Progress 09/15/23 to 09/14/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached this reporting period was mostly beginning or aspiring veteran farmers with under 10 years of farming experience, some cash or credit limitations, and travel and time constraints. Due to the online nature of accessing our programs, some of the participants were from across the country, with the majority of them located within the Midwest, 25 were from Nebraska. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In year 3, we conducted a class series, online and in person, with 11 educational opportunities, rotating between online classrooms to teach business skills, and on-farm for production skills. Series Outline and Class Notes FEB 19: Meet the Farmer, Skills Assessment, Budgeting, and Marketing Business Class Date: Monday, February 19th, 2024 Participants met the host farmer and completed a skills assessment exercise to identify their strengths and areas for growth. The session introduced budgeting strategies tailored to small-scale farming and explored marketing fundamentals. Participants engaged in group discussions about their goals and received practical tools for financial and marketing planning. FEB 26: Risk Management Business Class Date: Monday, February 26th, 2024 This session focused on identifying potential risks in farming operations and strategies to manage them effectively. Participants learned about tools like insurance options, diversification techniques, and proactive planning to mitigate financial and operational risks. Breakout discussions allowed for personalized risk assessment scenarios. MAR 4: Holistic Goal Setting Business Class Date: Monday, March 4th, 2024 Participants worked through holistic goal-setting exercises designed to align personal values with farm goals. The session emphasized integrating different farm enterprises cohesively and sustainably. Homework sheets were distributed prior to the class, with personalized feedback provided by instructors to help participants refine their plans MAR 11: Agritourism Laws Business Class Date: Monday, March 11th, 2024 This class addressed the legal aspects of agritourism, including liability protection, zoning laws, and operational permits. Participants learned how to navigate regulations and explored examples of agritourism businesses to inspire their planning. Legal Aid staff provided insights and offered follow-up technical assistance opportunities. MAR 18: Zoning and Insurance Business Class Date: Monday, March 18th, 2024 This session focused on navigating zoning requirements for farm operations and understanding the role of insurance in protecting farm assets. Participants learned how to ensure compliance with local regulations and explored various insurance products, including liability, crop, and farm structure coverage. Real-life case studies were shared to highlight common challenges and solutions. MAR 25: Taxes and Recordkeeping Business Class Date: Monday, March 25th, 2024 This class covered the essentials of farm tax preparation and effective recordkeeping. Participants learned about tax deductions available to farmers, tools for tracking income and expenses, and tips for preparing for tax season. The session also included an introduction to recordkeeping systems that simplify reporting and improve financial management. APR 15: Anchor Meadow Farm - Farm Store Setup and Management Production Class Date: Monday, April 15th, 2024 Location: 2297 A St Rd, Milford, NE 68405 Anchor Meadow Farm exemplifies family-led sustainable farming. This class introduced participants to the farm's diverse practices and unique farm store. The tour highlighted the setup and management of the store, featuring handcrafted items, locally sourced products, and quality meats. Participants learned about innovative display techniques, thoughtful product curation, and strategies for fostering meaningful connections with consumers. These insights demonstrated the keys to success in a direct-sales model for farm businesses. MAY 13: Ellsworth Crossing - Supporting Local Food Networks Production Class Date: Monday, May 13th, 2024 Location: 26902 West Center Road, Waterloo, NE Ellsworth Crossing serves as a hub for local artisan food producers, emphasizing sustainable and organic practices. Participants toured the premises, gaining insights into the local food network and the importance of supporting regional farmers and producers. The session also delved into the careful product selection process, showcasing Ellsworth Crossing's commitment to sustainability, quality, and community engagement. JUN 10: Anthologie Soap Co - Branding and Customer Engagement Production Class Date: Monday, June 10th, 2024 Location: 412 N Linden St, Ste E, Wahoo, NE Anthologie Soap Co specializes in handcrafted soaps made from natural, locally sourced ingredients. This session explored the challenges and rewards of expanding a farm or artisanal business into retail environments. Participants learned effective strategies for branding and customer engagement, gaining inspiration from the store's display of soaps, bath bombs, and skincare products. The class emphasized techniques for expanding business reach beyond traditional farm settings. JUL 18: Marketing for Farm Stores - Online Class Production Class Date: Thursday, July 18th, 2024 Location: Zoom (link provided before the session) This online class provided marketing strategies tailored to farm stores, farm stands, and artisanal producers. Participants explored tools for increasing visibility, engaging customers, and building brand loyalty through effective digital and in-person marketing approaches. AUG 12: Perennial Homestead - Farm Stand Marketing Production Class Date: Monday, August 12th, 2024 Location: 12505 Ponca Road, Omaha, NE Perennial Homestead is renowned for its commitment to permaculture and sustainable living. Participants toured the farm stand, featuring seasonal produce, homemade jams, herbal teas, and natural remedies. The session highlighted how Perennial Homestead connects with the community through its products and creative use of social media. Insights on leveraging online platforms for marketing helped participants explore ways to enhance their own community outreach and sales. From the evaluation data, we gathered the following insights: Participants overwhelmingly appreciated the program, noting its ability to provide a wealth of valuable, actionable information and foster meaningful connections. Most found the sessions to be well-organized, relevant, and visually engaging, with 79% agreeing or strongly agreeing that the visuals and materials were helpful. Networking opportunities were frequently highlighted as a standout feature, with participants expressing gratitude for the chance to connect with like-minded peers, share ideas, and receive guidance from experienced trainers. Confidence in applying what was learned was moderate, with many participants already integrating concepts like budgeting, recordkeeping, and marketing into their plans. The program was praised for introducing fresh perspectives, sparking new ideas, and offering practical tools that were immediately useful. Attendance was strongest in the early sessions, with some later decline despite incentives; however, those who participated noted that each session built effectively on the last. Participants appreciated how trainers responded to feedback, implementing longer breakout sessions and fostering a collaborative, supportive environment. Requests for more tailored content, additional real-world case studies, and expanded discussions aligned with specific interests reflect the high level of engagement and eagerness to learn. Suggestions for improvement included separating participants by experience level, providing more regional examples, and aligning sessions with agricultural seasons. Overall, participants viewed the program as a resounding success, lauding the depth of information, high-quality facilitation, and the sense of community it fostered. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We will be keeping the google classroom that stores the resources and the videos active so that we can share the class with future participants who are interested in egg production. A series of blogs on participants and farmer leaders were released within Nebraska. Several of our famer leaders have been instrumental in forming a Nebraska Chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition. We have supported this with technical assistance and have shared information about our classes with the chapter and promoted the chapter within the class participants within Nebraska. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Next year we will be conducting year 2 of our classes focusing on Upick operations.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A total of 90 veterans registered for our class series on Agritourism, focusing on farm stores, 25 of these participants were from Nebraska, the rest were from across the country, 58 ot the ones registered accessed the information online, at their own pace. This increase followed a feature in a VA article midway through the sessions, which brought significant attention to the program. Initially, we had 30 veterans registered and began the series. Of these initial 30, 22 were in Nebraska. 13 completed more than 50% of the sessions. Participants engaged in a total of 11 classes--6 focused on business operations, planning, and decision-making for farm stores, and 5 seasonal production classes, all of which were held on-farm.
Publications
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