Progress 09/30/22 to 09/29/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for the 2023 Organic Association of Kentucky (OAK) Conference project included farmers, agricultural professionals, researchers using organic practices, and those interested in learning more about organic and sustainable agriculture in Kentucky and the southeast region of the US. This project met farmer stakeholders' demand for opportunities to network with each other to discuss production challenges and learn about new techniques and resources they can use while connecting with industry, research and the broader community of sustainable agriculture stakeholders throughout the region. The project focused on the development of educational content deliverables for beginning farmers (10 years or less), as well as advanced farmers. Specific farmer stakeholder segments are detailed below. Stakeholders were allowed to provide OAK with feedback well before the event on desired conference topics, priority speakers, and workshops. Attendees of past conferences, field days, and farmer listening sessions completed surveys used to collect diverse input about education and research needs. OAK staff also promoted an open call for sessions through the OAK Conference website and OAK monthly newsletter six months prior to the event. The conference offered an in-person event that was open to all interested researchers, farmers and other stakeholders. Conference sessions were recorded and made available to attendees immediately following the event. All conference recordings were released to the general public in Fall 2023. The Conference was promoted heavily in Kentucky, to farms and educational networks in eight neighboring states, and through key partners in states in the southeast. OAK farmer members, organic industry partners, researchers, extension agents, government partners and other agriculture stakeholders and partner organizations all contributed to the vision and agenda for the 2023 conference series. All of these groups were also target audiences participating in the Conference programming and benefiting from the content shared during the events. In total, 445 individuals attended the conference over the three days. With NIFA-AFRI support for major expenses associated with the project, OAK was able to leverage other funds to offer reduced registration and offer 140 full scholarships. The event sold out due to venue capacity limitations. Details on the target stakeholder participants: Attendees were from a total of 16 states, with the majority (84%) being from Kentucky and 5% from the southeast region outside of Kentucky. Farmers constituted 75% of attendees Farmers (Beginning to 10 years or less): 51% Farmers (Experienced - more than 10 years): 32% Farmers (Aspiring farmers - not currently farming): 17% Students: 9% Black, Indigenous, People of ; background- font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;" aria-level="1"> Extension: 16% Research: 10% Farmer Participants reported: 57% diversified produce production 6% broad acreage row crop production of corn, soy, small grains 46.3% livestock (cattle, poultry, sheep, goats, pigs) Overall Farmers reported 25% manage certified organic operations 51% use organic practices but are not certified 12% use conventional practices 7% active transition to organic 5% did not specify Farmers and researchers participated in the program planning, ensuring relevant content. In 2023, this resulted in sessions and speakers addressing production practices that focused on minimizing ecological impacts, promoting soil health, improving yields, increasing on-farm biodiversity for the benefit of diversifying products for markets and an exploration of small-scale grain and dried bean opportunities. The common theme of discussion throughout topics supported open conversations about regional challenges and opportunities related to production, markets and research needs. The annual Conference provided a critical mechanism for disseminating information to support a regional increase in foundational knowledge of organic and sustainable agriculture systems and shared learnings about what is needed to build more solutions and support across the region. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project delivered sessions and networking opportunities, connecting farmers with technical advisors and researchers who shared sustainable production content and resources farmers can put to use in the field. In total the Conference delivered 38 sessions, convening 445 farmers and agricultural professionals for a combined 3 days of learning and networking. 99% of attendees said they learned something new they would put to use on their farm to advance their operation in the coming year. 73% of attendees also reported a high likelihood of sharing information learned with their peers, indicating that the information was valuable and worth sharing, and reinforces the peer-to-peer community of support. Additionally, 74 agricultural professionals accessed the event to learn about organic practices and access professional development opportunities in organic and sustainable production. Professional development opportunities were further accessed by 32 participants who chose to claim Continuing Education Units (CEUs). CEUs were available to agricultural professionals through Extension (KERS) and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (Agricultural Pesticide Applicator Certification CEU). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of the 2023 Conference were disseminated to the Kentucky agriculture network through email, newsletters, social media and a Summary Report was shared withconference partners and participantsvia OAK's communications channels. TheSummary Report is available on OAK's Conference webpage: https://www.oak-ky.org/conference-2023-recordings.Soon after the conference was complete OAK shared a program impact summary with collaborators, speakers, sponsors, industry partners and attendees. OAK recorded all the sessions with the assistance of a project partner, Kentucky State University, providing an expanded opportunity for participation for those who were not available to join in person. Session recordings were made available to all those registered in the spring of 2023 and then to the public at large starting June 2023 with new installments of content added monthly through September 2023. Dissemination through OAK's communications network reached 3,315 stakeholders and recordings have been viewed over 1,550 times. The recorded sessions are available on OAK's website https://www.oak-ky.org/conference-2023-recordingsand through OAK's YouTube channel Conference 2023 playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVbNZ-guznA0zhJE9PPAKz7u3W8MB46Dw What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
O1 Provide inclusive learning for stakeholders that builds on previous success and forges more connectivity and knowledge transfer. O1 Major Activities #1 Coordinated Conference Offered low cost registration and 140 scholarships Delivered direct invitations to researchers Provided Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for professional development O1 Data #2 Demographics 445 attendees 140 scholarships Farmers beginning: 51%, experienced: 32%, aspiring: 17% BIPOC: 17% Extension: 16% Research: 10% 25% certified organic operations 51% organic practices not certified 12% conventional practices 7% active transition to organic O1 Discussion #3 The conference engaged 445 attendees, exceeding the project goal of 350. The affordability of events and scholarships eliminated common financial barriers to participation. Additionally, session recordings were made publicly available after the event, increasing accessibility to production content for those that did not attend. 72% of participants identified as farmers with 51% beginning farmers, 32% experienced farmers, and 17% aspiring farmers, demonstrating the agenda delivered relevant content tailored to a variety of experience levels. 17% of conference attendees reported they were Black, Indigenous or People of Color, illustrating that the Conference Series was accessible and inclusive from event promotion, speaker representation, registration and session facilitation. 25% of farmer participants managed certified organic farms, 51% used organic practices but were not certified and 12% used conventional practices, 7% reported being in active organic transition, demonstrating an interest in learning more about organic practices is a priority. O1 Outcomes #4 100% of participants reported that the content accessed through the Conference Series was "good" or "excellent", and 99% of respondents reported that they would be likely to use something they learned, and 73% reported they would likely share content with a peer, indicating a broad reach. CEUs were claimed by 32 individuals for professional development, the vast majority from institutions of higher education and extension. O2 Connect farmers with sustainable production content and experts. O2 Major Activities #1 Coordinated Conference Provided opportunities for stakeholders to connect O2 Data #2 See conference agenda, sessions and speaker bios in the Summary Report Offered 38 sessions 74 experts connected with farmers O2 Discussion #3 The Conference connected farmers with technical advisors, researchers and other experts who shared sustainable production content and resources, see the Summary Report for details on the 38 sessions offered. Panels, keynotes, farm tours, demonstrations and community discussions proved accessible and engaging, increasing connectivity among interdisciplinary stakeholder groups. O2 Outcomes #4 Conference attendees indicated that as a result of being exposed to new information and becoming aware of resources, 100% reported they were "definitely" or "most likely" to implement something they learned on the farm. Conference sessions supported producers in applying a change in knowledge and management decision-making on topics from nutrient budgeting and soil balancing to crop planning and rotational grazing. USDA representatives and grant recipients showcased funded research and discussed opportunities available through USDA OREI, NIFA, NRCS and SARE programs. O3 Identify current production challenges and research needs. O3 Major Activities #1 Collected stakeholders' top production and business challenges Captured research needs via registration form, session conversations and post-event survey O3 Data #2 Top production challenges Pest and disease 36% Lack of equipment or needed infrastructure 35% Weed management 34% Labor 32% Soil health 24% Climate change 20% Top business challenges Capital/funding 38% Labor 29% Marketing / finding customers 10% Recordkeeping 22% Pricing products 13% Land access/knowledge access/market access each at 12% Stakeholder identified needs Develop cover cropping calculator and nutrient budgeting decision tool for small organic farms. Conduct organic seed farm trials and breeding for food grade small grains in the region. Develop organic small grain survey gather more information on farmer and industry needs and opportunities. Improved access to agroforestry, and forest farming planting stock and seeds. Assess regional needs for processing and aggregating woodland medicinals. Address restrictive laws on ginseng in Kentucky and work with KDA to improve accessibility of seed and selling of live plants. Provide foundational technical assistance: crop planning, nutrient budgeting, soil test interpretation geared to organic systems. Strategies to build on-farm resilience in response to extreme weather. Expand peer learning and mentorship programs. Synthesized farmer inquiries and input demonstrates the need for increased funding for organic research in food grade small grain varieties, agroforestry industry assessment, and broad interest in soil health; technical assistance; increased funding for conservation practice implementation; innovations to address ongoing labor challenges. O3 Discussion #3 From food grade grains and beans that are selected for success in the Southeastern growing conditions to agroforestry industry assessment, to the economics of cover cropping, participants identified topics, resources and future work that could support their decision making process and refine production practices in the region. It remains a need to conduct an overall organic industry economic assessment for the region that highlights impacts, infrastructure and projected growth should be conducted to illuminate the opportunities for farmers. To meet farmer interest and harness emerging trends, developing a survey tool to further explore organic small grains and another tool to assess forest farming opportunities and needs is recommended. O3 Outcomes #4 The collection of these results sets the stage for a change in condition for organic agriculture in the region both in terms of knowledge change and new activities that could lead to increased regional market opportunities and diversification for organics; increased productivity from farms using organic practices; increased soil health; improved water quality; improved farm incomes; and improved farm resilience. The results of identified challenges and specific actionable steps are detailed in the Summary Report. O4 Create and share Summary Report O4 Major Activities #1 Collected stakeholder input Prepared and disseminated summary report O4 Data #2 Production and business challenges, research needs (see details above in O3) O4 Discussion #3 This project highlighted sessions and opportunities to access and apply research findings and engage with on-farm research in the future. Through continued conversations and considering that investment in organic research in the southeast region has historically been lower than other regions, there is a high need for more research leadership and organic farmer participation in the region. O4 Outcomes #4 Project outcomes in the Summary Report highlight identified production challenges and opportunities for organically-minded farmers. The reportis available on the event webpageand includes the full conference agenda and future research needs, setting the stage for changes in conditions for the region. As a result of conversations nurtured in this project, partners are already collaborating on complementary future projects to address some identified priority areas and carry the work forward.
Publications
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