Recipient Organization
Glynwood Center, Inc.
PO Box 157
Cold Spring,NY 10516
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Glynwood Center, Inc (Glynwood) is seeking $748,582 from the United States Department of Agriculture's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program over a three-year project period (September 2022 - August 2025) in support of expanding the "Hudson Valley Farm Apprenticeship." For 25 years, Glynwood has worked in New York's Hudson Valley to advance regenerative agriculture that benefits the environment, energizes local economies, enhances human health and strengthens rural communities. The Hudson Valley Farm Apprenticeship builds on Glynwood's successful track record of existing programs that empower farmers to thrive in a regional food system, respond to the challenges faced by the farming community, support healthy ecosystems, and provide equitable access to resources that farmers need to succeed and feed their communities.The Hudson Valley Farm Apprenticeship will serve two primary audiences: (1) diverse, limited resource, new farmers in Beginning Farmer and Rancher category one (first through third year of farming), to successfully manage their own climate-resilient farm enterprises and (2) farmer mentors that are supported with the tools and resources to effectively share their knowledge with the next generation of producers. Glynwood will oversee all coordination of the program, serving as program "hub," and will also serve as one of the host farms.Each year, an increasing number of partner host farms will join the program to expand regional impact. In year one, six host farms (Glynwood and five partner farms: Ecological Citizen's Project; Maple View Farm; Phillies Bridge Farm, and two additional farms to be selected), will mentor a total of 17 apprentices. In year two, seven host farms (Glynwood and six partner farms: Ecological Citizen's Project; Maple View Farm; Phillies Bridge Farm, and three additional farms to be selected), will mentor a total of 19 apprentices. In year three, eight host farms (Glynwood and seven partner farms: Ecological Citizen's Project; Maple View Farm; Phillies Bridge Farm, and four additional farms to be selected), will mentor a total of 21 apprentices. Overall, it is projected that 57 apprentices will be served through the three-year program. For partner host farms still to be selected, Glynwood will prioritize farms with the leadership of people who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color), LGBTQ+, and women. In all three program years, Glynwood will host five of the apprentices.The farmer training professional development opportunities made available through the Hudson Valley Farm Apprenticeship comprise both a core cohort curriculum at the host farms, as well as a roster of publicly available trainings provided by experts in the field at the host farms (Glynwood and partner host farms), and at one additional facility (Chester Agricultural Center). Glynwood will also work with community-based and social service organizations for recruitment for the core apprenticeship cohort, for attendees to the publicly available courses, and to provide additional social service resources. It is anticipated that the individuals served by the core cohort will be new each year, while individuals attending the publicly available farmer training opportunities may repeat. All program elements will be rooted in Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) principles, in line with Glynwood's publicly available Equity Statement that recognizes our role in addressing racism and inequity in our country's food system, and commits the organization to advancing IDEA in our organization, and in all of our work.The development of the Hudson Valley Farm Apprenticeship was informed by a needs assessment completed in 2021 that involved in-depth interviews with 30 stakeholders, including limited-resource and socially disadvantaged farm apprentices and mentors in the Hudson Valley. This work culminated in a publicly shared draft program plan around which a planning committee of farmers and other collaborators convened to determine the apprenticeship program. In partnership with longstanding collaborators, the multi-farm Hudson Valley Farm Apprenticeship responds to these needs and advances Glynwood's mission to ensure the Hudson Valley is a region defined by food, where farming thrives, and mobilizes Glynwood's expertise in program management, farmer training and technical assistance to support a network of apprentices working with farmer mentors across the Hudson Valley.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The Hudson Valley Farm Apprenticeship prepares diverse, limited resource, new farmers in Beginning Farmer and Rancher category one (first through third year of farming), to successfully manage their own climate-resilient farm enterprises while supporting regional farm viability with a well-trained workforce. At the same time, farmer mentors are supported with the tools and resources to effectively share their knowledge with the next generation of producers. The following program objectives were defined by a 2021 needs assessment and subsequent stakeholder deliberation, underscoring the connection between the program's design and audience needs. During the needs assessment, stakeholders encouraged such a program to: reflect the increasing diversity of the region, support farm economic sustainability, and model transparency and collaboration while being rooted in IDEA.These goals, objectives, and outcomes of the Hudson Valley Farm Apprenticeship support NIFA's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program's goals of yielding improvements in, and sustainability of, beginning farmers. The Hudson Valley Farm Apprenticeship addresses 13 of the 15 listed BFRDP priority topics, including: *Basic livestock and crop practices, *Business training, *Technical assistance, *Risk management, *Natural resource management, *Diversification and marketing, *Curriculum development, *Mentoring and apprenticeships, *Resources and referral, *Financial benchmarking, *Farm safety, and *Food safety. This program also covers "other similar subject areas," in that it actively supports agricultural resilience to, and mitigation of, climate change while working to increase equitable participation in USDA funded projects.?By the end of the third grant year, 300 new farmers will have participated in at least one aspect of the program, such as farm field days, workshops or the regional mentor-network. Fifty-seven of those participants will have successfully completed an apprenticeship. The program's reach will expand over the course of the grant period from a baseline of 17 apprentices on six host farms grant year 1 to 21 apprentices on eight host farms by the end of the grant period. Goal 1: Ensure equitable apprenticeships across the Hudson Valley region that prepare diverse new and beginning farmers to successfully run their own climate-resilient farm operations. Goal 2 Support regional climate-resilient farm viability with a well-trained apprentice workforce using a replicable system of farmer knowledge transfer.
Project Methods
The Hudson Valley Farm Apprenticeship supports apprentices and mentors by coordinating high quality instruction in climate-resilient specialty crop and livestock production practices, marketing, food and farm safety, financial planning, and land acquisition. Uniquely, the Apprenticeship also includes training and support in mentoring, adult education, nonviolent farm crew communication, farmer networking and IDEA.Methods for Each ObjectiveObjective 1A Train new climate-resilient farmers by standardizing baseline curricula, skills checklists and assessment, and by delivering instruction through research-based adult education methods including: self-directed learning, horizontal learning, learning-by-doing, and traditional workshop and classroom-based lectures [10]-[12]. Curricular topics include: Principles of climate-resilient agriculture; Crop and livestock production; Farm safety and OSHA; Farm Equipment; Marketing of farm products, including GAP & food safety; Farm finances; Land access; IDEA and Nonviolent Farm Communication. Methodsinclude:Convening stakeholders to adapt and adopt a standard curriculum and skills checklist based on Glynwood's existing apprentice curriculum (refined over 15 years).Developing a mentor toolbox for responsive curricula and pedagogy to aid apprentices with differing learning styles, advanced skills, or other needs.Coordinating and delivering a full season of apprentice-cohort learning modules, including: in-person workshops, classes, field days and remote-access courses.Paying apprentices a living wage, through the program, to attend all off-farm learning.Convening apprentices to design and document self-directed learning projects.Coordinating horizontal learning courses for all mentors and apprentices to take together, including Nonviolent Farm Communication and IDEA training.Supporting mentor-led on-farm learning-by-doing, following a skills checklist.Establishing program office hours for apprentices for one-to-one learning and support.Coordinating extra programmatic learning opportunities for apprentices according to their needs, goals and skills, supported by a discretionary professional development stipend.Objective 1B Diversify apprentice and mentor pools by rooting program design and delivery in the goal of serving diverse participants; recruiting and supporting diverse mentors and partners; varying program duration and hours; broadening recruitment strategies; and requiring ongoing IDEA training. Methods include:Recruiting participants through partners with longstanding relationships in diverse communities: including GrowNYC and Project EatsObligatory annual IDEA training for all apprentices and mentors.Drafting audience-appropriate recruitment materials in English and Spanish.Coordinating transportation for apprentices.Offering incidental funds for necessary personal work gear, such as boots or work pants.Providing updated annual resource list of regional social service programs and contacts for farm apprentices.Objective 1C Ensure fair compensation and worker protections by mandating apprenticeship legality; standardizing work hours; requiring minimum wage and workers' compensation; connecting apprentices to social services; and providing mediation and conflict resolution. Methodsinclude:Annual review and adaptation of Mentor Agreement, including minimum wage, workers' compensation, and other mentor requirements to participate in the program.Obligatory mentor training in existing Glynwood Farm Law Primer course.Resource coordination for apprentices with social services such as Medicaid.Offering conflict resolution support from the NYS Agricultural Mediation program. Objective 2A Promote transparency and accountability for replicability through participatory program planning and evaluation, and by sharing program materials publicly and directly with organizations in other regions to enable adaptation. Methods include:Convening a stakeholder planning committee annually to review third-party evaluation reports and update the program accordingly.Participatory evaluation of apprentice learning through monthly skills self-assessments following Quivira Coalition's model; monthly apprentice check-ins with program staff, and creative documentation of self-directed learning projects.Annual focus group in a World Cafe style stakeholder program design charrette. (World Cafe is a participatory evaluation technique similar to a focus group but more lively, encouraging group dialogue and mutual learning [9], [10].)Program staff continue participation in the National Ag Apprenticeship Network.Annual review of publicly available program materials.Annual third-party and participatory evaluation, as described in the "Plan for Outcome Based Reporting" on page 14 of this proposal.Objective 2B Support effective farmer knowledge transfer by offering host farmers training in adult education and mentoring; remunerating mentors to develop and deliver workshops; and convening a regional mentor network. Methods include:One annual, mandatory mentor onboarding to include: labor standards; on-farm mentoring; assessment and evaluation; and mediation; among other topics.Coordinating a series of farm mentor training classes open to all regional farmers, to include pedagogy for adult education, advanced food and farm safety, and others.Paying mentor farmers to design and deliver workshops, field-days and/or classes.Convening a regional mentor network for any apprenticeship-hosting farmer to join mentor trainings and participate in a Glynwood managed farm mentor listserv.Objective 2C Strengthen the social fabric of farming communities by building communities of practice among apprentices, among mentors, between apprentices and mentors, and working with mentors to build bridges from sustainable to conventional farming communities regionally. Methodsinclude:Annual kickoff and graduation retreats for apprentices and mentors.Horizontal learning workshops on Nonviolent Farm Communication and IDEA for apprentices and mentors to take together.Annual focus group/stakeholder program design charette with mentors and apprentices.Convening regional mentor-network.Field days on diverse regional farms attended by apprentices.Remote apprentice reunion with structured networking opportunities.