Objective 3:Building upon the findings from the task analysis which clarified industry performance standards (Obj. 2), Wythe Marschall plus FarmTech, Agritecture and GLASE will lead development of a flexible, industry-led accreditation program. The creation and validation of up to 20 industry-endorsed "micro-credentials" will verify that the holder has effectively applied conceptual learning to achieve a specific skill, proficiency, or set of skills or proficiencies. The course-design process will be iterative, and the credentials will be directly offered by industry members themselves. A strategy for tracking individuals successfully securing microcredentials will be developed collaboratively with industry partners, as a strategy to document achievement and ensure third-party verification of such achievement.Objective 4:The DACUM task analysis (Obj. 2) plus industry prioritization (Obj. 1) will guide the selection, design and development of at least nine training modules that address important and difficult-to-learn duties and tasks for CEA. Each module will follow the ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation). In Y1, industry priorities and training gaps will be identified by the full team. During the first 18 months, content experts Mattson, Kubota and Samarakoon will develop and curate course content into modules. Training modules will integrate existing and newly-created content. We will develop additional lecture / training materials and capture video of CEA production management techniques (ex: propagation, pruning, trellising, transplanting, harvesting, packaging). In the first half of Y2, we will complete module development and share these with SUNY Broome and OSU ATI for use in their courses. Rangarajan will lead the build of the online delivery platform using Teachable. Course duration will depend on content and microcredentials conferred. Each content expert will complete one module in Y2 for pilot testing and refinement by target employees recruited via industry networks. Content experts and their respective university research teams will develop six more modules in year 3 (9 total). In Y3, after testing, the modules will be offered to the domestic and international CEA industries for a fee to support long-term sustainability of this training program and a long-term sustainability plan will be developed. Objective 5:SUNY Broome and OSU ATI will work closely with project partners to update existing courses in the area of sustainability, create new courses that align with CEA industry needs. Through a curriculum-mapping process that includes short-term training content and microcredentials developed in Obj. 1-4, curriculum pathways will be developed to close student training gaps that currently exist and provide flexible options to address CEA industry workforce and educational needs. Based on the DACUM process and industry prioritized training areas, curriculum sequences of the existing OSU-ATI AAS degree in greenhouse and nursery management will be evaluated to identify gaps. We will add new courses or replacing existing courses within the specializations of greenhouse management and greenhouse engineering technology.Evaluation:The project evaluation approach is iterative and engages all partners to improve content and delivery of CEA workforce development and training. Two design process models, DACUM and ADDIE, will be used to evaluate the goals and provide evidence that the aims of the project are achieved. The DACUM process embeds the entire project in an industry vetted description of essential duties and tasks for success in managing CEA. The verification survey and task analysis will engage at least 50 more managers to evaluate findings and prioritize curricula.A process component of the ADDIE model during instructional design is the identification of key formative and summative assessment tools to evaluate course outcomes and tie these to microcredentials (Obj 3). Task Analysis (Obj 2) will provide learner performance indicators to drive post-course knowledge and skills assessments. Pilot testing of modules will include knowledge and skill assessments plus focus groups among participants to further refine structure, content and experience for online learners. Similar strategies will be used with AAS courses. It is expected that each module and course will be reviewed after each offering.Project Advisors will be engaged quarterly to review overall project findings and directions. Their input will support redirection as needed to meet project goals.Participant evaluation will include learners or AAS students as well as employers. Students in 2-year programs will have formal in-class and laboratory testing to verify course impact. For online course participants, pre- and post-course knowledge assessments will support refinement of curricula. A six-month post course evaluation will track applications of new skills and knowledge in the workplace. Microcredentialing (to be designed) will require additional online or at-work demonstration of knowledge and skills acquisition. Participating employers or course instructors will submit results from these tests of employees to a project-managed database that will serve to document and verify individual learner achievement.

Progress 06/01/22 to 05/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience during this reporting period were representatives of the controlled environment agriculture (greenhouse/indoor food production) industry. This industry has an estimated wholesale farmgate value of $703 million annually and is made up of 2,994 farms as well as allied trade members which supply products and services for these producers. Through surveys, virtual focus group discussions, one-on-meetings, and webinars board we reached 605+ industry members in our efforts to learn about workforce needs, required skill sets, and in training courses and project outreach. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Mattson incorporated a lecture on CEA industry workforce needs into his undergraduate class on Hydroponic Food Production (30 participants). Several greenhouse tours were given to middle and high-school students in the research/teaching greenhouses at Cornell University (77 participants). Mattson worked with a Farm to Table middle school classroom which incorporated hydroponic systems to grow lettuce (48 participants). Samarakoon organized a two-day greenhouse hydroponic workshop for K-12 teachers onsite at OSU ATI. Topics included: basics of the greenhouse environment, fertilizer management, plant propagation, lesson planning, hydroponic systems, aerial and root-zone environment, setting up systems for leafy greens, and pest and disease management (15 participants). Kubota (OSU) organized an online course 'Greenhouse Strawberry School' in May 2023 as an asynchronous, self-paced course with 6 modules (each included lectures, quizzes, and discussion questions). 215 participants were enrolled. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Presentations on CEA workforce needs were presented at several academic forums and conferences, including: seminars at the University of Connecticut, University of Vermont, Rutgers University, Clemson University, NCERA-101 multistate committee on controlled environment technology annual conference, and CEA Summit East conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1: We will continue to work with our Industry Advisory Board prior to pilot launching online training courses (Objective 4). An IAB meeting will be held during Fall 2023. To expand our network and gain industry relevance, our team will continue to engage with industry stakeholders. Objective 2: (Previously completed). Objective 3: As we develop our sustainability plan, we will continue conversations with industry/trade associations regarding long-term oversight of the training program and a recommended framework for distance courses in CEA workforce development. Objective 4: Mattson will complete the course on "Overview of Crop Production in CEA". Neil will then outline learning outcomes, activities and assessments for the next course on "Insects and Diseases". Samarakoon will complete the videos, hands-on sessions and assessments for the Rootzone module. She will outline the learning outcomes, activities, and assessments for the next course on "Key environmental factors, and environmental control". Kubota will complete the recordings and editing for the course 'Plant Physiology of CEA Crops'. Landau and Kanllian will complete the Farm Business Skills course. The first four courses will be pilot tested and evaluated (asynchronous modality with instructor support during a defined time-length) with current CEA stakeholders and their personnel. Objective 5. Faculty at SUNY Broome and Ohio State will collaborate on curriculum development. This will focus on inclusion of modules created in Objective 4 to establish micro credentials and possible pathways to an associate degree. The type of associate degree should be discussed. Faculty from SUNY Broome and Ohio State met in June 2023 to discuss inclusion of courses to establish micro credentials at their respective campuses.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1. A network (listserv) of extension faculty and educators working in CEA was developed. Currently there are 130 members (out of 37 states) in the network. This network has been used to exchange information relevant to CEA research and industry issues/needs, including workforce development. This network and our industry advisory board will be used to invite many industry members and colleagues at other institutions to participate in the pilot launch of our initial 4 courses and provide technical and logistical feedback. Objective 2. Previously completed. Objective 3. We had several continuing conversations with CEA industry associations, nonprofits and educational institutions that are also engaged in workforce development including: Resource Innovation Institute (RII), University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR), Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), Center for Advanced Agriculture and Sustainability at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. Based on continuing conversations there is interest to work together to design some common CEA workforce educational standards such as student assessment of learning. We will continue these conversations as we work on our sustainability plan. Objective 4. Kubota (OSU) organized an online course 'Greenhouse Strawberry School' using a Canvas format in May 2023 to assist growers and professionals who wish to better understand greenhouse strawberry production physiology and technology. This course was designed to be a self-paced course with 6 lectures, quizzes, and discussion, followed by online live QA discussions. There were 215 participants enrolled in this course. Mattson (Cornell) has prepared and organized the content for video recordings of the course: "Overview of crop production in CEA". The course is aimed at the assistant grower training program. Mattson worked with a multimedia producer at the Small Farms Program to record videos and has completed about 75% of the recordings. Samarakoon (OSU ATI) has prepared and organized the content for video recordings of the Rootzone development course. The course is targeted for assistant growers. She has also completed 50% of the video recordings with the help of an OSU Instructional Development Specialist. She has identified instruction methods for hands-on learning sessions. One in-house video recording was created for hands-on sessions. Kubota/OSU has developed content for the course on Plant Physiology of CEA growers targeted for the CEA Head Grower Training program. Video recordings are currently underway. Landau and Kanlian (Agritecture) are developing the Farm Business Skills course for the program on CEA Farm Operations Manager training. They have edited and uploaded video content for Module 2: Connecting Business Objectives with Costs into the online learning platform. In addition, they have developed and uploaded assessment questions to confirm participant's understanding of the material. They have also prepared and recorded instructional content for Module 3: The Relationship of Yield to Revenue. Collectively we have neared completion of the recordings/materials for 4 courses that we will pilot launch asynchronously. The current learning platform for implementation is Teachable but we are exploring other options such as Canvas (which was used in the strawberry course). Pilot courses are targeted for launch in Q4 2023 and Q1 2024. Objective 5. Discussions continue at SUNY Broome to advance curriculum development of a certificate program adjacent to the current Environmental Science degree program. Erin Heard from SUNY Broome participated in the K-12 CEA training program (June) hosted by Uttara Samarakoon to assess the CEA facilities and content offered during the workshop. Opportunities for certificate programs and K-12 workshops at SUNY Broome were discussed during meetings. SUNY Broome reviewed existing CEA and Sustainable Agriculture related two-year degrees in order to assist in building out plans for a 2-year program. In addition, we have had continued discussions of how to incorporate modules and certificates into existing and/or new programs.

Publications

  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Kubota, C. and M. Kroggel. 2023. Greenhouse strawberry school online. May, 2023. https://u.osu.edu/indoorberry/
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Mattson, N.S. 2023. Optimizing plant quality, environmental, and socioeconomic outcomes of CEA crops. Seminar, Department of Plant Biology. Rutgers University, March 31, 2023.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Mattson, N.S. 2023. Sustainable and organic nutrient management in hydroponic and aquaponic systems. Seminar, Department of Plant and Soil Science. University of Vermont, February 24, 2023.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Mattson, N.S. 2023. The GLASE consortium: a public private partnership to reduce energy use in controlled environment agriculture. Seminar, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences. Clemson University, February 3, 2023.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Mattson, N.S. 2022. Cornell University Research and Future Prospects for Horticultural Lighting. USDA and DOE Discussion Meeting - Horticultural Lighting. Online. December 14, 2022.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Mattson, N.S. 2022. Optimizing plant quality, environmental, and socioeconomic outcomes of CEA crops. Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture. University of Connecticut, October 28, 2022.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Hayashi, E., T. Pocock and N.S. Mattson. 2022. Innovations towards sustainable plant factories. Invited Panel, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University. October 12, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Mattson, N.S. 2022. The economic & environmental footprint of urban and peri-urban production of lettuce in greenhouses and plant factories. NCERA-101 Committee on Controlled Environment Technology and Use annual conference. Tucson, AZ, September 11-14, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Samarakoon, U.C. (2022). Recruiting & Training for CEA Panel discussion. CEA East Summit Danville Virginia. United States, Oct 25th,


Progress 06/01/21 to 05/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience during this reporting period were representatives of the controlled environment agriculture (greenhouse/indoor food production) industry. This industry has an estimated wholesale farmgate value of $703 million annually and is made up of 2,994 farms as well as allied trade members which supply products and services for these producers. Through surveys, virtual focus group discussions, one-on-meetings, and meetings with our industry advisory board we reached 50+ industry members in our efforts to learn about workforce needs, required skill sets, and conduct a task analysis of the roles and responsibilities of the CEA workforce. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Team member Landau presented a poster at the Urban Food Systems Symposium. Rangarajan co-led a pre-conference Workshop at the Urban Food Symptoms Symposium. Mattson presented one seminar (University of California Davis, Jan. 2022) on Urban CEA and workforce development including knowledge and skill-sets identified by CEA industry members. Mattson incorporated a lecture and recorded panel on CEA industry needs into his undergraduate class on Hydroponic Food Production. Two virtual greenhouse tours were given to middle and high-school students, and one virtual tour was given to a 4-H club. Online courses currently being developed will next be pilot-tested and evaluated by current and new CEA employees. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Information and results to date on the project were communicated during the last reporting period during at the Urban Food Systems Symposium (pre-conference workshop and poster presentation), an academic seminar (University of California Davis), one classroom lecture, and a presentation at Presentation at NIFA's K-14 Education Portfolio Project Director Meeting. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1: We will continue to work with our Industry Advisory Board as we pilot launch online training courses (Objective 4). An IAB meeting will be held during the project Year 3. To expand our network and gain industry relevance, our team will continue to engage with industry stakeholders. Objective 2: (Previously completed). Objective 3: As we develop our sustainability plan for year 3 we will continue conversations with industry/trade associations regarding long-term oversight of the training program. Objective 4: Neil Mattson (Cornell) will complete the course on "Overview of Crop Production in CEA". Neil will then outline learning outcomes, activities, and assessments for the next course on "Insects and Diseases" Uttara Samarakoon (OSU) will complete the course on root zone management. She will outline the learning outcomes, activities and assessments for the next course on "Key environmental factors, sensing, and environmental control". Chieri Kubota (OSU) will continue developing visual materials and complete the recordings for the course 'Plant Physiology of CEA Crops'. The first three courses will be pilot tested and evaluated (asynchronous modality with instructor support during a defined time-length) with current CEA stakeholders and their personnel. Objective 5. Faculty at SUNY Broome and Ohio State will collaborate on curriculum development. This will focus on inclusion of modules created in Objective 4 to establish micro credentials and possible pathways to an associate degree. The type of associate degree should be discussed.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1. We continue to update our Industry Advisory Board on project activities. Three onsite farm interviews were conducted this past year. These interviews focused on better understanding the challenges in recruitment for farms and what type of individuals and skills they look for in employees. Objective 2. As noted in last year's annual report we completed the industry validation survey and task analysis of the roses and responsibilities. Specific tasks were analyzed by focus groups of CEA professionals. The results provided a breakdown of steps: specific physical actions that are measurable and thus teachable. These findings have been incorporated into our proposed curriculum outline and into course assessments. Objective 3. Based on continuing conversations with CEA industry associations we have determined our online course program is currently in its infancy and timing is not a good fit with current non-profit industry associations. Therefore we will pilot launch and work with industry to evaluate our online courses through our own online platform. Based on industry feedback we will revisit this task as part of our sustainability plan evaluation in year 3. Objective 4. The Project Team worked with The Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI) at Cornell University on the design of the three CEA courses. Each course represents a series of several smaller modules. This work focused on writing measurable and student-centered learning outcomes/objectives/assessments for each course and module based on the industry validation survey. The effort included an accessibility review by CTI of the latest presentation materials and documents, and development of a pilot timeline. Neil Mattson (Cornell University) developed a comprehensive outline for the course "Overview of crop production in CEA". The course will have several modules (introduction to hydroponics and CEA, production systems in CEA, structures and environmental control, crop production and management, crop scheduling, labor and automation). Each module will contain several learning activities (short videos, readings, or supplemental material). Recording equipment and facilities were identified on-campus in the CTI's filming studio. Mattson worked with a Multi Media Assistant to record videos for the first module with additional filming scheduled for Fall 2022. The Multi Media assistant also took a series of "B-roll" footage that demonstrates hydroponic crops and management techniques. Uttara Samarakoon (OSU) outlined Learning outcomes/ objectives, learning activities and assessments required for the second course "Root Zone Environment: Substrates; Fertigation, and moisture management" following CTI training sessions. The course content for the rootzone module was identified and organized into sections. The content was further subdivided to suit the shorter video segments suitable for the potential audience. Additional images and video needs have been identified during this process. The required equipment and recording facilities for videos on Wooster campus was assessed. Chieri Kubota (OSU) developed an outline of 'Plant physiology of CEA crops' to deliver as part of Head Grower Training Program. First lesson 'Plant leaf and canopy photosynthesis' into the 'Light intensity, quality, and photoperiod' is developed and ready for being recorded using recording facilities in Columbus campus. Objective 5. During the Spring 2022 semester Erin Heard (SUNY Broome) worked at 2 local institutions that utilize CEA. VINES (Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments), a local urban farm that provides CSA to residents of all income levels, and Nanticoke Gardens, a local retail greenhouse partnered with SUNY Broome faculty to allow inclusion of additional perspectives and guidance during development of curriculum that may be used to expand classes and programs in projected 2 year degrees. At the end of the reporting period discussion regarding the type of 2 year degree focused on altering the original proposal of an AAS degree (Associate in Science) to an AOS degree (Associate in Occupational Studies). AOS degrees require fewer general education classes and may therefore provide a more efficient pathway to employment in the CEA industry. This issue should be discussed further in the coming months.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Landau, J. 2022. Accelerating Workforce Development for the Controlled Environment Agriculture Industry. Poster. Urban Food Systems Symposium, September 26, 2022, Kansas City, Missouri.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Mattson, N. 2021. Accelerating Workforce Development for the Controlled Environment Agriculture Industry. October 15, 2021. Presentation at NIFAs K-14 Education Portfolio Project Director Meeting. Online.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Rangarajan, A., Riordan, M., Campbell, M.C. Bailkey, M. Schaffstall, S. Garcia, Y. and Y. Gonzalez. 2022. Pre Conference workshop: Realizing the Promise of Urban Agriculture: Curricula to advance planning, policy, and production. Urban Food Systems Symposium, September 26, 2022, Kansas City, Missouri.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Mattson, N. 2022. Urban CEA: Optimizing plant quality, environmental, and socioeconomic outcomes. January 19, 2022. Invited seminar for Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis.


Progress 06/01/20 to 05/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience during this reporting period were representatives of the controlled environment agriculture (greenhouse/indoor food production) industry. This industry has an estimated wholesale farmgate value of $703 million annually and is made up of 2,994 farms as well as allied trade members which supply products and services for these producers. Through surveys, virtual focus group discussions, one-on-meetings, and meetings with our industry advisory board we reached 50+ industry members in our efforts to learn about about workforce needs, required skill sets, and conduct a task analysis of the roles and responsibilities of the CEA workforce. Changes/Problems:Due to COVID-19 the 3-day industry evaluation working groups (task analysis of CEA roles and responsibilities) was moved to online (Zoom) meetings in summer 2020. Overall as a multi-stage project the pandemic did not affect our project performance. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Rangarajan and Marschall presented a webinar on the "What makes a successful indoor farm operations manager" in June 2020. The webinar was recorded and made available online at: https://glase.org/webinars/cea-workforce-development-study-what-makes-a-successful-indoor-farmer-operations-manager/ Team members Landau and Marschall reported the Indoor Agriculture DACUM (designing a curriculum) chart at the Urban Food Systems Symposium in October 2020. Mattson presented two seminars (University of Minnesota, Oct. 2020 and University of Maryland, Feb. 2015) on CEA workforce development including knowledge and skill-sets identified by CEA industry members in the DACUM process. Two online meetings were held with project members and our industry advisory board (Dec. 2020 and June 2021). The meetings allowed us to review the DACUM process to date, discuss the project timeline and training program content and have extensive discussions to collect industry feedback on gaps in proposing training, and a pathway for microcredentialing. During the second meeting industry members reviewed the CEA Assistant Grower Training course structure and provided feedback on strategies to assess student learning and demonstrate skills and competencies. Mattson teaches a course at Cornell each fall on Hydroponic Food Production for upper level undergraduates. The DACUM chart including knowledge, skills, behaviors, tools, and future trends and concerns were presented in a classroom lecture (Nov. 2020). Two PhD students, Marschall and Ezzeddine were involved in project activities including task analysis of roles and responsibilities of CEA assistant growers, head growers, and farm operations manager. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated to CEA industry members through one webinar (with recording still available online), presentation at the Urban Food Systems Symposium, two academic seminars (University of Minnesota and University of Maryland), two scientific advisory board meetings, and one classroom lecture. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1: We will continue to work with our Industry Advisory Board to prioritize our project objectives and receive feedback regarding ongoing tasks. Two IAB meetings will be held during the project Year 2. To expand our network and gain industry relevance, our team will continue to engage with industry stakeholders. Objective 3: We will develop the protocols needed to fulfill a microcredential and assessments of course content are created. Testing of these will most likely occur within university courses, to take advantage of existing infrastructure and educators/teaching assistants. Objective 4: Peer review of courses, then industry review, as well as Co-PIs Kubota, Mattson, and Samarakoon selecting one course to record and offer asynchronously in our project year 2. Each PI will record all segments for one-course which will include slides, videos, tasks for hands-on activities and assessment procedures. The course will be assessed by pilot students and in the consultation of industry and content experts. Baseline program learning outcomes (PLOs) and maps have been created with established objectives for each job title in mind. It will be necessary to edit PLOs as curriculum development continues. Once curriculum has been more established, additional requirements such as prerequisites will be determined. Objective 5. Samarakoon will use DACUM Chart and IAB discussions to evaluate the existing curriculum sequence for AAS degree in CEA at OSU. This process will help identify gaps in the curriculum, and determine new content and courses.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1. An industry advisory board (IAB) was created to prioritize the direction of the curriculum content as well as the job titles targeted for these workforce development training opportunities. IAB members include: AeroFarms: Ed Harwood CEA Center at the University of Arizona, Tucson: Gene Giacomelli Dream Harvest: Harmeet Singh FarmTech Society: Ian Kanski Gotham Greens: Jenn Frymark Little Leaf Farms: Tanya Merrill Oko Farms: Yemi Amu Plenty: Melanie Yelton The Chef's Garden: Bob Jones, Jr. Wheatfield Gardens: Paal Elfstrum The IAB met twice during the first year of the project, on December 11, 2020 and June 7, 2021. During the first meeting, the IAB reviewed the DACUM process to date, including task analysis findings; reviewed the proposed project timeline; and reviewed proposed training program content. Based on the IAB feedback, our team identified gaps in the proposed training content, and reviewed and improved the proposed system for micro-credentialing content. Our goal for the 2nd IAB meeting was to receive feedback on how to assess students' CEA competences and skills. In other words, how to determine that the students learned the taught content. Alongside the IAB, our team reviewed the Program 1 (CEA Assistant Grower Training) course's structure; Explored assessment strategies that demonstrate skills and competencies for specific courses. Based on the IAB feedback, our team identified gaps in the proposed course's structure. Objective 2. In order to better understand the educational and vocational training needs of future farmers in the rapidly expanding greenhouse and vertical farm sector (controlled environment agriculture, or CEA), Cornell University worked with The Ohio State University and Agritecture Consulting to conduct a workshop with current CEA professionals. This workshop, specifically structured using the designing a curriculum or DACUM approach brought together twelve CEA experienced expert practitioners--ten from across the United States, one from the Netherlands, and one from Canada--convened for two days to brainstorm, debate, and finalize a list of duties (responsibilities, such as "manage crop production" or "manage farm labor") and tasks (specific activities, such as "create crop production plans" or "gather production data") that outline the activities of the expert Indoor Farm Operations Manager. The DACUM Research Chart for Indoor Farm Operations Manager provides an industry-led foundation for discussing gaps and opportunities in existing indoor agriculture curricula at Cornell and beyond. Following the workshop, a larger pool of CEA professionals was brought together to conduct a task analysis of the roles and responsibilities. Specific tasks were analyzed by focus groups of CEA professionals, including some of our DACUM panelists and some new industry interlocutors. The results provided a breakdown of steps: specific physical actions that are measurable and thus teachable. Objective 3. The CEA online courses by themselves will provide opportunities for students to demonstrate improved knowledge and skills. These courses will be offered asynchronously and deliver validation upon completion. To transform the courses into microcredentials, a secondary level of assessment and certification is required. This assessment would verify that the student is able to demonstrate acquisition of skills or application of knowledge to job duties or problem solving to a third party observer. As such, microcredentialling assessments, trained assessors and a reporting platform must be developed. This year, we hosted several conversations with the Farm Tech Society to explore their interest and ability to create a viable microcredential system for the CEA industry. This organization has international membership and aspires to host this service for its members and others. Based upon the scope and complexity of creating a robust program, additional funding is being sought to develop the needed infrastructure. Objective 4. Based on the efforts described above, 3 training programs (which comprise 3 different job titles of increasing responsibility) have been outlined with a total of 19 courses. A listing of the training programs (with associated courses is listed below): CEA Assistant Grower Training Program 1.1 Overview of crop production in CEA 1.2 Key environmental factors, sensing, and environmental control 1.3 Irrigation, fertigation, and water management 1.4 Insects and diseases 1.5 Food safety in the CEA environment 1.6 Post-harvest CEA Head Grower Training Program 2.1 Plant physiology of CEA crops 2.2 Advanced greenhouse engineering, climate control, and biophysics 2.3 Farm data, production metrics, and analysis 2.4 Farm-business skills 2.5 Advanced food safety and quality control 2.6 Advanced pest disease management 2.7 Designing and executing experiments CEA Farm Operations Manager Training Program 3.1 Agribusiness 101 3.2 Training and leadership 3.3 Operational labor needs 3.4 Data and metrics for CEA managers 3.5 Strategy and operational improvement 3.6 Experiment interpretation and decision making Detailed outlines have been completed for courses 1.1-1.5 in the CEA Assistant Grower Training Program and 2.1-2.2 in the CEA Head Grower Training Program. Based on these courses the Co-PIs have determined the 3 highest priority classes for development and pilot-testing in year 2 and have begun to develop a list of media (such as photo/video/supplemental reading) assets that are on-hand or still required. Each course is designed as a multi-credit course which will comprise a collection of several 15 minute segments (each of which will be followed by assessment). Objective 5. Baseline program learning outcomes (PLOs) and maps have been created with established objectives for each job title in mind. It will be necessary to edit PLOs as curriculum development continues. Once curriculum has been more established, additional requirements such as prerequisites will be determined.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Rangarajan, Anu, Maya Ezzeddine, Wythe Marschall, and Jeffrey Landau. 2020. Training the Future Workforce for Indoor Agriculture Production. Poster. Urban Food Systems Symposium (October 2020).
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Rangarajan, A. and W. Marschall. 2020. CEA Workforce Development Study: What Makes a Successful Farm Operations Manager. Webinar. Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering (GLASE) monthly webinar series. (June 18, 2020). Available online: https://glase.org/webinars/cea-workforce-development-study-what-makes-a-successful-indoor-farmer-operations-manager/
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Mattson, N. and M. Pritts. 2020. Workforce Development in Controlled Environment Agriculture. Invited Seminar. University of Minnesota. (October 7, 2020)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Mattson, N. 2021. Enhancing the Viability of Urban Controlled Environment Agriculture. Invited Seminar. University of Maryland. (February 15, 2021) Available online: https://umd.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=79261c81-5dcf-43f3-9458-acd0013145ba