Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience was military veterans in Oregon who are beginning or aspiring farmers. Changes/Problems:RFC and OSU were able to serve aspiring veteran farmers through a wide array of outreach and programming, though it was not always according to our original plans at the outset of this project. The COVID pandemic created challenges during the first year to gather in groups due to OSU policy, so the Growing Veterans Agripreneurs (GVA) programming shifted to virtual goal check-ins and individualized site visits. In 2022 and 2023 the program was able to return to in-person skills training at OSU's SOREC location. RFC's Changing Hands Programming similarly was held online in 2021 and returned to in-person starting in 2022. In the GVA program, OSU's experience with veteran participants was varied through the different years of programming. The 2022 season had a very committed cohort - most came to most of the events and trainings. In 2023, retention and attendance were issues to completing the whole season, due to personal circumstances like having small children at home, as well as some expressing they experienced PTSD, agoraphobia, and physical challenges that posed barriers to their participation. GVA began inviting alumni of the program to visit the current cohort in 2023, which helped to create a stronger cohort and community. RFC's Internship/Apprenticeship programming with Host Farms received several veteran applicants throughout the project due to our focused outreach efforts. However, we only had one host farmer hire a veteran apprentice applicant over the course of the project. Our programming is general and not only for veterans, and because our partner host farms make the hiring decisions for their apprentice positions on their farms, we couldn't facilitate as many veterans training as interns/apprentices at host farms as we had hoped. We will continue to prioritize outreach to veterans and outreach to Host Farms that are owned, operated, or managed at least partially by veterans. However, we were able to involve 10 veterans in our Beginning Farmer Educational Event Series (which pairs with the Apprenticeship but is also offered as a standalone course to other aspiring/beginning farmers). This experience also led us to develop the Regenerative Farming Fellowship, in which RFC directly provides farm training, can select participants from priority demographics to work with each season, and allows for more targeted training for aspiring and beginning veteran farmers. Overall, veteran service providers welcomed our outreach efforts. However, getting the information directly to veterans or through the service providers to veterans continued to prove challenging. After four years of perseverance though, RFC and OSU are now both considered strong allies to the beginning farmer veteran community. This is evidenced by both organizations being counted on to support the formation of an Oregon Farmer Veteran Coalition chapter and being included in an American Farmland Trust grant project called Women Veterans for the Land. Though not in the original project plan, RFC's Farm Launch program started during this project period. This is a business planning program run as a 6-month annual cohort that serves 12-15 beginning farm businesses annually, and we included veterans in our priority outreach and scholarship opportunities. It helped meet the goals of this project by teaching beginning veteran farmers about business planning, financial literacy, and capital, and land access opportunities for farmers. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Professional Development for staff and partners on working with veterans: RFC organized a cultural sensitivity training for working with veterans for RFC and OSU staff. The training was extremely informative; presenters were from the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs and the Portland VA. Project Director Abigail Singer attended the 2021 Farmer Veteran Conference to learn from and network with other farm training organizations serving veterans across the country. Farmer Skills Training for veterans: OSU Growing Veteran Agripreneurs facilitated three seasonal beginning farmer veteran cohorts under this project (2021, 2022, and 2023), significantly serving 17 veterans. Each provided hands-on farm skills trainings via practicums and field days focused on topics like direct seeding, tray seeding, transplanting, soil amendments, bed preparation, drip irrigation set-up, trellising, harvesting, value added products, vineyard establishment, and use of a walk behind tractor. Staff also provided individualized consultations and guidance for aspiring and beginning farmer veterans. RFC's Beginning Farmer Educational Event Series provided four years of events serving GVA and other aspiring farmer veterans throughout Oregon. Each year BFEES includes topics such as: Intro to horticulture, weed management, tools use, tractor basics, irrigation, integrated pest management, rotational grazing and livestock management, cover crops, crop rotation, farm business planning. In addition to the 17 OSU Growing Veteran Agripreneurs listed above who were served by this series, an additional 10 veterans participated in BFEES over the course of this project. RFC's Internship & Apprenticeship Programming ran for four years, providing opportunities for aspiring farmers to train hands-on with established sustainable production operations in Oregon. 1 Veteran completed an Apprenticeship at an RFC Host Farm and feels ready for continued farm employment. They will be pursuing a rangeland ecology degree with an Ag focus and plans to continue farming and start their own farm in the future. Land access and financing training through Changing Hands workshops and panels for veterans:RFC provided 8 Changing Hands Land Connections workshops which reached a total of 21 veterans. Surveys indicate that over 80% of Changing Hands land seeker participants feel more prepared to work with landholders and understand options for securing farmland tenure. OSU Southern Oregon Small Farms Program held two information sessions for Oregon's aspiring farmer veterans. These included resource presentations about USDA and Oregon programs. They also facilitated a veteran farmer business plan writing workshop. In total these efforts reached 63 veterans, 95% of whom increased their knowledge of financial programs available for farmer veterans as well as other resources and the process for creating a business plan. Additionally, RFC's Farm Launch beginning farmer business planning cohort provided land access and basic financial literacy training which reached 2 veterans. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?OSU and RFC staff have diligently worked to provide comprehensive outreach to aspiring and beginning farmer veterans in Oregon throughout the duration of this project. We have consistently kept Oregon veteran service provider staff and offices informed about our current beginning farmer program offerings through emails, phone calls, one-on-one meetings, and presentations at veteran service provider meetings. Targeted outreach has also included social media posts directed toward veteran audiences, which were boosted using demographic targeting tools to military veterans in Oregon. Additionally, we have updated our websites and program flyers to make sure veterans are included in the primary audiences we are serving. For programs with associated fees, RFC has made it clear that full scholarships are available to veterans, ensuring they can access programming without financial barriers. We have also forged strong partnerships with other agricultural service providers prioritizing serving veterans, including OSU Small Farms in Corvallis and American Farmland Trust. These collaborations have led to the creation of a resource guide for veterans farming in Oregon, which we frequently use and will continue to update in partnership with these organizations. Due to OSU and RFC's persistence in reaching veteran farmers in Oregon, we have begun to build deeper connections with beginning farmer veterans in Oregon. Both organizations have been invited to support the establishment of a new Oregon coordinating committee of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, as it begins to establish an Oregon FVC Chapter. Southern Oregon OSU Small Farms staff continue to stay engaged with GVA alumni, providing support and resources. As a result, one GVA alum joined this year's cohort for two hands-on sessions, and two GVA alumni who received veteran-specific grants returned to share their experiences with current participants. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Veterans seek career and therapeutic pathways through farming, yet outreach and farming programming serving veterans in Oregon has been limited. This project engaged a total of 113 veterans in beginning farmer training and education, offering a combination of hands-on training, in-person and virtual workshops, and resource presentations. These participants were reached through a wide range of outreach efforts, helping to raise the awareness of programs and opportunities for Oregon veterans and their service providers. As a result of the hands-on farmer training programming, at least 85% of the 27 participants reported an increased understanding of successful small farm operation and management practices. Additionally,, 95% of the 86 veteran participants who attended educational sessions on resources for farmers increased their understanding of USDA programs, resources and tools for accessing land, and available networking opportunities. This project has helped aspiring and beginning farmer veterans in Oregon better navigate their farming careers. For example, 2 alumni of the Growing Veteran Agripreneur program received a Dauntless Veteran Foundation grant to purchase equipment and launch a farm business. Another joined the Oregon Pasture Network and expanded her livestock operation to additional acreage. Yet another will be applying for federal USDA programs in 2025. OSU and RFC are now seen as trusted agricultural service provider allies to aspiring and beginning veteran farmers in Oregon, as evidenced by beginning farmer veterans continuing to reach out to our program staff for support and resources.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Our main target audience was military veterans in Oregon who are beginning or aspiring farmers. Changes/Problems:OSU Growing Veteran Agripreneurs had a difficult time with participant retention in the Growing Veteran Agripreneur program in 2023. Unlike the previous year, half of the cohort members had small children who were out of school June through late August, necessitating their providing childcare while partners worked. Once those members were out of the habit of coming, it was hard to get them back. Another quarter of the cohort openly talked of suffering from PTSD and/or social anxiety. Though it seemed helpful for participants to share their experiences navigating the VA system while working in the fields, those same struggles likely kept them home at times. One regularly attending member left the state in July for medical treatment outside the VA system and didn't return.Apart from checking in by phone and email, sharing online resources/notes, and being generally supportive of participants doing what was needed for their mental/physical/familial health, it was hard to know how to respectfully encourage greater engagement. For RFC, it has continued to be a struggle to confirm veteran participants in our Apprenticeship Program (formerly titled Internship Program) due to the number of hours required and the fact that our Host Farmers make placement decisions, making it impossible for staff to prioritize veteran participants. However, RFC did launch a new part-time hands-on farmer training program called the Regenerative Farming Fellowship in partnership with an existing non-profit farm. In this program we jointly make decisions on who gets placed in the program with our partner farm and will be prioritizing aspiring farmers who face increased barriers to participation in such programs: specifically applicants who are veterans, low-income, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided many opportunities for training for veteran beginning farmers throughout the reporting period. The 2023 OSU Growing Veteran Agripreneur (GVA) cohort met 11 times at the Southern Oregon Research & Extension Center for hands-on practicums and field days focused on direct seeding, tray seeding, transplanting, soil amendments, bed preparation, drip irrigation set-up, trellising, harvesting, value added products (made chutney), vineyard establishment, and use of a walk behind tractor (BCS). Various research faculty and 2022 GVA alumni shared their research and experience on the topics of vineyards, grant-assisted equipment purchases, and cover cropping with a BCS. GVA participants also participated in Rogue Farm Corps' Beginning Farmer Educational Event Series (BFEES) in the Rogue Valley. BFEES consists of in-person and online classes, farm tours, and discussions led by experienced farmers, agricultural service providers, food system leaders, and RFC staff. It is an intentionally inclusive space for beginning and aspiring farmers of diverse backgrounds and identities to come together to learn, share, and network. RFC served 2 additional veterans through this series outside of GVA during the reporting period. Farm tours showcase practical skills and individual farmers' stories, as well as insight into diverse production and marketing systems. Production topics include introduction to horticulture, plant propagation, soil biology & fertility management, irrigation systems, weed management & tools, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), food safety and post harvest handling, cover cropping, crop rotation, grazing and pasture management, animal husbandry, and winter farming / season extension. Farm operation management includes: farm business planning basics, Innovative/Collective Farm Business Models, and crop planning. Food system topics include a Social History of the US & Oregon Food System, Farm and Food Advocacy, Food Justice / Food Sovereignty, and Next Steps for Beginning Farmers. Time for discussions and socializing provide time for participants to network within the larger beginning farmer cohort. Farm tours also provide an opportunity for participants to network with experienced farmers, and opportunities for questions and discussion are provided throughout BFEES. This project also supported the 2023 Rogue Farm Corps Changing Hands events which provide education and facilitated networking to beginning farmers and ranchers who are seeking land access and business support as well as farmers, ranchers, and landholders who are seeking to pass on or provide access to their land and/or business. RFC organized two day-long conferences in February 2023, one at the Central Oregon Veterans Ranch outside Bend and one at Chemeketa Community College in Salem. We offered day-long workshops and facilitated intergenerational networking opportunities for new and retiring farmers. Workshop topics included "Marketing Your Farm/Land Vision: Communication and Networking" and "Leasing Case Studies," along with introductions to succession planning and Oregon Farmlink by partners Oregon Agricultural Trust and Friends of Family Farmers. 70 people registered between both events, and 51 people attended, including 9 veterans. All registrants received access to our library of Changing Hands Workshop recordings and specific resources for military veterans. This project supported one veteran in participating in RFC's Farm Launch beginning farmer business planning cohort which ran October 2022 - March 2023, with weekly virtual cohort meetings and opportunities for 1:1 technical assistance with business planning. Training topics included: How to create a farm business plan, Options for accessing capital &/or farmland, How to use financial statements, How to set incremental goals, Ways to access land for lease or purchase, Why & how to obtain business insurance, and How to hire employees. This project also provided a virtual resource panel for aspiring/beginning farmer veterans on January 24, 2023, coordinated by OSU Southern Oregon Small Farms. This session reached 27 attendees and is also publicly available here: https://media.oregonstate.edu/media/t/1_h24g8kzv.Presenters and topics included:Matt Gordon, Education Director, Rogue Farm Corps (Training Programs and Land Access); Erin Kimbrough, Program Coordinator, Battleground to Breaking Ground (Training Programs and Networking); Erika Knight, Grant Program Coordinator, USDA Rural Development (Value Added Producer Grant); Dr. Gabrielle Roesch-McNally, Women for the Land Program, American Farmland Trust (Networking and Training Programs, Funding Opportunities); Isa Marie McIntyre, Grants Manager, Farmer Veteran Coalition (Grants and Homegrown by Heroes); Marshall Doak, Center Director, Southern Oregon Small Business Development Center (Business Plan Development and Marketing Support). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?RFC and OSU Southern Oregon Small Farms have shared the work we are doing with veteran stakeholders including veteran service organizations in the Rogue Valley and across Oregon. We have been most in touch with Lisa Pickart who is a veteran service provider in Josephine County.OSU staff also attended the May 2023 in-person Southern Oregon Veteran Affairs Roundtable meeting to provide information on RFC & OSU farmer training programs to veteran service providers & stakeholders. RFC is a subawardee on an American Farmland Trust project focused on engaging women farmer veterans in Oregon, and shares the work of this project with that team. RFC is also in touch with the statewide OSU Small Farms teamin their work to engage veterans in farming in Oregon and coordinates outreach and activity efforts with that team. OSU Southern Oregon Small Farms staff have kept in touch with Growing Veteran Agripreneur program alumni and offered opportunities for them to stay involved with the program. As a result of this, 1 GVA alum joined this year's cohort for 2 hands-on sessions, and 2 GVA alumni who received a veteran-specific grant shared their experience with current participants. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, we will be in a fourth no-cost extension year, having spent down most of the budget. We will finish out the third year of OSU GVA hands-on sessions in October 2023. We plan to continue outreach to veterans andveteran service providers on the array of farmer training and farmer resources available to veterans in Oregon. OSU will facilitate a virtual workshop on creating a farm mission/vision statement in the winter 2024. We will prioritize using participant support funds for veterans attending RFC and OSU farmer training events and programming, including OSU veteran-focused farm tours, RFC Apprenticeship, Regenerative Farming Fellowship, Changing Hands, and Farm Launch. We hope to also offer participant support funds to Oregon veterans who need financial assistance to participate in other events, workshops, and trainings for farmers (pending NIFA budget change review).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Veterans seek career and therapeutic pathways through farming, but outreach & farming programming serving veterans in Oregon has been limited. The third year of this project engaged a total of 44 veterans in beginning farmer training through a variety of hands-on training, in-person and virtual workshops, and resource presentations. These participants were reached through a diverse array of outreach efforts, raising the awareness of programs & opportunities for farmers among Oregon veterans and their service providers. As a result of the beginning farmer training programming 100% of 9 farmer training participants increased their understanding of successful small farm operation & management practices. As a result of informational sessions on farmer veteran resources, 100% of 36 veteran participants increased their awareness of USDA programs, statewide programs, & networking opportunities for farmer veterans. Aspiring & beginning Oregon farmer veterans are more likely to successfully navigate a farming career due to this project. For example, 2 Growing Veteran Agripreneur program alumni received a Dauntless Veteran Foundation grant to purchase equipment to launch a farm business.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience is military veterans in Oregon who are beginning farmers or who are potentially interested in exploring a career in agriculture. Our outreach efforts sought to reach veterans across Oregon to let them know about RFC's farm training programs and virtual Changing Hands workshops. We also geographically targeted veterans in Jackson and Josephine counties in southern Oregon in our outreach for the OSU Agripreneurs program. All outreach materials noted that program scholarships are available for military veterans. Changes/Problems:RFC has experienced challenges placing veterans in our training programs. In 2022, we had 3 veterans apply for Internship and Apprenticeship positions at our partner Host Farms. However,no veterans secured placements (see previous response for details). We worked with our 3rd party evaluation team to do a deep dive series of interviews with veterans who have participated in RFC's and OSU's beginning farmer programming to better understand their needs, goals and barriers. We learned that though our outreach has been extensive, it helps to have more personal conversations with veterans and veteran service providers so they more fully understand the program offerings. We also learned that our programming has worked well for veterans that have participated, but that we still had a significant problem with securing veterans with placements at host farms. Through additional alumni evaluation, we have also learned that full-season on-farm internships and apprenticeships are not always the best first step for people who are new to agriculture. With this in mind, we have designed a new program, the Regenerative Farming Fellowship, which we will pilot in 2023 in partnership with Family Nurturing Center's (FNC) farm in Central Point OR (formerly a RFC host farm), which we hope will address these problems. From April through October 2023, this program will provide 5 aspiring farmers with two days per week of on-farm training and education in addition to the RFC Beginning Farmer Educational Event Series of farm tours, classes, and discussions. RFC staff and FNC farm manager will jointly provide on-the-ground training, education, and supervision to the participants at the FNC farm site in collaboration with the FNC farm regular employee crew. FNC and RFC will both do outreach and prioritize veterans and communities that have been underserved or marginalized in agriculture. Participants will be paid $15/hr for their farm time as temporary employees of FNC. RFC and FNC will have the agency to decide which applicants secure program spots and we will again be prioritizing people from groups and demographics that have been underserved or marginalized in agriculture, including veterans. We hope that with more intentional outreach, the ability to make placement decisions, more part-time positions, and more direct RFC staff engagement with the education and training on the farm site, that this new program model will better be able to serve aspiring farmer veterans as well as aspiring farmers from other underserved groups. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Project Director Abigail Singer attended the 2021 Farmer Veteran Conference to learn from and network with other farm training organizations serving veterans across the country. Our 3rd party evaluation consulting firm Insight for Action has provided RFCwith training and input on how to better track our past participants via our CRM database, including how to track participants' demographics, the type of programming they participated in, and whether or not they have completed a particular past participant survey. Tracking and keeping in touch past participants in the past has been done mostly using various spreadsheets. Capturing all past participant data in the CRM will centralize and streamline this process, as well as provide staff with easier access to past participant data. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?American Farmland Trust was awarded an AgVets grant in 2021 for their project, Veteran Women for the Land, which seeks to better understand and serve the needs of women veterans in the Pacific Northwest. RFC's Executive Director, Abigail Singer, was asked to serve on the Advisory Council for this project, and that has been a generative space for all organizations involved to share successes and challenges, and develop shared strategies to better serve veterans through our programs. In 2022, Singer organized a meeting of RFC, Agripreneurs, American Farmland Trust, and the state-wide OSU Small Farms Program to share updates, lessons learned, and future plans with regard to our work serving farmer veterans in Oregon. We have created a shared outreach document merging all of our organizational contacts, as well as an Oregon-based farmer veteran resource guide. We expect this to be a lasting collaboration. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?As noted above, we are teaming up with OSU and AFT to reach a broader audience via sharing outreach lists and doing joint outreach as appropriate. RFC has had challenges placing veterans at partner host farms. This is also the case with other disadvantaged groups that we want to prioritize serving, such as BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ farmers. The main reason for this is that RFC's Host Farmers make placement offers and decisions, rather than RFC, as the intern/apprentice will be working and training at the host farm for the hands-on training component of the program. The host farmers each have their own priorities in what they are looking for in candidates. Due to this and many other reasons we will be launching a new hands-on training program called the Regenerative Farming Fellowship in 2023, where we will have the ability to make placement decisions. Please see more about this in the Changes/Problems section below. RFC will also be implementing some changes to our Internship and Apprenticeship programming in order to increase access to positions. In the past, Host Farmers have had the option to pay an educational stipend or hire interns/apprentices as waged employees. Starting in 2023, all farmer trainee positions at RFC host farms will be called "apprenticeships" and all will be compensated as waged employment. We believe this will make these positions financially more accessible to more people, including veterans. OSU: Continuing Education - foster a community of alumni interested in supporting each other through work parties, shared resources and requesting classes of OSU Small Farms so that the learning continues beyond the scope of the grant.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
GOAL 1: This project will Increase veterans' knowledge about farmer training opportunities in Oregon. Outreach Materials Created: OSU created a new printed tri fold and updated website for the Veteran Agripreneurs 2022 programming. RFC created a new updated graphic outreach flyer for 2022 farmer training programs with veteran scholarship info included. OSU distributed fliers in locations around the Rogue Valley including the Grange Co-op, Food Co-Ops, Libraries, Southern Oregon University's Veteran Resources Office, Home Depot, Gun Clubs, Bowling Alleys, and Plant Nurseries with community bulletin boards. OSU worked with county Veteran Service Offices (VSOs) to reach veterans through outreach emails and fliers. OSU held a one hour information session on USDA/statewide programs for farmer veterans in January 2022. Representatives from eight organizations and agencies presented resources to a total of 33 veterans. Online and print outreach efforts: RFC conducted email outreach to 77 Oregon veteran-related offices (including Southern OR and Portland VA) providing outreach information in email and flyer form on RFC and OSU beginning farmer training opportunities for veterans in Oregon. RFC contacted 36 social media outlets related to veterans providing outreach information on RFC and OSU beginning farmer training opportunities for veterans in Oregon. RFC created a paid social media boost describing opportunities for veterans interested in farming to train at RFC host farms: Results were 44 link clicks and a reach of 5,802 Online advertising: RFC ran targeted online ads through the Western states' largest agricultural newspaper, The Capital Press, in January and February 2022. Our target was 56,000 impressions and we delivered 58,381, prompting 105 people to visit the RFC website, for a click-through rate of 0.18% (the national average is in the 0.04%-0.07% range). Virtual outreach: RFC and OSU gave 1 presentation and Q&A session given to a Zoom meeting of 25 VSO staff throughout Oregon, providing information on RFC and OSU's beginning farmer training opportunities for veterans and the RFC Changing Hands veteran-focused workshops. GOAL 2: This project will increase veteran participation in hands-on beginning farmer training programs in Oregon RFC: Three veterans applied to Internship/Apprenticeship positions at RFC host farms. Unfortunately none of them achieved on-farm placements. We had 4 unique veterans who participated in beginning farmer educational events, specifically the weekend intensives. Under RFC's current training program model, we don't make placement decisions for apprenticeship / internship positions at our partner host farms; the host farms make those placement decisions. This has presented challenges to our ability to prioritize serving veterans. More about our plans to address this is below, under the "What do you plan to do during the next reporting period" question. OSU: Six unique veterans participated in our 30-week intensive, two sparsely. Three regular attendees also brought family members with whom they are pursuing their farming ventures. Four of the six veterans are continuing, as alumni, to learn together and support one another through a shared google calendar for work parties and a text thread, that includes our program manager, for questions and shared resources and successes. GOAL 3: This project will increase the number of successful farmer veterans in Oregon via land access and financetrainings RFC's Changing Hands workshops serve farmers and ranchers who are seeking land and farmers and ranchers who are ready to plan for the succession of their land and/or business. In 2021, the series shifted to an online format due to COVID-19, taking place virtually in February and March, 2021. Planning in 2020 laid the foundation to offer 16 topic-based workshops totalling 24 hours of content to over 130 attendees from 95 distinct zip codes, extending all the way to New York State (though the majority of participants were based in Oregon). These workshops were broken into 4 concurrent tracks on business development, land access, transition planning, and storytelling and networking. While all workshops contained useful material for all farmers including veterans, one workshop was designed specifically for military veteran farmers. The next round of Changing Hands Workshops stayed online, taking place virtually from December 2021 to March 2022. RFC held 11 workshops (17 hours of content) on Business Planning & Finances; Agricultural Leasing; and Land Justice & Cooperative Businesses. The 2022 series featured a workshop track dedicated to veteran farmer resources. The 2021 veteran resources workshops had six registrants and five attendees, while the 2022 veteran resources workshops had 21 registrants and three attendees. All workshop recordings were sent to registrants and 2022 workshop recordings are publicly accessible through RFC's website. To date, veteran resource recordings have 22 and 25 views respectively.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Veterans and veteran families in Oregon. Changes/Problems:RFC's Changing Hands Program RFC's Changing Hands Program has increased efforts to support veteran beginning farmers and ranchers through the Changing Hands Workshops and through a new program that has been in development over the last year, Farm Launch. Farm Launch will provide in-depth technical support to a cohort of 10 beginning farmers and ranchers who are ready to take the next steps toward accessing land and establishing their farm business. The program will combine cohort learning with one-on-one technical assistance and coaching. RFC staff will work individually with farmers, providing personalized support to help participants develop a business plan and advance their goals. Together, we will address any questions or barriers that arise along the way, and take the next steps to build an effective and sustainable business plan and explore options for accessing land. We will also connect program participants with more specialized resources and service providers as needed. Farm Launch participants will gain a solid foundation in business planning and strategies for accessing land and capital. Our cohort curriculum will cover: Visioning and goal setting Marketing and branding: identify your niche, know your market & reach your customers Financial preparedness and keeping accurate records Understanding options and strategies for accessing capital to build your business Understanding options, strategies, and creative models for accessing land Land assessment to determine whether a site will fit your farm's needs The Farm Launch cohort will provide a space for peer-to-peer learning, mutual support, accountability, and relationship building. RFC will organize additional classes and trainings and bring in guest instructors based on the needs of the cohort. The program runs from October 2021 through March 2022, with an option to extend one-on-one technical assistance beyond that. One member of our pilot 2021-2022 Farm Launch cohort is a military veteran. RFC's Internship & Apprenticeship Programs RFC recognized that in the past we haven't collected demographic information about applicants to the Internship/Apprenticeship programming (only accepted participants). Therefore, it was challenging to know how many veterans applied. However, we did have 3 applicants self-report veteran status. We are looking at adding a demographics section to our application and will be figuring out the best way to do that for applications that open in January 2022. Another obstacle we encountered was that the decision-making power for who gets placements at a host farm in our programming is entirely in the hands of host farmers. This makes sense because of the good working relationship needed between mentor farmers and interns/apprentices at their farm. However, it does make it challenging for us to prioritize working with a certain demographic, e.g. veterans. To address this need we are taking several approaches: One is that we are very interested in finding at least one host farmer who is a veteran themself and is particularly interested in working with aspiring farmer veterans at their site. We plan to do outreach this winter for this. Another plan which is more long-term is to develop part-time entry-level teaching farm sites at partner locations where RFC staff have a day-to-day role in the mentorship, training, and supervision of a cohort of aspiring farmer participants. Under this new model, we would prioritize working with certain populations, including veterans, and we would have a full or partial role in the final decision-making process about who participates in the programming. Oregon State University Agripreneurs Program Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the workshop on USDA/statewide veteran programs has been postponed to January 2022 and will now be delivered online. Offering the program online will enable veterans throughout Oregon to take part, as well as the ability to record the program and disseminate the recording through OSU Extension's Small Farms program. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?RFC organized a cultural sensitivity training for working with veterans for RFC and OSU staff. The training was extremely informative; presenters were from the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs and the Portland VA. RFC requested feedback on outreach materials targeting veterans from Deer Island Studios, a graphic design and communications firm, who provided a consultation brief under the supervision of an individual familiar with Veteran Affairs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results from 2021 are still being synthesized. Past participant survey reports from OSU Agripreneurs and RFC's Farmer Training Programs conducted and analyzed by our third party evaluator, Insight for Action, are being shared with the Oregon Community Food System Network's Beginning Farmer & Rancher working group stakeholders. RFC and OSU Agripreneurs are planning to meet with Oregon VSOs to update them on how last season went and seek their input on how to reach more veterans with our outreach this winter. We also look forward to connecting with mission-aligned organizations at the Farmer Veteran Conference this winter, learning from the successes and challenges of similar programs and sharing our own experiences with our colleagues. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?RFC and OSU will work with Insight for Action to conduct interviews with veterans to learn more about what aspiring farmer veterans want from programs like ours and what the main barriers to participation are for aspiring farmer veterans. From these results we will look at modifying our program content and structure to better meet farmer veterans where they are. RFC will be working on solidifying 2022 partner host farms in Dec 2021 and January 2022 in a new, more flexible structure. RFC hopes to find at least one host farmer who is a veteran themself who would like to prioritize working with aspiring farmer veterans. We will also ask our entire Host Farmer network to prioritize mentoring aspiring farmers from social groups facing unique challenges and systemic barriers to establishing sustainable careers in agriculture, such as veterans, farmers of color, women, low-income individuals, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. RFC's upcoming Changing Hands Workshops (December 2021-February 2022) will host two dedicated workshops for military veterans, one workshop on farm financing by the FSA and one workshop on resources and support offered by the Farmer Veteran Coalition. OSU will be running the season-long, hands-on Growing Veteran Agriprenuers program at the OSU teaching farm in Central Point, Oregon. A cohort of five to seven veteran beginning farmers will spend several hours each week working alongside a farm mentor and engaging in skill-building sessions. OSU and RFC will perform another round of winter outreach for program participants, seeking input from VSOs on how we can reach more veterans who might be interested in agriculture. This winter, RFC is conducting both broad and targeted outreach to potential host farmers for the 2022 farming season. RFC will be transitioning our entry-level Internship Program and advanced-level Apprenticeship Program to an employment-based model, an evolution of our current model which allows host farmers to offer interns and apprentices an educational stipend (and often room and board as well) but does not require they be compensated with a wage or operate within an employment-based relationship. This change will take effect in 2022 for the Apprenticeship Program, and 2022 will be a transition year for the Internship Program. Host farmers hosting interns next season will be encouraged to transition to an employment mode; if they are not in a financial position to do so there will be a higher stipend required. In addition, as a result of a strategic planning process undertaken in 2021, RFC is having exploratory conversations with organizational partners about collaborating on a new entry-level beginning farmer training program at specific farm sites. This program model would make it easier for RFC to prioritize veterans (and other under-represented demographics) in our beginning farmer training programming because in such a model we would have decision-making power over who gets accepted for training positions (as opposed to our current model, in which host farmers offer on-farm training positions to applicants). RFC would also have more control over the day-to-day training, mentorship, and learning environment on farm.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
GOAL 1: RFC staff gave an online presentation about RFC and OSU's agricultural training opportunities for veterans to Oregon Veteran Service Office staff reaching ~25 during one of their weekly VSO meetings. We met with several organizations to spread the word about RFC and OSU's veteran programming opportunities including Central Oregon Veterans Ranch, Jackson County VSO, and Veterans Legacy garden coordinator. Outreach to Oregon Veteran Service Offices and student veteran offices at Oregon colleges about RFC and OSU's opportunities for veterans to engage in beginning farmer training programming. 67 contacts were each contacted at least twice. Outreach to other Oregon-based veteran-focused organizations about RFC and OSU's opportunities for veterans to engage in beginning farmer training programming. 16 organizations were each contacted at least twice. Social media outreach targeting veterans for OSU's Growing Veteran Agripreneurs reached 3,482 (engagement: 140). Social media outreach targeting veterans for RFC's training programs reached 22,228 (engagements: 1,937) Sent veteran-related social media posts to 44 veteran-specific social media accounts across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The Changing Hands workshop series was advertised through Capital Press News starting on Jan 15, 2021 and reached 78,000 impressions and a clickthrough rate that was almost quadruple the national cross-industry average. RFC conducted additional outreach about the event series to 154 food and farming organizations, 50 media outlets, and our 3,000+ newsletter subscribers. GOAL 2: OBJECTIVE A: 9 participants started the season. 5 were veterans and 1 was a veteran's widow. OBJECTIVE B: 3 veterans applied to RFC's training programs; however, none of them secured a position at a RFC host farm. RFC did engage 2 veterans in 2 different weekend intensive trainings as part of the advanced-level Apprenticeship educational event series. This season deepened the partnership between OSU's Agripreneurs Program and RFC in the Rogue Valley. The two cohorts collaborated on 14 classes and farm tours during the season, visiting farms throughout the Rogue Valley, and discussing topics from Plant Propagation to Irrigation Management, and Farm Business to Season Extension. Maud Powell, OSU Program Coordinator, and Elizabeth Tobey, RFC Chapter Coordinator, attended all joint sessions and facilitated introductions and debrief discussions between the two cohorts allowing for networking, further reflection, and peer learning. GOAL 3: Objective A: RFC's 2021 Changing Hands series was moved to a virtual format due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. RFC's Changing Hands Workshop Series provides a much-needed resource to farmers and ranchers who are seeking land and business support (typically younger), and to farmers and ranchers who are seeking to pass on their land and/or business (typically older and retiring). The purpose of the event was two-fold: to introduce attendees to the skills, resources, and service providers necessary to achieve their respective goals, and to facilitate networking between these two audiences to help them form relationships that may result in land leases, business partnerships, and/or succession or transfer of ownership. This year's workshop offerings included a dedicated workshop with networking and resources on Starting a Farm as a Military Veteran, featuring presenters Yani Bunch from Not Forgotten Outreach, Rachel Petitt from Farmer Veteran Coalition, and Donna Sprenkle from FSA. This workshop reached 8 participants. Other workshops also featured military veteran farmers as presenters: Mickey Willenbring in our Business Planning Workshop and Lyle McDonald in our "Stories of Successful Land Acquisition" Workshop. Objective B: Due to OSU's COVID-19 policies, the annual class on USDA/statewide programs for veterans has been postponed to January 2022.
Publications
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