Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:This project reached more than 3,000 people, including beginning farmers, farmland owners, specialized service providers, and others, with education, outreach, and/or technical assistance. We increased awareness and knowledge about farmland access, tenure, succession, and transfer among 182 technical specialists, 325 farmland owners, and 2,000-plus beginning farmers. We also helped place agricultural easements on two farms to facilitate their transfer to new farmers, and we raised awareness and support generally, as well as dedicated funds, to facilitate the future use of easements to improve beginning farmer land access. In addition, our navigators worked one-on-one with 503 beginning farmer clients, enabling 164 of them to improve their farmland tenure through new leases or land purchases. Changes/Problems:We feel that the project was very successful and are proud that we more than accomplished our goals. We look forward to continuing this important work with new BFRDP funding starting in 2024. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Through this project, we held at least 55 educational webinars and in-person educational sessions to multiple audiences, including: Training for navigators In-person training retreats on core Navigator skills, common challenges Navigators face, and approaches to addressing those challenges (March 2022, January 2023, and November 2023) Land for Good multi-part virtual training series (2022, 2024) Monthly virtual DEI Community of Practice training and facilitated discussion series (2023-2024) Training for beginning farmer land seekers Minnesota Department of Agriculture Down Payment Assistance Land Access 4-Part Webinar Series (July 2024) Daylong in-person "Are You Ready" workshop on farmland access, hosted by Land Stewardship Project with training by Navigator Katie Kubovcik (2023) Farmland Access & Tenure Overview webinar, by Kathy Ruhf (March 2024) Collective Models Working Group monthly webinar series (Jan-July 2024) Farmland access literacy presentations/workshops, tabling, networking at farming conferences and events (in-person and virtual): 2021: New Farmer U; Iowa Women Food and Ag Conference; National Farmland Access Great Lakes Region Network Roundtable; University of Wisconsin Extension Farm Risk Management Program 2022: Practical Farmers of Iowa Conference; New Farmer Summit; Organic University course; MOSES Conference; Emerging Farmers Conference 2023: Practical Farmers of Iowa Annual Conference; Beginning Farmers Summit; Sustainable Farming Association Annual Conference; Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference; New Farmer U; Emerging Farmers Conference; 2023 Upper Midwest Farmland Summit 2024: Practical Farmers of Iowa Annual Conference; Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference; National Farm Viability Conference; Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference Training for landowners 6 landowner-landseeker "Next Generation" in-person networking events (2022-2024) 4 landowner webinars: Life After Farming: What's Next for You and Your Land? 2-part series (Aug 2024) Your Farm's Future Steward, 2-part series (Feb 2024) African Farming Community: Building Community for Land Access webinar, held in partnership with Land Stewardship Project and Kilimo MN (2023) Training for service providers (including Hub members) Collective Models Working Group monthly webinar series (Jan-July 2024) Farmland Access & Tenure Overview webinar, by Kathy Ruhf (March 2024) Wisconsin Hub Training & Meeting: WI Farmland Access: Localizing Solutions, Madison, WI (August 2024) Above landowner and beginning farmer land seeker trainings also relevant to service providers, along with below 2023 Upper Midwest Farmland Summit trainings: 2023 Upper Midwest Farmland Summit (Chaska, MN (Nov 14-15, 2023): 27 in-person sessions spanning all above-listed audiences: Keynote presentations by national FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux; several key state-level policymakers; Kathy Ruhf of Land for Good Informational presentation by Farmland Access Hub leaders Two panels delving into the unique challenges and opportunities faced by farmland seekers and farmland owners looking to transition their land to new stewards 20 breakout sessions over five topical tracks including: 1) Farm Succession & Transfer Planning; 2) Policy Dimensions of Farmland Access & Transfer; 3) Innovative Models of Farmland Access & Financing; 4) Emerging Strategies for Affordable Land Access; and 5) Working with Land Seekers How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During the project, at least 30 articles highlighting our work have been published in multiple news and media outlets, including radio, television, and newspapers for the general public in some cases and agricultural audiences in others. In addition, we published a monthly Farmland Access Hub newsletter throughout the project containing stories, information, events, and other resources related to farmland access. Finally, we distributed results to communities of interest through frequent presentations at conferences, as detailed above. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?NA
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
?This project reached more than 3,000 people, including beginning farmers, farmland owners, specialized service providers, and others, with education, outreach, and/or technical assistance. We increased awareness and knowledge about farmland access, tenure, succession, and transfer among 182 technical specialists, 325 farmland owners, and 2,000-plus beginning farmers. We also helped place agricultural easements on two farms to facilitate their transfer to new farmers, and we raised awareness and support generally, as well as dedicated funds, to facilitate the future use of easements to improve beginning farmer land access. In addition, our navigators worked one-on-one with 503 beginning farmer clients, enabling 164 of them to improve their farmland tenure through new leases or land purchases. To accomplish all these goals, we provided ongoing training and support to a network of 17 Land Access Navigators; held a Farmland Access Summit attended by 215 farmers, policymakers, landowners, and service providers; mobilized a broad network of specialized service providers (lawyers, accountants, etc.) to refer beginning farmers to regarding land access concerns; and provided more than 55 virtual and in-person training and education workshops to multiple audiences. Result 1. BFRs increase their knowledge of key considerations for securing farmland Producer action: Understand, Topic: Access to land When measured: After each event/training Estimated Number: 400, Actual Number: 2317 How verified: Written evaluations following events Client Management database Result 2. BFRs make significant progress toward farmland access/improved tenure Producer action: Decide, Topic: Access to land When measured: end of project Estimated Number: 144, Actual Number: 503 How verified: Client management database Client survey Result 3. BFRs access farmland/improved land tenure Producer action: Implement, Topic: Access to land When measured: end of project Estimated Number: 96, Actual Number: 164 How verified: Client management database Client interviews/survey Result 4. Hub partner organizations increase knowledge of and engagement in helping farmers with land access Producer action: Decide, Topic: Access to land When measured: end of project Estimated Number: 36, Actual Number: 49 How verified: Annual partner surveys Meeting notes Result 5. Technical specialists in relevant professional sectors increase knowledge of farmland access, tenure, succession, & transfer Producer action: Understand, Topic: Access to land When measured: After each event/training Estimated Number: 180, Actual Number: 182 How verified: Written evaluations following training sessions Result 6. Retiring farmers/landowners increase knowledge of benefits, models, strategies, and resources for related to land transfer to BFRs Producer action: Understand, Topic: Access to land When measured: After each event/training Estimated Number: 216, Actual Number: 325 How verified: Written evaluations following trainings
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:This year, our navigators worked with 204 farmer clients, roughly half of which are BIPOC. Of these farmers, 74 improved their farmland tenure through 64 new leases and 10 land purchases. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?November 11, 2022: We led a farmland access workshop at the Emerging Farmers Conference in Shoreview, MN, that was attended by at least 80 farmers. January 24-25, 2023: We held a 2-day training retreat in Shoreview, MN, attended by 50 people, including navigators from all 3 states, USDA staff, and other farmer advocates and service providers. The training retreat featured a presentation and discussion by Kathy Ruhf of Land for Good on land tenure basics and soft-skills for Land Access Navigators, a land-access stories panel discussion, and group exercises on ways to address the main challenges farmers face in accessing farmland. It also included discussion of the NRCS and FSA programs that are integral to purchasing and stewarding farmland. March - July 2023: Kathy Ruhf from Land for Good provided intensive follow-up training to navigators through 5 additional sessions on the following topics - understanding the job of a Navigator, skills and knowledge, soft skills, non-traditional land access models, and working with landowners. Moving into the third year of this project, the navigators are beginning anti-racism training as well. February 24-25, 2023: Marbleseed hosted 3 farmland access literacy workshops as part of its Annual Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse, WI, including: "Funding your farm with little to no debt - grants and creative fundraising strategies for farmers," "Creative land access for beginning farmers," "Access Farmland: Women's Stories of Finding Their Farms," and two farmland access networking events: New Farmer Mixer, "Land Access Networking." Landowner/Land Seeker Meet & Greets: One held in LaCrescent MN in Oct 2022 (20 farmland owners and seekers attended), and on in April 2023, in Spring Valley, WI (36 farmland owners and seekers attended this event.) In the April event, we included programming that included learning about challenges and opportunities each side has and resources available. We convened three working groups that met monthly throughout the project year (and are continuing to meet) for co-learning and knowledge sharing on key topics. The working groups include: (1) outreach to landowners with 16 active participants, 2) alternative land models with 22 active participants, and 3) policy related to farmland access with 8 active participants. Wisconsin Hub members met in September and December 2022 for a virtual meetings that were attended by 9 people, and the WI steering committee met 3 times during the summer of 2023, each time attended by 5 people. The Navigators met biweekly throughout the year to share updates, offer feedback to one another, exchange information, and for follow-up training on targeted issues. In addition, three working groups were formed in MN (and have been joined by individuals in WI), which met monthly throughout the project year (except the policy group, which met 10 times). Webinars December 12, 2022: Hoch Orchard and Gardens Virtual Farm Tour to learn about operations and plans for transitioning the business, attended by 20 people. February 24, 2023: Making farmland transitions options available to landowners May 17, 2023: African Farming Community: Building Community for Land Access, part 1, attended by 77 people. June 14, 2023: African Farming Community: Building Community for Land Access, part 2, attended by 25 people. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?See numerous published articles listed in "products" and "other products." What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue sharing information about our program and engaging beginning farmers who want to work one-on-one with a farmland access navigator to develop secure land tenure. The Navigators will continue to meet every other week to support each other, share successes and gain expertise. In Year 3 of the project the Navigators are also participating in a yearlong anti-racism community of practice training. The MN, WI and IA Farmland Access Hubs will continue to develop capacity and share resources within each state. In the beginning of Year 3 we held a regional Farmland Acess Summit, and will build on the conversations that started there by convening people around interest areas and forging new partnerships and collaborations linked to the Hub. We will continue to actively reach out to and engage landowners through, in a variety of ways and have already held 3 additional Landowner / Land Seeker Meet & Greet events on September 10 and 12, 2023, in Ripon, WI; and Wadena, Elk River, and Montgomery, MN.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In this second year of the project, we developed critical connections and processes, and ensured direct assistance supporting beginning farmers' access to affordable farmland. The Farmland Access Hub onboarded and trained 11 new Farmland Access Navigators this year, including 7 who started in August 2023, for a total 19 Navigators now supporting beginning farmers throughout MN, WI and IA. This year, our navigators worked with 204 farmer clients, 134 of which were new this year (the others ongoing from the previous year), and provided one-on-one support that resulted in 74 farmers improving their farmland tenure through 64 new leases and 10 land purchases. Each beginning farmer's process is unique, and can take anywhere from a few months to several years to achieve, depending on an individual's goals, vision, and experience, as well as things far outside of his/her control related to land prices and availability. Sometimes beginning farmers require specialized assistance, which the navigators can help them find through referrals to attorneys, lending experts, and other service professionals. Over the past year, we made about 20 such referrals. The navigators continue to meet on a bi-weekly basis to share impacts and stories as well as receive any needed support or advice. They also continued their education, by participating in a 2-day training retreat in Minnesota in January 2023 that included training helping farmers access USDA resources. As part of this training they also shared their knowledge and experience as navigators with other service providers who work with beginning farmers and ranchers. Additionally, Kathy Ruhf from Land for Good provided training to navigators through 5 additional sessions March through July on the following topics - understanding the job of a Navigator, skills and knowledge, soft skills, non-traditional land access models, and working with landowners. Moving into the third year of this project, the navigators are beginning anti-racism training as well. The core project team, consisting of the project leaders and staff from Renewing the Countryside (Jan Joannides), Practical Farmers of Iowa (Martha McFarland), and Marbleseed (Lori Stern), meets monthly to discuss project goals, activities, and plans. Nathan Aaberg from the Land Connection joined this group after they received a BFRDP to do similar work in Illinois. During the summer and fall of 2023, the core team planned an Upper Midwest Farmland Summit, scheduled for November 14-15, 2023 at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. We will report in depth on this event in the next annual report. The core team members worked throughout the year with multiple Hub partners, landowners, state agencies, specialized service providers, and others on a variety of fronts. We added 22 new members to the Farmland Access Hub from MN, WI, and IA, including nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, banks, and land conservancies, for example, for a total of 49 active current members, at least 9 of which are BIPOC. We've also connected with and engaged over 18 specialized, professional service providers including attorneys, appraisers, realtors and accountants. Partners shared project successes and progress at the monthly meetings. For example, RTC has been involved in multiple ways to advance the use of farmland easements and to finance them, including: (1) Working closely with MN Department of Agriculture (MDA) to plan and participate in 2 listening sessions on farmland preservation and access; (2) Providing input on strategy, fact sheets, and presentation materials that MDA staff will take on the road to share with farmers and local governments; and (3) Participating in 2 working groups on developing a robust farmland easement program, one led by a federal agency and another by a nonprofit. In addition to developing the easement option as a vehicle to increase farmland accessibility, core team members have worked with partners to make particular acreages available in a secure way to beginning farmers. RTC initiated conversations with 2 nonprofits (Oliver Kelley Farm and Mississippi River Valley Conservancy) about opening up their land for long-term leases for emerging farmers, and these conversations are continuing. In Iowa, Martha McFarland worked intensively during summer 2023 with the board members of PFI to develop a process for making a 13-acre horticulture farm, which was donated to PFI and is surrounded by development near Des Moines, available to a beginning farmer. The application process they developed for this particular farmland reduces barriers to traditionally underserved beginning farmers, and is intended to be a blueprint to guide any possible land donations in the future. This is part of a larger conversation at PFI about planned giving policy, how to handle other land donations generally, and what role PFI should play as a landowner to connect beginning farmers with land. Lessons from PFI will be shared with other project leaders and used to further develop capacity in the broader region. We are also working with landowners in a variety of ways to enhance their interest and ability to transfer land to beginning farmers. We held 2 Landowner / Land Seeker Meet & Greet networking events, one in Oct 2022 and one in April 2023, and co-hosted a series of webinars with Kilimo-MN and Land Stewardship Project in May, called "African Farming Community: Building Community for Land Access." Our team has also supported more than two dozen farmland owners with individualized assistance. Sometimes this involves a few discussions to get them on the right track and to connect them to resources. Other times, it involves in depth work over a couple of years - especially in cases that involve transitioning the land to an emerging farmer and placing an easement on it. Our partner organizations have reached out to the general public through numerous articles published in newspapers, newsletter, and blogs across the 3 states over the past year highlighting the work of this project. RTC launched a public Farmland Access Hub website, featuring news, events, and an entry portal inviting both land-seeking farmers and landowners to sign up for one-on-one assistance. Marbleseed created a member-led virtual community space where 32 current Farmland Access Hub members exchange information. In August 2023, RTC reached some 250,000 members of the general public with a large Farmland exhibit in the EcoExperience Building at the MN State Fair. We partnered with the Public Policy Design Lab at the University of Minnesota who provided the services of an illustrator to develop graphics for the exhibit and an informational brochure. We have also led several workshops and distributed educational materials at numerous meetings and conferences, including the annual Emerging Farmers Conference (Nov 2022), the Practical Farmers of Iowa Annual Conference (Jan 2023) and Beginning Farmers Summit (Feb 2023), the Sustainable Farming Association Annual Conference (Feb 2023), the Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference (Feb 2023), and New Farmer U (April 2023). These activities allow us to share information about our work and resources to potential new clients, as well as reach possible new partners interested in participating through the Farmland Access Hub. The work we have done with the support of BFRDP has helped us leverage additional funds including securing two small foundation grants, being selected as a "round-up" partner at a local food co-op, and giving us the experience, knowledge, and capacity that led to partnering on two successful FSA Access to Land, Capital and Markets grants - one submitted by Food Finance Institute and one by American Farmland Trust.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
December 28, 2022, Practical Farmers of Iowa Newsletter, Navigating land connections, Martha McFarland, https://practicalfarmers.org/2022/12/navigating-land-connections/
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Spring 2023 Organic Broadcaster, Vol. 31, Issue 2: Balancing family and business goals is the key to farm succession planning, Joy Kirkpatrick, https://issuu.com/marbleseed
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
May 5, 2023, Progressive Farmer, Susan Payne, Southeast Minnesota Farm Rehoming Livestock, Minnesota Farm Hosting Giveaway to Rehome Pasture-Raised Animals, https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/farm-life/article/2023/05/05/minnesota-farm-hosting-giveaway
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
May 19, 2023: AgWeek, Hoch Orchard & Gardens enters the initial stage of farm transition, Noah Fish, https://www.agweek.com/business/hoch-orchard-gardens-enters-the-initial-stage-of-farm-transition
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
June 16, 2023: Star Tribune article (for general public) touching on Hoch Orchard transition process, Minnesota apple orchard gives away its hogs and sheep, Christopher Vondracek
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
July 2023 Marbleseed blog, Who Wants to be an Orchardist, Bonnie Warndahl https://marbleseed.org/news/blog/post/who-wants-to-be-an-orchardist
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
July 27, 2023, Iowa Farmer Today (for farmers and others), Relationships key for new farmers, Aaron Viner, https://agupdate.com/iowafarmertoday/news/state-and-regional/relationships-key-for-new-farmers/article_dc6ef476-2b24-11ee-9d6a-0f6e33fdce31.html
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
August 10, 2023, Fox News (for general public), Farmland costs rise, pricing young farmers out of the market as age of farmers increase, Mills Hayes, https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/farmland-costs-rise-pricing-young-farmers-out-market-ag
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Farmland, It's Complicated exhibit, created by Renewing the Countryside, illustrated by Khou Vue, displayed at the MN State Fair, August 2023.
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Farmland Access Hub website and monthly newsletter: https://www.farmlandaccesshub.org/
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:As a result of our work in 2021-22 we have worked one-on-one with 149new and beginning farmers, 103 of whom are Black, immigrant or people of color. We have twelve Land Access Navigators working with clients in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. Five of these are primarily working with BIPOC communities, including Hmong, Latinx and African immigrant. We have also worked with new and beginning farmers throughout Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota. 56 of our clients have signed leases within the year (50 BIPOC) and 3 have puchased farmland (all 3 BIPOC). Changes/Problems:We haven't made any major changes, however the project is developing in new ways. Many clients come to us seeking help in locating affordable land, which is not the main role we were expecting to play. Our plan for the project has been to help farmers with all of the activities needed to empower them to themselves go look for actual land for sale, including identifying their goals, looking at their resources, identifying ideal locations and then going through the processes of creating leases or actual purchase of land. Playing the role of "relator" was not in the scope of our work. However, this has been a consistent need, especially among the BIPOC farmers we're working with. To assist with this, we can lead them to online lists and land link ups and offer other suggestions of how to find land for sale. We have begun an internal spreadsheet of farmland that we are aware of for sale, which is shared amongst the Navigator team. As we get deeper into the "buy-protect-sell"model, which has been well supported by media, including a short documentary on MN Public Television, we are being approached by more and more landowners looking to transition their land and interested in making it available to BIPOC or new and beginning farmers. As a result, we are planning outreach to current farmers to explain farm transfer options. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Meetings 10/30/2021: Land Access and Financing workshop at New Farmer U, Willow River , MN -- Number of Attendees 15 1/21/2022: Landowner-Tenant Conversation Cafe, Practical Farmers of Iowa Conference, Ames, IA -- Number of Attendees 20 1/22/2022:Tools and Methods of Land Access Roundtable, Practical Farmers of Iowa Conference, Ames, IA -- Number of Attendees 20 2/7/2022: Getting Ready for Land workshop, Beginning Farmer Summit, Cedar Rapids, IA -- Number of Attendees 20 2/7/2022: Resources for Seeking Land workshop, Beginning Farmer Summit, Cedar Rapids, IA -- Number of Attendees 20 2/7/2022: Iowa networking activities with LO, land seekers, and partner organizations and institutions, Beginning Farmer Summit, Cedar Rapids, IA -- Number of Attendees 20 2/24/2022: Farm Transitions 101 with Land Stewardship Project: Getting Your Ducks in a Row, Organic University, La Crosse, WI -- Number of Attendees 24 2/25/2022: Land Access: 127 Easy Steps to Finding Farmland workshop, Organic Conference, La Crosse, WI -- Number of Attendees 68 2/25/2022: Farmland Access Roundtable, Organic Conferene,La Crosse, WI -- Number of Attendees 18 12/17/2021: MN Farmland Hub meeting, St Paul, MN -- Number of Attendees 7 1/10/2022: WIWI Farmland Hub meeting, Madison, WI- Number of Attendees 12 3/12/2022: Farmland Access Navigator Retreat, Hammond, MN -- Number of Attendees 16 6/7/2022: MN Hub meeting, St Paul, MN -- Number of Attendees 19 Webinars 11/5/2021: Number of Attendees 15 11/6/2021: Number of Attendees 12 12/13/2021: Number of Attendees 50 12/17/2021: Number of Attendees 52 How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?See numerous published articles listed in "products." We also had a 20 minute documentary produced for MN Public Televisionhighlighting our work in developing a "Buy-Protect-Sell" model (and successful land transfer to a Hmong family). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue sharing information about our program and recveiving intake forms from new and beginning farmers interested in working one-on-one with a farmland access navigator to develop secure land tenure. The Navigators will meet every other week to support each other, share successes and gain expertise. The MN, WI and IA Farmland Access Hubs will continue to meet to develop capacity and share resources within each state. In fall 2023 we will hold a regional Farmland Acess Summit, planned to increase capacity within the area. Project staff and Hub members will continue working in three subcommittees on:
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Nov 2022: In the first year of this project Renewing the Countryside, Jan Joannides has led significant activity with the help of project partners Marbleseed (formerly Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service,) led by Lori Stern, and Practical Farmers of Iowa, led by Greg Padgett, as well as tangential participation by partners in Illinois. We began by identifying, contracting with and training 12 Farmland Access Navigators, 4 in Iowa, 5 in Minnesota and 3 in Wisconsin. Three were continuing from a prior project, 9 were new and underwent a 6-week training designed by experienced navigators. Six of the new navigators are working from within organizations run by or for BIPOC communities, including Moses Momanyi (Kilimo MN, working with African immigrants), Aaron Blyth (Latino Economic Development Center, MN), Katie Kubovcik, (working with African and SE Asian immigrants),Xiong Thao,(The Good Acre, working with SE Asian immigrants in MN), and Nicholas Leete and Nou Thao (Rooted in Madison, WI working with Hmong farmers). Farmland Access navigators are the keys to our program success, trained so that they can offer resources and support tobeginning farmers seeking stable access to landthrough well written and fair lease agreements or actual land purchase. The navigator team meets virtuallyevery two weeks withteam leaders to discuss new clients, ask for help and input about any challenges, share successes and receive additional training on topics such as "Utilizing USDA Farm Service Agency Services," "Legal Issues for Farmers," "Issues with Leases," and more.The entire navigator team and program staff met in Hammond, MN in March of 2022 at an all-day retreat to discuss project goals and procedures, talk about issues and project needs and learn about alternative land access models. Potential clients find out about the program though outreach at regional conferences, staffed by navigators, from online newsletters and the program website (https://www.renewingthecountryside.org/farmlandaccess, soon to be transitioned to gotfarmland.org). Many enter the program by filling in an online intake form, explaining their farmland access goals and needs for support. Navigators receive theform info and respond via phone, text or email. One-on-one relationships are developed with customized support to help each client define their needs, solve problems and access resources. Often the relationships are long-term, with numerous interactions leading to a successful land transaction. Navigators have access to a stable of "Service Support Providers," including lawyers, bankers and others partially supported with grant funds to review leases, help with translation, do land appraisals and help with other needs. The core project team, consisting of the project leaders from each partner organization, meets monthly to discuss project goals and activities and make plans for the future of the program. In both WI and MN the state "Farmland Access Hubs" met, at least once online and once in person. These Hubs are project collaborators, including representatives of organizations, institutions and businessesinterested in farmland access for beginning farmers. Through the Hubs thecollaborators communicate about resources and coordinate activities. At the MN meeting in June of 2022, 19 collaborators formed working groups to move forward on: 1) Outreach to landowners, 2) Alternative land models and 3) Policy related to farmland access. The working groups have been active with regular meetings and activity. The Hubs will continue to meet and build capacity within the states, and meet as a whole group, along with our Illinois partners, infall 2023 at a Farmland Access Summit. As a result of these activities within year one, 900 individuals learned about farmland access support and resources, 149 clients received individualized support, 56 signed leases and 3 purchased farmland. Many are still in process at the time of this report In workingwith new and beginning farmers around the issues of land access, it is clear that the primary road block is access to affordable land. As a result, we have moved into new activity in partnership with the American Farmland Trust to bring a model used on both east and west coasts, called "Buy-Protect-Sell." In response to a landowner wishing to transfer her farm to a BIPOC farmer, RTC lead a campaign to raise funds to purchase an agriculture conservation easement on a 25-acre farm. A Hmong family, long term renters, was chosen topurchase the farm at a reduced price, with the successful closing held in May of 2022. With strong publicity about this success, staff have received several additional requests from both current landowners and new farmers to duplicate the model. Taking lessons learned we are moving forward in developing the model in the Midwest, adding long-term continuity to the Farmland Access program being developed within this project. Steps accomplished this year: Recruit, orient, train new navigators, 12 Navigators are currently active. Hold Navigator annual retreat. An all day, in-person retreat was held 3/12/22 Conduct Farmland Access Literacy workshops in MN, WI, IA, IL. Workshops were held at the New Farmer U in MN in Oct 2021; the Women Food and Ag conference in Iowa, Nov 2021; the National Farmland Access Great Lakes Region Network Roundtable, virtual in Dec 2021;UW Extension Farm Risk Management Program presentation, virtual, Dec 2021; Practical Farmers of Iowa Conference presentation, January 2022, New Farmer Summit 2 presentations, Feb 2022; Organic University course, Feb 2022, MOSES Conference, 2 presentations, Feb 2022. All together 716 new and beginning farmers were reached through presentations. Outreach to Service Support Provider (SSP) organizations. One-on-one outreach to lawyers, accountants, relators interested in helping beginning farmers. 3 new SSPs engaged in providing direct services. Design and conduct NextGen events. Events are held in Iowa, and the model brought to WI/MN with plans for Dec 2022 or Jan 2023. Add 8 new Hub Partners,new Hub Steering Committee structure implemented. Outreach to organizations and individuals in MN and WI inviting to attend state Hub meetings and share resources on farmland access. A total of 31 individuals attend meetings, more participate in online discussions. Develop new business model/revenue plan, begin fundraising. A "buy-protect-sell" model is trialed in Minnesota in partnership with American Farmland Trust. The lessons from this experience will help to build a new model, with a strong ripple effect on the participants in this funded project. Beginning farmers funneled to hub and matched with Navigators for one-on-one coaching. 149 new and beginning farmers connected with the project team. 56 of these signed new leases and 3 purchased farmland with our support. Hold bimonthly Steering Committee meetings, partner meetings, state level meetings. Online meetings of the Navigator team are held every two weeks, where team members share successes and get peer support as well as receive training on targeted issues. The core team meets online monthly to review project objectives and give updates on activities. Two Hub meetings were held in each Minnesota and Wisconsin, allowing participants to share interests and activities. Working groups were formed to refine and move the work forward. Conduct annual fundraising activities. As noted above, using outside funds to support the activity, over $150,000 was raised to contribute to the agricultural easement for a farm. We are refining this model and more fundraising will be undertaken as more farmers explore this innovation for farm transition. Conduct communications, marketing, recruitment, PR work. This project is regularly highlighted in the Renewing the Countryside "Rooster" online newsletter and the Marbleseed Organic Broadcaster.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
A growing network of support for farmland access, online newsletter article, Morning Ag Clips, https://www.morningagclips.com/a-growing-network-of-support-for-farmland-access/
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Facilitating Beginning Farmer Access to Farmland, Organic Broadcaster newsletter article, https://issuu.com/marbleseed/docs/broadcaster-moses-nov-dec-2021-final-b/s/17403656
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Farmland Access, Renewing the Countryside online newsletter article series, https://www.renewingthecountryside.org/november_2021_news
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Navigating Lease Agreements for Small Acreage, High Value Crops, Online newsletter Univ of WI Farm Management Division, https://farms.extension.wisc.edu/articles/navigating-lease-agreements-for-small-acreage-high-value-crops/
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Land Access webpage and resources, Marbleseed, https://marbleseed.org/resources/land-access
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Expanding the Farmland Access Navigator Team, Organic Broadcaster newsletter article, https://marbleseed.org/news/broadcaster/article/1d399839a5f14582b865acafc16b6bac
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Land Access webpage and resources, Renewing the Countryside, https://www.renewingthecountryside.org/farmlandaccess
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