Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period our team served all three segments of our target audience: African American farmers, specialty crop producers, and urban producers. We served Maryland beginning farmers, with a focus on urban farmers in Baltimore and peri-urban farmers in Southern Maryland (the five counties west and south of Washington, DC). Changes/Problems:In year 1 of the project, starting the project was delayed due to the time required to execute contracts among the primary awardee and all five subawardees, and getting invoicing procedures established. Hiring the Extension Program Assistant also took longer than anticipated, and some subawardee organizations experienced turnover in technical staff and had to rehire positions. We are on track to meet our proposed participant numbers, but we requested and were approved for a 1 year No Cost Extension to wrap up the final deliverables: publishing the educational materials developed as Extension factsheets and conducting final follow-up surveys of participants. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?This project is entirely education based, not research. So the accomplishments towards goals listed above are all related to disseminating information to communities of interest. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During our No Cost Extension period, we plan to wrap up publishing the market research case studies as Extension factsheets, and publishing educational materials that were developed related to marketing and land access legal issues. We also plan to conduct additional follow-up surveys to document deliverables.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Create market research resources and module: 112 participants this reporting period. UMDCP taught using mushroom and microgreens market research case studies on Jan. 27, 2024,at the Urban Farmer Winter Meeting (41 participants). UMDCP taught using mushroom, microgreens, and beef market research case studies on Feb. 22, 2024 as part of the Maryland Beginning Farmer Success Course. Educate about African heritage crop production and marketing: 215 this reporting period. 200 agricultural producers, urban growers, landowners, and stakeholders across the Mid-Atlantic traveled to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to celebrate the 20th annual Small Farm Conference on November 2-4, 2023. The main objective of the conference is to connect farmers to appropriate agricultural resources, support systems/networks, and funding opportunities that will increase their ability to own and manage a farm operation successfully. On Friday afternoon, participants participated in off-site farm tours. One of the featured stops included Tallawah Farm, owned by Dr. Nadine Burton, who is also an alternative crop specialist with UMES Extension. During the visit, Dr. Burton gave a guided a tour to approximately 40 conference participants where they were able to learn about production and growing demand for locally grown African heritage crops. Overall, UMES Extension Small Farm Program continues to play a key role introducing new and beginning farmers to alternative and culturally diverse crop research taking place at the UMES Research, Extension, and Teaching Farm. UMES' Research, Extension and Teaching Farm was the site for an early spring workshop on specialty crop planting. Dr.Nadine Burton, alternative crop specialist with UMES Extension, instructed a group of small farmers on different methods for planting seeds fortransplants and the requirements for optimal growth. Attendees received materials to plant seeds and space for up to 20 trays in a heated greenhouse. A total of 15 beginning farmers participated. Connect beginning farmers with available land: 77 participants this reporting period. SMADC leveraged social media platforms to engage a wider audience, reaching over 545 active users on Facebook. They hosted 3 workshops for beginning farmers, totalling 77 participants. Each workshop covered a different topic (financial planning, urban & suburban farming, and on farm food sales), and at each workshop they shared information about their online FarmLINK land access resources. To expand land access opportunities, they added urban and suburban properties to the FarmLINK property exchange. Additionally, SMADC developed a plan for future growth, including mentor matchmaking, hiring a promotions consultant, and creating a rack card. These efforts have strengthened their position as a vital resource for beginning farmers, empowering them to succeed and contribute to the growth of Maryland's agricultural industry. Facilitate community-led efforts to advance urban farmland tenure: 384 participants this reporting period. BYI worked towards the objectives through the organizing of community programs and events.They have hosted and executed nine (9) community education events within the reporting period. The events brought together beginner farmers and community members interested in gaining knowledge about food, food systems, and agriculture. 148 participants. FAB made significant strides in supporting urban farmers by creating spaces for learning and dialogue around urbanfarm land tenure and successful farm models. By hosting these events, field days, and member meetings, they offer valuable opportunities for participants to engage with experts and peers, focusing on practical aspects like land management, soil health, finances, and marketing. This approach helps farmers build a solid foundation for both land stewardship and business success. 236 participants. Provide entrepreneurial coaching: 37 participants in reporting period. UMDCP's Entrepreneurial Coaching program served 37 new clients between September 1, 2023 and August 31, 2024. We also provided continuing coaching and follow-up communication to clients from the previous year. We trained coaches on using the Monday software to manage clients. We recruited 2 new coaches, brining our coaching roster to 12. We applied for and were awarded funding from Extension Foundation's Agriprospects Workforce Development minigrant program to continue and expand this program after the end of the BFRDP grant. Connect beginning farmers with peer mentors: 187 participants this reporting period. At FAB educational events, 187 beginning farmer participants were connected with and learned from experienced urban and suburban farmers. Educate about marketing and land access legal issues: 112 participants this reporting period ALEI taught about legal issues related to marketing, including social media marketing and online sales, at the Urban Farmer Winter Meeting on Jan. 27, 2024 (41 participants). ALEI taught about legal issues related to land access, including rental agreements and purchase agreements, at the April 4, 2024 session of the Maryland Beginning Farmer Success Course (71 participants).
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Little, N. Presenter. Myers, G., Franchini, A., & Dill, S. (2023, Oct. 24). Virtual coaching for entrepreneurial success. [Poster]. United States Department of Agriculture, Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program, Project Directors Meeting. Denver, CO.
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period our team served all three segments of our target audience: African American farmers, specialty crop producers, and urban producers. We served Maryland beginning farmers, with a focus on urban farmers in Baltimore and peri-urban farmers in Southern Maryland (the five counties west and south of Washington, DC). Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training was provided to beginning and underserved farmers throughout the year, as described above in the progress towards goals and objectives. Overall, 801 participants were served by training provided by this project during this reporting period. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The team of collaborating institutions was recruited for their ability to reach a broad population of beginning, urban, and underserved farmers. For example, UMD Extension, UMES, and UMB have large mailing lists of previous Extension event participants, while Farm Alliance of Baltimore, Black Yield Institute, and SMADC have community-level relationships with local farmers and can conduct outreach to audiences who are not currently aware of Extension resources. Educational events, webinars, and online courses were advertised via each organization's email newsletter mailing lists, social media, physical flyers, press releases, and word of mouth. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In January and February 2024, the grant PI plans to hold one-on-one meetings with each subawardee organization to identify remaining deliverables and a timeline for completing them. UMDCP will advertise the coaching program to leverage the increased number of coaches to reach more clients. UMDCP will teach about market research case studies at winter farmer meetings and during their annual beginning farmer online course.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Acronym key for project team organizations: University of Maryland, College Park (UMDCP) University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) University of Maryland Baltimore,Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI) Farm Alliance of Baltimore (FAB) Black Yield Institute (BYI) Southern Maryland Agriculture Development Commission of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland (SMADC) Goal 1: Beginning farmers enter new markets Objective 1: Create market research resources and module (UME) UMDCP taught a mushroom market research case study on Dec 6, 2022 at the 1st Maryland Mushroom Growers Symposium. Objective 2: Educate about African heritage crop production and marketing (UMES) 2022 Small Farm Conference: At theNovember 2022 annual Small Farms Conference, UMES offered a workshop session on the Cultivation and Potential Market Demand for Ethnic/Specialty Vegetables. The purpose of the session was to highlight some alternative crops that could be adapted into farmers current cropping systems while increasing their bottom line. Attendees were provided with information on seed sourcing, field preparation, nutrient and irrigation requirements, crop growth and development, postharvest life, and potential markets. Approximately 30 participants attended this session. 2023 UMES Ag Showcase - On Wednesday August 16th, 2022, UMES hosted it's 3rd annual Ag Showcase event. Purpose of this event is to showcase modern technologies in farm equipment and operation, agronomy, research, and crop production as well as introduce agriculture diversification opportunities for farms no matter how small or large. Approximately 75-100 persons took part in self-guided educational tours to learn about a wide array of specialty Ethnic crops native to Africa and the Caribbean Islands that are being grown at the research farm. Research tours: During the summer months of 2023, UMES received at least 50 visitors who stopped by to visit their UMES Research, Education, and Extension Farm. Many of these visitors wanted to learn about the alternative crop research program and see first-hand the 25+ specialty ethnic crops being grown. Farm to Food Bank: UMES and UMDCP collaborated to recruit urban farmers to grow and sell African and Latine heritage crops to the Maryland Food Bank, to be distributed through food pantries with a high population of residents requesting those products. Two urban farmers and 1 rural farmer entered into contracts with the MD Food Bank, and one farmer began growing a new crop (Calabaza) which she ended up selling through a farmer's association aggregator. Goal 2: Beginning farmers improve on their current land access situation Objective 3: Connect beginning farmers with available land (FarmLINK, SMADC) Maryland FarmLINK is a platform that connects beginning farmers with available land opportunities in Maryland, bridging the gap between farmers and landowners by offering an online database, resources, and support to improve land access for new farmers and foster the growth of the agricultural industry. SMADC (Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission) has played a significant role in working towards the objectives of connecting and improving land access for beginning farmers in Southern Maryland. First, SMADC has developed a Land Link program that serves as a matchmaking service, connecting aspiring farmers with available farmland in the region. They maintain a user-created database of available land and provide assistance in connecting farmers with landowners, fostering successful land agreements. During this grant period, 1,796 people accessed the FarmLINK website. Second, SMADC offers resources and support to help beginning farmers navigate the process of accessing land. They provide educational programs, workshops, and one-on-one consultations to help beginning farmers understand the leasing and purchasing process, develop business plans, and access financial resources. Additionally, SMADC works to raise awareness about the importance of supporting beginning farmers and securing land access. They collaborate with community organizations, host events, and provide outreach efforts to promote the value of agriculture and the need for land access opportunities.During this grant period, educational participants totalled 55. Objective 4: Facilitate community-led efforts to advance urban farmland tenure (FAB & BYI) Farm Alliance of Baltimore held 4 events to facilitate community-led efforts to advance urban farmland tenure. The classes and speakers at our member meetings have been held locally in Baltimore city and allow plenty of time for participants to engage and ask questions. Participants in land tenure events totalled 57. Black Yield Institute has made notable strides in community empowerment and sustainable development over the last grant cycle. Key achievements include impactful community engagement initiatives, such as the Maroonteenth Celebration, which have significantly strengthened communal bonds andcultural awareness. In the realm of food distribution, the organization has successfully distributed over 13,000 pounds of produce, enhancing local food accessibility and supporting local agriculture through partnerships with black vendors. Significant advancements in education and advocacy are marked by the publication of influential works like "BOOTS" and "Seeing Sovereignty," contributing to political education and narrative preservation. Additionally, the development of new farm land demonstrates Black Yield Institute's commitment to long-term community growth and resilience. Community land sovreignty event participants totalled 299. New research project: UMDCP (Andrea Franchini) and ALEI (Megan Todd) began collaborating on a land tenure research project. They wrote evaluation instruments and received UMD Human Research Board approval for surveys and interviews of urban farmers, service providers, and local government staff. The goal of the project is to identify local government land tenure policy case studies, to provide cities and counties with examples of how they can preserve urban farmland and protect urban farmland tenure. Both Goals 1 and 2: Objective 5: Provide entrepreneurial coaching (UME) UMDCP's Entrepreneurial Coaching program served 36 new clients between October 2022 and September 2023. We also provided continuing coaching and follow-up communication to clients from the previous year. We identified limitations of the Teachable software platform, and replaced it with a new Client Management Software called Monday, which has provided advanced abilities to track and communicate with coaching clients. We trained 3 additional coaches, bringing our coaching roster to 10. We plan to advertise our coaching program more widely in 2024, now that our capacity has expanded. Objective 6: Connect beginning farmers with peer mentors (SMADC, FAB, UMES) Farm Alliance of Baltimore organized 3 field days where participants visitedseveral successful peri urban and rural farms and provided an opportunity for urban farmers in the program to visit and observe systems on larger scalefarms located in peri-urban and rural settings. Participants totalled 70. Objective 7: Educate about marketing and land access legal issues Maryland Beginning Farmer Success Course: In winter 2023, Megan Todd (ALEI) taught a session on land access legal issues for the 2023 Maryland Beginning Farmer Success Course (90 participants) Chesapeake Ag Innovation Center: In November 2022, Megan Todd (ALEI) taught value added producers about marketing legal issues, including Intellectual Property.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period our team served all three segments of our target audience: African American farmers, specialty crop producers, and urban producers. We served Maryland beginning farmers, with a focus on urban farmers in Baltimore and peri-urban farmers in Southern Maryland (the five counties west and south of Washington, DC). Changes/Problems:Administrative delays slowed down the process of executing the main grant agreement and thusthe subaward agreements, resulting in the first team meeting being held in January 2022, and funded staff not being able to be hired until February 2022. UMDCP co-PI Wang, who was the team's evaluation specialist, left for a new position, which has delayed revising evaluation instruments. The project is operating using existing beginning farmer and coaching evaluation instruments which have been previously approved for IRB. UMDCP co-PIs are in the process of revising these evaluation instruments and submitting for an IRB update to more closely measure the grant deliverable knowledge gains and behavior changes. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training was provided to beginning and underserved farmers throughout the year, as described above in the progress towards goals and objectives. Overall, 401 participants were served by training provided by this project. The team held 8 in-person trainings, 8 webinars, and one 9-week online course. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The team of collaborating institutions was recruited for their ability to reach a broad population of beginning, urban, and underserved farmers. For example, UMD Extension, UMES, and UMB have large mailing lists of previous Extension event participants, while Farm Alliance of Baltimore, Black Yield Institute, and SMADC have community-level relationships with local farmers and can conduct outreach to audiences who are not currently aware of Extension resources.Educational events, webinars, and online courses were advertised via each organization's email newsletter mailing lists, social media, physical flyers, press releases, and word of mouth. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, we plan to build on the foundations that we built in 2022. UMD Extension will expand recruiting for it's Entrepreneurial Coaching program,launch the market research educational materials, and these and partner organization resources through its annual Beginning Farmer Success Course. UMB will teach about legal issues related to land access and marketing. SMADC will continue to improve the FarmLink web portal and recruit new participants. UMES will continue to conduct applied research and education on ethnic specialty crop production and marketing. FAB and BYI will hold community consensus building sessions around urban land tenure.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1: Beginning farmers enter new markets: Objective 1: Create market research resources and module: 15 participants in 2022 UMDCP co-PIs Little and Sasscer began development of market research case studies.Preliminary market research educational materials were piloted at the Women in Agriculture Webinar. Little's role as PI meant that administering the grant initiation took up more time than expected in year 1, delaying full development of the market research case studies. These case studies are projected to be completed and piloted in winter 2023. Objective 2: Educate about African heritage crop production and marketing: 61 participants in 2022 UMES built on their active Alternative Agricultural program which has been involved heavily in promoting locally grown African heritage crops create a platform for the expansion. In 2022, co-PI Burton increased outreach through workshops, technical support, and one-on-one training to educate farmers on diversifying their crop offerings by way of culturally/African heritage crops inclusion. Burton also conducted research on the efficacy on vertical aeroponics production of African heritage crops which wouldprovide growers with research-based information. Co-PIs Rogers and Burton plannedurban agriculture and African heritage crop sessions for their annual Small Farms Conference in November 2022, and offered scholarships to support urban farmers in attending this conference. Goal 2: Beginning farmers improve on their current land access situation Objective 3. Connect beginning farmers with available land (FarmLINK) SMADC co-PI Watson-Hampton supervised a website contractor and the SMADC Creative Services Specialist staff member to work on this objective. The website contractor updated the Maryland FarmLINK website to allow an urban peri-urban property identifier for property exchange listings and added new website pages specific to urban agriculture. During 2022 there was a change in staffing for the Creative Services Specialist. In the interim, co-PI Watson-Hampton collected images and researched information to populate the urban agriculture page. She then hired Kelly Swann to fill the Creative Services Specialist position and continue work on the FarmLINK updates. Swann received leads from realtors interested in reaching the agriculture sector, in addition to many new and beginning farmers, urban and peri-urban, looking for local resources to assist with business planning. Swann is currently updating the website and building out the portal specifically for Urban farmers that will connect them to resourcesfor their use. An outreach marketing campaign is planned for mid-February 2023. The website can be accessed here: https://marylandfarmlink.com/ Objective 4: Facilitate community-led efforts to advance urban farmland tenure: 100 participants During this grant period, BYI themselves faced the setback of losing access to their urban farm site. This situation was covered in the press here: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/05/black-led-urban-farmsare-thriving-until-they-have-to-fight-for-their-land Despite this challenge, the BYI team worked tirelessly through adversity to provide high quality services and leadership through organizing in both the Cherry Hill and Mt. Clare neighborhoods of Baltimore, MD. They organized community members in support of the Cherry Hill Food Co-Op at the annual town hall, hosted agricultural skills building volunteer days at Cherry Hill Urban Community Garden, the new Mt.Clare farm, and celebrated the Cherry Hill community at the community cultural events in October and November 2021 and June 2022. While their volunteer and skill building activities became largely unavailable throughout the grant period, they used the farm displacement from Cherry Hill to Mt. Clare to host volunteer days where participants learned agriculture skills such as how to till fields and remove crops and fruit trees from the land. Both Goals 1 and 2: Objective 5: Provide entrepreneurial coaching: 22 participants in 2022 UMDCP co-PIs Little and Dill hired an Extension Program Assistant, Andrea Franchini, to coordinate the coaching program activities. Franchini built out a new online coaching portal using the software Teachable, revised the coaching client intake process, prepared and led a train-the-trainer for current and new coaches, updated the Extension website, prepared and launched an advertising campaign for the coaching program, and provided troubleshooting for coaching clients and coaches using the new online portal. New coaches were recruited and trained, including co-PIs Nichols, Hirsh, Sater, and Sasscer. Two additional coaches beyond the co-PI team were recruited. This brings the coachingteam to six active coaches and two coaches who are sitting in on coaching sessions until they gain more experience. Information about the coaching program is available here: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/cultivating-entrepreneurship Objective 6: Connect beginning farmers with peer mentors UMES co-PIs laid the groundwork for this objective as they prepared for their annualSmall Farms Conference for November 2022. Objective 7:Educate about marketing and land access legal issues: 75 participants ALEI co-PIs Everhart and Todd organized and hosted an August webinar series onbusiness structure choice and risk management considerations. Todd presented during the UMDCP Beginning Farmer course on the topic of Land Acquisition & Understanding Lease Agreements.
Publications
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