Progress 09/15/23 to 09/14/24
Outputs
Target Audience:· Limited resource producers · Military veterans · Small farms · Specialty crop producers · Women Changes/Problems:Challenges: Our challenges in Year 2 were two-fold. The first big challenge was with the participants that were selected to be a part of this cohort. While we were looking for beginner farmers, we also wanted to avoid teaching beekeeping practices in this project to keep the focus instead on honey bee business planning. While all of our selected participants had 1-3 years of beekeeping experience when they joined the cohort, several of them still struggle to keep their colonies alive year-to-year. This lack of experience makes some of the participants less prepared to fully develop a business plan (it is hard to plan a bee business without having bees year-round). This has resulted in the process of writing a comprehensive business plan much slower than we had initially anticipated. While this experience will certainly help inform the selection of any future cohorts, in this current cohort, we are connecting our less experienced beekeepers with additional existing resources from our lab to help them succeed in their beekeeping efforts. Furthermore, we are teaching the cohort about production risks associated with beekeeping businesses and how to mitigate those risks. The second challenge is a gap in the expertise that we have on board this project. While all of the project directors commit significant experience and knowledge from their individual specialties, there have been a few topics that we have been unequipped to tackle internally. To fill these gaps, we have brought in external experts and consultants to help our beekeepers succeed. Namely, two extension professionals from the University of Florida, Jennifer Hagen and Lauri Baker, have helped fill in gaps in expertise around social media marketing and honey processing regulations, respectively. In addition, three industry professionals have been brought in to assist our beekeepers with website design and business taxes. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Steps taken · Developed three online courses, including 16 how-to videos. · Brought in experts to answer business questions and guide business planning. · Hosted three in-person workshops to help the participants strengthen their businesses. · Provided group and individualized feedback on business planning efforts. · Provided resources as needed via email, phone calls, and monthly Zoom meetings. · Recruit participants from targeted audiences that are seeking help turning their beekeeping hobby into a business. · Identify experts to help participants in the areas of agricultural business planning, value-added product development, digital marketing, and worker safety. · Develop an online course on beekeeping business planning. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Social Media Post We have highlighted the work of our cohort on social media following two of the in-person workshops. These posts on received 418 positive reactions, 26 comments, and 29 shares Last Uploaded: 11/13/2024 Social Media Post 2 We have highlighted the work of our cohort on social media following two of the in-person workshops. These posts on received 418 positive reactions, 26 comments, and 29 shares Last Uploaded: 11/13/2024 What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Steps in progress · Continue to meet monthly with participants to help them with their businesses. · Complete interview videos with professional beekeepers to serve as case studies for program participants. · Provide group and individualized feedback on business plan sections as they are completed. · Schedule one-on-one consultations with a certified public accountant for each participant to understand their business tax liabilities. · Develop how-to videos for profitable value-added hive products. · Meet monthly with participants to help them with their business plans. · Host an in person workshop to help participants fine tune their business plans. · Interview beekeepers with successful businesses to serve as case studies for program participants. Steps to be taken · Develop one short course on worker and apiary safety. · Host one in-person workshop on worker and apiary safety. · Evaluate participant business plans, products, and marketing materials. · Develop an online course on value-added hive products. · Meet monthly with participants to help them with their product development. · Host an in person workshop to let participants practice making products with experts. · Develop an online course on digital marketing. · Meet monthly with participants to help them with their marketing plans. · Host an in person workshop to help participants develop digital marketing materials for their business. · Develop an online course on apiary/worker safety. · Meet monthly with participants to help them develop a safety plan for their businesses. · Host an in person workshop for participants to observe apiary safety practices.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Monthly meetings: Throughout Year 2, we have met with the cohort via Zoom nearly once a month to discuss business progress, answer questions, review example business plans, network with each other, and learn from industry experts. These experts have included extension professionals specializing in Florida honey regulations and business finances, as well as professional beekeepers from around the state. Since the in-person workshops (details below) require a great deal of time from the participants, we (the cohort and program leaders) decided to skip these Zoom meetings in the months where we met for a workshop. Online courses: In Year 2 we completed developing and the cohort participated in three online short courses. All of these courses utilized pre-existing content, but also required development of new lessons or editing of current materials to make them more appropriate for this cohort. A major resource newly created for these courses was a series of short videos, demonstrating how to make various hive products. In person workshops: In Year 2, we held the first three in person workshops for this project. Workshop 1: The first workshop, held in October 2023, focused on business planning. The participants worked together both as the full cohort and in small groups to develop their business plans. Co-project director, Kevin Athearn, led the cohort through examples of beekeeping business financial plans, a certified public accountant spoke to the group about business taxes, and a panel of five professional beekeepers from around Florida answered questions from the cohort about running a successful beekeeping business. Workshop 2: Our next workshop was in April 2024 and focused value-added hive products. Participants were able to select items to receive in individualized "hive product kits", based on the materials and equipment they needed to make their products. This was a very hands-on workshop, with participants actively making eight products over the two days. Project leaders, Amy Vu, Cameron Jack, and Mary Bammer, as well as three professional beekeepers led these hive product sessions. We also has a show-and-tell session, where the cohort was able to share products they had already created on their own. Workshop 3: Our third workshop happened in the last days of Year 2, in early September 2024. It focused on digital marketing. Co-PD, Kimberly Morgan, led this workshop, discussing the "4 Ps of Marketing". Additionally, Kevin Athearn led the group through examples of product costing and two external industry experts led sessions on incorporating websites and social media in marketing plans. Finally, at this workshop, each member of the cohort was able to get a professional beekeeping portrait taken as well as high quality photos of their honey and other products. Individualized feedback: Throughout Year 2, each person in the cohort received individualized feedback on their efforts. On three occasions, we scheduled two-on-one or small group meetings with the participants and project leaders. In the two-on-one meetings, two project leaders met with each participant individually to provide feedback on a lean startup business plan and on the first several sections of the comprehensive business plan that they had written. In small group meetings, three project leaders met with groups of five or fewer participants to answer questions about their budgeting and product price costing efforts. Additionally, the project coordinator, Mary Bammer, regularly fields phone calls and emails from participants, helping them with various aspects of their beekeeping businesses.?
Publications
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Progress 09/15/22 to 09/14/23
Outputs
Target Audience:· Limited resource producers · Military veterans · Small farms · Specialty crop producers · Women Target audience: This program is being made available to beekeepers with at least one year of beekeeping experience, with a special emphasis on beekeepers who are military veterans, women, young beekeepers, socially disadvantaged, or have limited resources. Choosing participants: Amajor accomplishment of this first year was the recruitment and selection of participants, following approval of our work by the University of Florida Institutional Review Board. We developed a program application survey and distributed it through internal email lists and social media as well as through collaborator contact lists. In total over 300 individuals applied for one of the 30 available spots in this cohort. It was a challenge to select the right individuals from such a large applicant pool, but we were able to do so using the metrics proposed in this grant, as well as the completion of a participant commitment form. In August, the program coordinator will start meeting monthly with the selected beekeepers and participants will be given access to the first online course. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Steps in progress · Develop how-to videos for profitable value-added hive products. · Meet monthly with participants to help them with their business plans. · Host an in person workshop to help participants fine tune their business plans. · Interview beekeepers with successful businesses to serve as case studies for program participants. Steps to be taken · Develop an online course on value-added hive products. · Meet monthly with participants to help them with their product development. · Host an in person workshop to let participants practice making products with experts. · Develop an online course on digital marketing. · Meet monthly with participants to help them with their marketing plans. · Host an in person workshop to help participants develop digital marketing materials for their business. · Develop an online course on apiary/worker safety. · Meet monthly with participants to help them develop a safety plan for their businesses. · Host an in person workshop for participants to observe apiary safety practices.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Building the team: In year 1, we hired a coordinator and identified committee members for this project. The project director, coordinator, and committee started meeting monthly in February 2023 to provide feedback and discuss progress. Furthermore, we identified beekeepers to interview and to participate in panel discussions at in person workshops. Developing content: In this time, we also reviewed existing resources and identified gaps that would need to be filled to support the program participants. We developed new lessons, edited existing lessons, and updated business plan worksheets to be relevant to honey bee-specific businesses. This content is being used both in an online course for program participants and in the first in person workshop (occurring early Year 2). Tracking down original materials such as presentations and audio files proved challenging as much of the content was developed in the past by multiple people and for different projects. However, we ultimately were able to locate almost all of the existing resources that we wanted to incorporate into this program. Additionally, we ordered the necessary supplies and recorded content for a series of short value-added hive product "how-to" videos; video editing is currently underway.? Choosing participants: Another major accomplishment of this first year was the recruitment and selection of participants, following approval of our work by the University of Florida Institutional Review Board. We developed a program application survey and distributed it through internal email lists and social media as well as through collaborator contact lists. In total over 300 individuals applied for one of the 30 available spots in this cohort. It was a challenge to select the right individuals from such a large applicant pool, but we were able to do so using the metrics proposed in this grant, as well as the completion of a participant commitment form. In August, the program coordinator will start meeting monthly with the selected beekeepers and participants will be given access to the first online course.
Publications
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