Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:FarmLink and our partners work with a large group of wholesale and direct market Latine farmers in the Central Coast, many of whom are former farm workers and managers, or worked in ag processing facilities, and have started their own businesses to increase income and independence. These farmers typically lease land and many sell through small distributors as well as direct markets. These farmers often express a need for annual operating loans in order to expand production and acreage. FarmLink and partners also work with a group of highly diversified, direct-market Farmers in the North Coast and Central Valley. These farmers are often owners or future heirs of small parcels of land and focused on increasing the value of the farm business including improving soil and productivity, and planning for infrastructure improvements. They often desire assistance analyzing the profitability of various crops and market channels. Changes/Problems:When working with RCDMC to develop the conservation bridge loan, CDFA was forced to cancel the 2023 SWEEP program, thus delaying the conservation bridge loan program until recipients of the Santa Cruz SWEEP block grant were chosen, over 6 months later. FarmLink will continue to partner with RCDMC beyond the lifespan of this grant to assist outreach for the conservation bridge loan pilot program, and to provide technical assistance for its on-farm implementation. FarmLink and project partners continue to see challenges in Spanish-speaking farming communities accessing information in their language. This is primarily driven by gaps in literacy and access to technology, which hinders participation in a variety of educational opportunities including online events. Many legal and compliance documents, in addition to farmer education materials, are provided exclusively in English, which creates a barrier to participating for farmers with limited English capacity. To overcome these challenges, FarmLink and project partners are leveraging this and other grant funds to expand its work creating accessible content in Spanish alongside English. We also continue to prioritize hiring Spanish-speaking staff. Specifically, CAFF has developed a series of regional Whatsapp groups to foster peer support. On average, each regional group has 30-80 participants and assists farmers with aggregation, market channel development, and equipment-sharing. The groups are led by farmers with CAFF acting as a moderator. Client Journey/Paso a Paso FarmLink also made progress in developing a new business education program dedicated to Spanish-speaking clients called Paso a Paso. Based on the premise that FarmLink cannot provide lending, land tenure, or advanced educational assistance to farmers until they have acquired foundational business skills, this program aims to educate on foundational business skills. Paso a Paso offers: A standardized assessment of foundational skills (RSA pre-assessment) A customized learning and skills-acquisition plan based on the assessment and client goals Access to written and audio-visual educational materials explaining foundational concepts and providing step-by-step instructions on specific actions for the learner to take to accomplish a specific objective Access to one-on-one and group support in taking the recommended actions Access to one-on-one and group support in making recommended actions habitual and developing daily, weekly and monthly work habits, practices, and skills To-date, FarmLink's new Paso a Paso program has developed new educational resources that impart foundational business skills through online instruction and individual technical assistance. Through an in-person audience of 23 farm businesses who prefer to communicate in Spanish, staff conducted "hands-on" lesson plans on practical considerations for managing cash flow, recordkeeping, tax preparation, and operating a cash-based business. During four training sessions, program staff collected feedback from farmers that informed a technical assistance approach including production drafts of brief, "explainer" videos. After a thorough research process on informational video pedagogy for adult learners with limited English language competency, FarmLink identified outside production studios with experience engaging the target demographic. Six videos have been produced:Calendario Para Gestionar Viajes,Organizando Sus Recibos, Salidas de Dinero, Registro de Millaje, Per Diems,andOrganizador de Impuestos.When fully built, thePaso a Pasosuite of tools will comprise a suite of 30 short "explainer" videos and associated technical assistance resources to assist clients with little to no business skills. These educational materials will helpfarmers establish minimum competencies that will make them eligible for other FarmLink programs, includingthe Resilerator, and access resources throughour new Business Services Hub as they work toward capital readiness.? What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Train the Trainer FarmLink hosted Train the Trainer: Evaluating and Supporting Farmer, Rancher, Fisher Clients program (TTT) on Tuesdays in June. TTT provides business advisors content on a wide range of topics, including business structure, labor law, accounting, taxation, credit, contracts, insurance and environmental and regulatory compliance. Business advisors gain robust knowledge of resources and access expert advice that improves their ability to work with clients and stay up-to-date on relevant risks and mitigants. The course also allows farm, ranch, and fisher-serving professionals to build their network of fellow service providers and take advantage of peer-to-peer learning groups and potential referrals. TTT participants range from nonprofit farmer-facing staff, business advisors from state and regional agriculture agencies, university employees, agriculture finance lenders, and independent service providers in farm and small business tax, accounting, and law. Participants are based nationally in 11 states (NY, VA, OR,RI, CO, WA, PA, NE, TX, SD, AZ), and represent 16 California counties (Kings, Nevada, Yolo, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Kern, Ventura, Fresno, Madera, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Humboldt, San Diego, Santa Clara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During the reporting period, FarmLink created targeted emails and social media posts in English and Spanish to promote disaster relief and various educational programs, reaching more than 430 clients and directly viewed by more than 8,000 people on social media, which includes our 6,200 followers onInstagram and Facebook. FarmLink also reached over 8,000 people to promote registration for education programs funded by this project, and had approximately 33,000 unique visitors to our website. We reached 1100 direct clients through text messages regarding services and support directly related to programs funded by this grant. FarmLink also shared stories of seven (7) of our farmers and how each unique client utilized FarmLink's lending products and education services to grow their businesses. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Basic Business & Financial Management Skills: Technical Assistance and Business Assistance During the project period, over 2,800 total hours of technical assistance (TA) were provided to 311 different clients. TA includes assistance with business management, financial management and loan readiness, and land/lease assistance. Project partner Kitchen Table Advisors (KTA) provided 349 hours of 1:1 business advising hours to a total of 42 Spanish speaking farmers. During year three of this project, FarmLink supported 27 beginning farm and ranch businesses in utilizing financial management tools to obtain and manage $8.9M in capital financing. 67% of these loans went to BIPOC and women-owned businesses. This investment created 18 new jobs, and helped business borrowers retain 270 jobs. Additionally, FarmLink convened beginning farm businesses and other service providers through the following group offerings with an additional 90 businesses. Objective 2: Analytical Business Skills Training "Resilerator/Resilerador" and Employment Resilerator Between the English-language Resilerator in Fall 2023 consisting of 35 entrepreneurs and Spanish-language Resilerador in early Spring 2024 consisting of 23 participants, we supported 58 farmers, ranchers and fishers in growing their financial sustainability skills. In October 2023, FarmLink also began piloting a new, 9-week "Employment Resilerator", offered initially to 18 graduates of the Resilerator program. The comprehensive course helps define a "good job," covers recruitment and retention strategies, and how to protect the business as an employer through compliance. As our farm business education programs continue to evolve and our farmers learn and grow and sustain their businesses, hiring and employment is a major component of business continuity. Objective 3: Gaining Good Ground-Land Tenure: During the reporting period, FarmLink supported 27 farmers and ranchers with development and negotiation of 32 secure land tenure agreements. These agreements covered over 1,500 acres of land. During this period FarmLink also provided 460 hours of land tenure technical assistance to 92 farmer, rancher and/or landholder clients, including 22 Latine clients, to help them understand and navigate questions and terms related to land leases and purchase agreements. In addition, FarmLink provided 80 hours of land linking technical assistance and 10 hours of succession planning technical assistance outside of its year-long succession planning education program, and made 15 land loans. FarmLink is deepening its partnership with Resource Conservation Districts (RCD), who are key to developing a referral pipeline for our conservation bridge loans because of their role in helping clients implement conservation practices funded by grants. The conservation loan project is now fully conceptualized and the first loans are currently being underwritten. Apart from learning more about how to stay in compliance with local environmental and land-use regulations, FarmLink's partnership with the RCDs supports farmers' access to federal and state incentives to implement conservation practices, recordkeeping tools necessary to track progress on a conservation plan, and access to local RCD staff to help implement practices. In addition, Central Coast RCDs referred clients to the 2025 Resilerador session.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:FarmLink and our partners work with a large group of wholesale and direct market Latino farmers in the Central Coast, many of whom are former farm workers and managers, or worked in ag processing facilities, and have started their own businesses to increase income and independence. These farmers typically lease land and many sell through small distributors as well as direct markets. These farmers often express a need for annual operating loans in order to to expand production and acreage. FarmLink and partners also work with a group of highly diversified, direct-market Farmers in the North Coast and Central Valley. These farmers are often owners or future heirs of small parcels of land and focused on increasing the value of the farm business including improving soil and productivity, and planning for infrastructure improvements. They often desire assistance analyzing the profitability of various crops and market channels. Changes/Problems:FarmLink and project partners continue to see challenges in general agricultural education communications barriers and access for Spanish-speaking farmers. This is primarily driven by a lack of technological access and literacy which hinders participation in virtual workshops, registration, and survey completion. Additionally, in some cases like food safety compliance, extension documents or workshops are only provided in English, which excludes many Latine farmers from participating. To overcome these challenges, FarmLink and project partners are making headways and using other grant funds to develop our collective capacities to create accessible, bilingual written and online content in addition to increased numbers of Spanish-speaking staff members. Specifically, CAFF has developed a series of regional Whatsapp groups for regional, peer support. On average each regional group has 30-80 participants and assists farmers with aggregation, market channel development, and equipment-sharing. The groups are led by farmers with CAFF working as a moderator. Client Journey/Paso a Paso FarmLink can not provide lending, land tenure, or advanced educational assistance to farmers until they have acquired foundational business skills. Paso a Paso is a Spanish-language program to help clients who do not yet possess foundational business skills to acquire those skills. Our lending and education data helped progress development of our Business and Innovation (B&I) Program during the project period. The goal of the program is to fortify the bridge between our education and lending programs by creating a "Client Journey" to assist farmers at various stages to navigate FarmLink's service offerings. B&I offers 1x1 TA to farmers who need support with basic business skills in order to achieve capital or lease readiness, and to comply with basic regulatory requirements. B&I services address the needs of more vulnerable borrowers who may exhibit one of more of the following attributes: First-time borrower and/or seeking timely loan funding; only qualifies for microloans; Unable to provide basic loan application documentation such as: federal income tax returns with required IRS documentation, a basic business plan identifying crops, sales channels, cash flow predictions and a plan for utilizing and repaying a loan; Limited English-language proficiency, limited literacy and numeracy; and Ineligible for public programs or most conventional financing due to business profile and limited history as an emerging rural business. Paso a Paso will offer: A standardized assessment of foundational skills (RSA pre-assessment) A customized learning and skills-acquisition plan based on the assessment and client goals Access to written and audio-visual educational materials explaining foundational concepts and providing step-by-step instructions on specific actions for the learner to take to accomplish a specific objective Access to one-on-one and group support in taking the recommended actions Access to one-on-one and group support in making recommended actions habitual and developing daily, weekly and monthly work habits, practices, and skills Winter Storm Relief The central coast region was deeply affected by the winter storms of 2023. These storms impacted farm operations and homes, and shifted our focus in early 2023 to disaster relief support. FarmLink and project partners faced similar challenges in supporting farmers to access relief programs resulting from the storms; a larger than usual amount of time was spent in helping farmers fill out paperwork and/or providing translation assistance to apply for disaster relief grants. FarmLink and project partners supported farmers in navigating the complexities and aftermath of delayed production, market impacts and cash flow planning due to the impact of the storms. FarmLink and project partner staff helped farmers apply for drought and flood relief emergency grants through the NRCS's Emergency Conservation Program, CalOSBA's Small Agricultural Business Drought & Flood Relief Grant Program and CDFA's CUSP Drought Relief Direct Producer Grant. In partnership with local community foundations, FarmLink set up a Disaster Fund for our impacted loan clients. To date, we continue to administer $300,000 in relief payments for borrowers most impacted by the storms in the Tri-County area (San Benito, Santa Cruz, Monterey). The grant assistance offers immediate relief for businesses reeling from storm damages and lost revenue, while our Lending team works with borrowers on an individual basis to defer payments, restructure loans and apply integrated capital (i.e. 0%, multi-year term capital) to support recovery. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The second cohort of our "train-the-trainer" program, supported by new funding from Western SARE and a collaboration with the statewide CAMEO network of small business advisors will kick off in October. This "train-the-trainer" approach helps FarmLink cultivate a network of vetted and trusted service providers who can support the unique needs of our diverse clients. Our clients face many barriers to affordable financing and supportive networks, and it is an important part of our vision to ensure that other members of the financial services community with whom our clients interact can support and fulfill their needs. During the reporting period, FarmLink and CAMEO refined content and solicited signups from participants. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During the reporting period, FarmLink created targeted emails and social media posts in English and Spanish to promote disaster relief programs, reaching 398 clients directly viewed by our 2,200 Instagram followers, and 3,600 Facebook followers. FarmLink also reached over 8,000 people to promote registration for education programs funded by this project, and had 7,600 unique visitors to our website. We reached 70 direct clients through text messages regarding services and support directly related to programs funded by this grant. FarmLink also shared stories of six (6) of our farmers and how each unique client utilized FarmLink's lending products and education services to grow their businesses. Community Engagement Events, Hosted by CAFF Several workshops and field days were hosted by CAFF, with many Resilerator/Resilerador participants included. Events were focused on community engagement, such as: A "Rise and Restore" event during the summer of 2023, focusing on ancestral farming practices and local market channels. In September 2023, a Merced back-to-school "Taste Testing" event which drew over 500 participants. In November 2023, a Dia de los Muertos event to celebrate and uplift Mexican culture. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In a joint partnership between CAFF, Fresh Approach, and The CA Association of Food Banks called the Farms Together Program, Resilerator/Resilerador participants will be able to access contracts to help combat food insecurity in the state of CA. The program will be buying close to $80M of locally-produced food from small, historically underserved farmers across CA, over a period of two years. FarmLink's Land Access program is soliciting registrations for our farm succession program, The Regenerator: A Year of Farm Succession Planning, scheduled to kick off in January 2024. FarmLink is calibrating a new program called Paso a Paso (Step by Step), deepening our Spanish-language programs to support farmers based on direct feedback from the Latine communities we serve. Paso a Paso will be a supplementary program to the Resilerador with the primary aim to provide Resilerador participants with extra practice opportunities related to the program's curriculum. This extension of Resilerador encourages the integration of lessons learned in the peer to peer setting with additional in-person presentations and facilitated small group activities. Participants receive ongoing support for implementing their skills through assignments, worksheets, in-person training, and introductions to service providers. Paso a Paso supplementary workshops will cover the following topics: Steps to take before getting to Accounting & Bookkeeping Separation of bank accounts Implementing systems and habits Taxes Tax Organizer Cash Flow Cash Flow excel worksheet Credit Preparing for Financing Profit and loss statements Insurance
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Basic Business & Financial Management Skills: During the project period, over 2,800 total hours of technical assistance (TA) were provided to 311 different clients. TA includes assistance with business management, financial management and loan readiness, and land/lease assistance. Project partner Kitchen Table Advisors (KTA) provided 286 hours of 1:1 business advising hours to a total of 40 Spanish speaking farmers. FarmLink supported 55 beginning farm and ranch businesses in utilizing financial management tools to obtain and manage $8.2M in capital financing. 62% of these loans went to BIPOC and women-owned businesses. This investment created 37 new jobs, and helped business borrowers retain 504 jobs. Additionally, FarmLink convened beginning farm businesses and other service providers through the following group offerings with an additional 90businesses. Group Education National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) Latino Farmer Conference in Escondido, CA November 2022 "Capital and Land Access"/Capital and Land Access" - Farmers learned about lending, credit, and building a financial acumen to give them the tools to build the right financial strategy for their farming operations, including land access and land leases.10 attendees. EcoFarm Conference 2023 in Asilomar, CA January 2023 Tax Preparation/"Como Prepararse para la Declaración de los Impuestos de 2022" - Spanish-language workshop on preparing the "FarmLink Tax Organizer", a proprietary tool to help farmers organize their tax information before inputting to a computer program or to a paid tax preparer. 15 attendees. "Farm Transition and Succession Planning" - Interactive workshop to discuss frameworks for thinking about planning for temporary or permanent transition and succession, and look at tools and programs that are available to farmers, ranchers, and educators. The workshop included a family farm currently in the process of building their succession plan.20 attendees. "Farm Profitability and Wealth Creation" - Helps farmers and educators understand more about how to assess the role of the farm in the long-term financial viability of the family farm, including how short-term profitability and long-term wealth creation work together at different stages of the farm business. The workshop included a family farmer to share personal stories. 35 attendees. Small Farm Conference, Santa Cruz, February 2023 CAFF and FarmLink each participated in panels - FarmLink's to discuss land access-related issues in CA, and CAFF's to talk about Local Food Procurement programs and requirements. Participants were invited to share concerns, comments, and questions to help close gaps in the program. 100+ participants. Charlas, ALBA March 2023 KTA coordinated with Farmlink to host a Spanish cash-flow workshop "Charla" to farmers in our collective networks. Ten farmers participated in this workshop. Land and Business Education, Center for Land-Based Learning (CLBL), August 2023 Beginning farmers learned about FarmLink's services to help with Land Assessment, land access, business resilience, loans opportunities, education programs, lease agreements. Students were very engaged and interested in the different services that could support their business plans. Learners also worked through a property assessment exercise. 10 participants. ?Objective 2: Analytical Business Skills Training ? "Resilerator/Resilerador" and Employment Resilerator Overall, the BFRDP program supported 51 graduates of our Resilerator and Resilerador programs to learn critical in-depth business skills to grow and sustain their farm businesses. Farmers also establish a peer network with one another, continuation of which is supported by FarmLink through advanced workshops and webinars exclusive to graduates, such as the upcoming Employment Resilerator, slated to commence in October 2023. The comprehensive course will help define a "Good Job," how to grow and sustain an employment base through appropriate hiring practices, and how to protect the business as an employer through compliance and being an employer of choice. As our farm business education programs continue to evolve and our farmers learn and grow and sustain their businesses, hiring and employment is a major component of business continuity. Marketing Programs - CAFF During the reporting period, CAFF worked with FarmLink consultants to develop and finalize the Marketing Curriculum to be presented during the November 2023 cohort of the Resilerator program. The Curriculum includes six different modules that include CSA Boxes, Farmers Markets, direct-to-consumer sales, etc. Training materials will also be converted to videos for upload to FarmLink's website for ease of access to more farmers. Objective 3: Gaining Good Ground-Land Tenure: During the reporting period, FarmLink supported 32 farmers in land linking activities, with over 2,000 acres linked by landholders to land seekers. FarmLink made 5 land loans and provided TA to over 130 farmers in land-related activities including tenure, conservation, lease review, and succession planning. In August 2023, FarmLink ECWL staff hosted two separate webinars on the topic of Land Access. Session 1 was intended for land trusts, institutional, and public landholders as we look to grow our relationships with these landholders to secure land access for the farmers we serve. Session 2 was intended for RCD's and other organizations that work with landholders and individual landowners (Operating and non-operating) to jumpstart collaborative work. Over 100 participants attended both sessions. Conservation Work - RCDMC During this reporting period, project partner RCD of Monterey County's team provided conservation technical assistance to a wide range of Spanish-speaking, small-scale farm business owners based in Monterey County and surrounding areas. The work emphasized assisting farmers to integrate climate smart practices into their production models. This included: providing soil testing assistance and results interpretation; providing irrigation system evaluations; assisting with application of carbon-rich soil amendments (like compost); assisting with applications to conservation incentives programs like the California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA's) State Water Efficiency Enhancement Program (SWEEP) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS's) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP); and more. Conservation Work - RCDSCC During this reporting period project partner RCD of Santa Cruz County staff assisted 19 small farm business owners and 3 landowners. Eleven (11) of these growers and two (2) of the landowners were already FarmLink clients, alumni, or referrals, while eight (8) growers and one (1) landowner were new referrals from RCD to FarmLink. Technical assistance provided to growers included: 1) water quality regulatory compliance (soil and water sampling, and introduction to new reporting requirements under Ag Order 4.0); 2) Irrigation management (field-based monitoring, weather based irrigation scheduling recommendations, pressure distribution assessments); 3) soil testing and fertility management (soil sampling for lab analysis, training and one-on-one assistance with field-based soil nitrate quick testing); 4) carbon farming (assisted one operation with carbon farm planning and connection to technical resources for implementation of regenerative agriculture ideas). These activities are related to improving farm resiliency, productivity, environmental stewardship, and regulatory compliance, and in doing so, strengthening the participating farm businesses. Assistance provided to landowners focused on assessing soil conditions and other site attributes on their properties to evaluate farming potential and support FarmLink staff in facilitating the development of new lease agreements with interested farmers.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:FarmLink and our partners work with a large group of wholesale and direct market Latino farmers in the Central Coast, many of whom are former farm workers and managers, or worked in ag processing facilities, and have started their own businesses to increase income and independence. These farmers typically lease land and many sell through small distributors as well as direct markets. These farmers often express a need for annual operating loans in order to to expand production and acreage. FarmLink and partners also work with a group of highly diversified, direct-market Farmers in the North Coast and Central Valley. These farmers are often owners or future heirs of small parcels of land and focused on increasing the value of the farm business including improving soil and productivity, and planning for infrastructure improvements. They often desire assistance analyzing the profitability of various crops and market channels. Changes/Problems:COVID prompted us to permanently adopt a virtual approach to our Resilerator program, allowing us to reach farmers from across the state rather than a limited region. While this has largely been a positive change, it also limits networking and relationship-building opportunities between farm businesses. Participants have expressed a desire to connect in person, and we are exploring a hybrid format where classes would be delivered virtually and we would also organize regional cohorts that would occasionally meet in person for peer-to-peer learning opportunities. In order to best spread out our resources, we changed the dates of our Resilerator/El Resilerador programs. Instead of simultaneous delivery in January-March of 2023, the English-speaking Resilerator program launched in early November 2022 with 34 participants and will conclude in mid-January 2023. El Resilerador program will subsequently take place from late January 2023 to March 2023. At this time, we have received 11 inquiries and applications. One of the bigger challenges facing in-person events is getting farmers to drive to location, since going to an in-person event normally means missing out on key hours of work. We overcame this hurdle by providing participating farmers with stipends covering the time needed to participate in workshops, training, etc. Overall the biggest challenge when it comes to sales tracking is getting the information from farmers. Oftentimes farmers don't feel comfortable sharing their sales numbers even after TA has been provided. Therefore, a large part of the job is an exercise in trust-building. Additionally, several LatinX farmers have trouble entering more established markets due to the language barrier. CAFF often times acts as a middleman between buyers and farmers as a way of overcoming these challenges.An additional challenge around sales tracking is that staff spend a lot of time following up with farmers and buyers to get data which is inefficient and still does not allow us to capture our full impact. In 2023 we will revisit how we track sales. Pandemic and Economic Relief During the reporting period California FarmLink pivoted to be actively involved in supporting farmers with pandemic and economic relief programs. This included: During the last quarter of 2021, FarmLink helped 17 Spanish-speaking producers apply for the USDA AMS Pandemic Relief and Safety Grant Program. In June of 2022, FarmLink, Kitchen Table Advisors, and ALBA's shared commitment to supporting Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers by coordinating complementary areas of expertise was demonstrated through the launch of the Economic Opportunity page housed on FarmLink's website. The page is regularly updated with grant opportunities that are appropriate for our clients. The three organizations also offer farmers and ranchers TA in applying for these opportunities. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?FarmLink x CAMEO: In June of 2022, FarmLink partnered with the California Association of Micro Enterprise Organization (CAMEO) to build an eight-week "Business of Farming" Professional Skills Enhancement Course, scheduled for delivery September 27th-November 15th (weekly for one hour). FarmLink's subject matter experts (SME's) will educate CAMEO's network of small business advisors on the unique sustainability challenges faced by California's small, sustainable farms and ranches, especially those owned and operated by socially disadvantaged operators, prevalent in rural, underserved communities. They will also receive FarmLink's "Resilience Self Assessment," a comprehensive tool to assess the business health of small farm enterprises, covering a suite of farm business topics, from business entity structure and securing land tenure to credit management and compliance with environmental regulations. Service providers will learn the "ins and outs" of providing specialized assistance to small farms and upon completion of the course will be able to use the RSA in their advising work. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Duringthe project period, FarmLink created and disseminated 5 land tenure and farm business success stories in our online blog and newsletter, which reaches an estimated 4,000 individuals across California and other parts of the country. Throughout the year, CAFF has provided outreach to the Business Skills Intensive Program via introduction to potential buyers, inclusion in annual events, or sharing information regarding participation in the program throughout our networks. For example, in August, Resilerator & Resilerador participants were invited to an event with institutional buyers such as school districts, food banks, and local businesses in the Merced area. Additionally, during the event, information regarding upcoming grants and funding opportunities was discussed. Participants have also been invited to attend an upcoming Dia de Los Muertos event hosted by two farmers as part of an ongoing endeavor to lift LatinX culture and grow participation and collaboration between farmers. Furthermore, we shared the official kick-off and registration opportunity for the 2023 Resilience Program starting in November 2022 throughout our network and media. The information was shared throughout Action Network and our social media accounts in an effort to reach a larger pool of farmers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Marketing Curriculum Currently a work in progress. During the current project period CAFF met with FarmLink's Poppy Davis and Stephanie Stevens during the reporting period to discuss curriculum, and starting collecting material and information for workshops. Our team will meet again with Stephanie and Poppy in Winter 2022 to complete the presentation. We have a tentative timeline for early next year to present the course. Translating regulatory language into easy-to-understand terms continues to be a challenge, regardless of language. It is essential that farmers are participating in course building in order to ensure that the materials produced are understandable to the general public.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Basic Business & Financial Management Skills: FarmLink's technical assistance and business training programs align with access to FarmLink's capital programs. Group education and 1:1 TA follows a bilingual (Spanish) curriculum developed specifically for the target audience of California beginning and small farm entrepreneurs. Growers learn how to manage working capital, scale businesses, manage risk associated with small farming, and work with professional service providers (subsidized by FarmLink) to keep proper books, and file complete and accurate income tax returns. Farm businesses that work through FarmLink's technical assistance program on "Basic Bsuiness & Financial Management Skills" learn to produce financial statements and cash flow objectives, using the skills they learned to analyze their business on a consistent basis. During year one of this project, FarmLink supported 42 beginning farm and ranch businesses in utilizing financial management tools to consider managing credit and preparing for financing. 33 of these businesses successfully secured a total of $3.8 million in investment in their businesses. 66% of these businesses were socially disadvantaged, and 36% were women-owned beginning businesses. Additionally, FarmLink convened beginning farm businesses and other service providers through the following group offerings with an additional 40 businesses. "So You Hired a Bookkeeper, Now What?" In September of 2021, FarmLink offered this program to 3 new students and 2 Resilerator graduates. The workshop was designed to provide farmers and ranchers a deeper understanding of their business through their financial statements and prompt them to think strategically about the future. The first half of the class explored the roles and responsibilities of the business owner and bookkeeper, how to communicate transactions and accounts, and how to review and understand financial reports. The second half of the class focused on how to pull these pieces together and use them to make better financial decisions and plan for long-term business resilience. Participants were offered one hour of one-on-one technical assistance from Business Skills Advisor and FarmLink consultant, Winona Dorris. "Diagnosing and Untangling Messed-up Farm Bookkeeping Systems" In October, FarmLink Consultants, Poppy Davis and Winona Dorris presented this program at the National Farm Viability Conference. The session was designed for service providers who work directly with established farm businesses. The workshops helped them learn to identify when a farmer's bookkeeping system contained flaws, errors, or omissions that prevent the farmer from having useful financial reports. Participants were shown example reports and discussed strategies for fixing common problems, including self-help strategies and how to work with an experienced bookkeeper or accountant. Liya Schwartzman, FarmLink's Senior Program Manager, Equity and Conservation on Working Lands, also served on a panel to answer in-depth questions about land linking services. S-corp - The S-Corp training tool allows business owners to compare federal tax liability with different entity structures (i.e. LLC or S-Corp) Ms. Poppy Davis completed educational material for SBA Microborrowers, pandemic relief recipients and potential borrowers to compare federal tax liability with different entity structures (S-Corp or LLC) prevalent in small-scale agriculture. These materials were incorporated into application assistance for 35 small farm businesses and potential borrowers applying for federal small farm assistance. Objective 2: Analytical Business Skills Training "Resilerator/Resilerador" - In January of 2022, FarmLink engaged 46 farmers from 15 counties in its English- and Spanish-language curriculum for the respective Resilerator and El Resilerador programs. The 10-week simultaneous courses are designed for farmers who have been in business for at least two years. Farmers learn from each other, from farmer-instructors, and from a lead instructor who is an expert in farm and personal business and financial management. Participants in both programs are offered ongoing education throughout the year to deepen their understanding of business fundamentals. The cross-functional nature of FarmLink's education and lending programs allow clients to benefit from improved loan readiness and loan incentives, including rebates on fees and interest. 29 of these farmers participated in the "Resilerator" program including 17 female farmers and 6 farmers of color, all of whom are considered beginning farmers (less than 10 years in operation). The Spanish-language "El Resilerador", served 15 farmers owned by Latino growers on the Central Coast. During the reporting period, 9 Resilerator/Resilerador participants received operating and equipment loans. During the reporting period, project collaborator CAFF (Community Alliance with Family Farmers) hosted several workshops and field days in the Central Coast and Central Valley, as well as provided one-on-one technical assistance (TA) during this reporting period. Themes include participation in upcoming grants, FSMA compliance, institutional sales, and farmer aggregation. Farmers belonging to the Resilerator/Resilerador program were included in the invitations as well as have been provided with one-on-one TA. Workshops/field days included: In October of 2021, CAFF hosted the Farm to School Sourcing for Small Farmers Workshop. The workshop was presented during last year's Ecofarm and had a quorum of 83 farmers with over 175 registered. The aim of the workshop was to provide producers with a guideline to access schools as potential market channels.In addition to the previous workshop, in November of 2021, CAFF hosted a buyer-farmer mixer in Hollister that reached 75 farmers. The goal of the event was to introduce farmers to potential buyers and marketing channels.In January of 2022, Food Safety-wise, together with Bay City Produce, and CAFF carried out the Food Safety and Marketing Landscape for Small BIPOC Farmers training, which provided 93 farmers with relevant information regarding Food Safety Compliance. We have hosted a total of 13 field days throughout the year with a focus on building stronger relationships between small farmers. We have hosted six Marketing Clinics throughout the year focused on developing and fostering farmers' individual marketing opportunities. One such event is the SFC Central SJ Valley regional gathering which introduced 55 farmers to potential buyers. The event, located in the Yo'ville community garden, was dedicated to introducing small and BIPOC farmers to potential buyers in the Central Valley area, an area usually known as a food desert for local procurement. Objective 3: Gaining Good Ground-Land Tenure: During the project period, FarmLink facilitated new access to 150 acres of farmland to 18 businesses, and provided technical assistance to 45 businesses to improve their current land tenure. Five (5) farmers secured land financing through FarmLink's technical assistance. In November of 2021, FarmLink commenced a nine month-long Farm Succession Planning pilot cohort of three (3) farm businesses: an organic walnut operation, an organic almond operation, and an organic diversified farm operation. This program is called "The Regenerator". The program integrates an in-depth, peer-to-peer, cohort-based training program with individual technical assistance. At the end of the Regenerator, each farm family will graduate with a tailored farm succession plan that's ready to launch.
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