Recipient Organization
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
750 AGRONOMY RD STE 2701
COLLEGE STATION,TX 77843-0001
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service's Battleground to Breaking Ground Growing Farmers & Ranchers Project(BGBG-GFR)will 1) Grow the existing BattleGround to Breaking Ground (BGBG) program to increase Texas' veteran and other bfrs and 2) Enhance the sustainability of Texas' veteran and other bfrs. To accomplish this, BGBG-GFR will: 1. Conduct Partner Meetings and Hands-On events to train bfrs in climate-smart agriculture solutions 2. Expand BGBG courses with enhanced support for bfrs to remove barriers and increase participation in USDA programs and services 3. Develop the current BGBG Program into a Department of Labor (DoL) Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP). Key objectives include: 1. Conduct in-person Partner Meetings with bfr support organizations/agencies 2. Conduct Hands-On training in climate-smart ag solutions 3. Provide courses in agriculture business planning, production, natural resource management, diversification, and financial benchmarking 4. Co-host FVCTX Annual Stakeholder meeting 5. Develop BGBG programs into a DoL RAP and apply to become a Texas Veteran Commission approved RAP 6. Conduct program evaluation to assess effectiveness and make modifications as needed.The global issues this project seeks to address are: 1. unemployment rates for veterans transitioning from military service into civilian life; 2. aging farmer/rancher workforce in Texas & the United States; 3. lack of veteran opportunities for practical hands-on educational experiences in production agriculture; and 4. limited apprenticeship opportunities and support for self-employment in agriculture. Additional issues include not enough training slots available for SkillBridge participants. 228 transitioning military members have contacted the BGBG program wishing to apply for the BGBG SkillBridge program; however, the current funding only provided for 18 training slots. Also, theBGBG SkillBridge program participants that were very new bfrsdid not always have enough time in the abbreviated 4-month long program to get their feet under them financially. This project seeks to address these limitations by expanding the previous BGBG project based on feedback from past participants and graduates provided through program surveys and one-on-one interviews. Previous BGBG participants report needing 1. more training on USDA resources 2. Local community support & opportunities to network 3. more availability of SkillBridge training slots 4. More skills in natural resource management 5. additional mentors and mentorship stipends 6. supported employment while learning. To address these limitations, the proposed project will: a.) provide local, regional in-person meetings with partners to provide education on programs/ services/ resources for bfrs (USDA, Farmer Veteran Coalition, AgriLife, Texas Depart. Of Ag.) b.) provide hands-on training in identifying and managing natural resources and implementing climate-smart ag practices to address climate change c.) provide web meetings with partners for participants to address barriers to accessing programs/services d.) provide more SkillBridge training slots and more funding to support mentors to train participants e.) register the BGBG program as a Department of Labor (DoL) Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) to provide supported employment and f.) apply to Texas Veteran's Commission (TVC) to become a RAP so that veterans can utilize their GI Bill while completing BGBG-GFR training. Previous BGBG program evaluation data also highlighted the need for continued camaraderie and support after completing the program. The BGBG-GFR will continue to provide graduates mentor specific training and provide a mechanism for graduates to connect with incoming program participants. BGBG-GFR graduates will receive support, referrals, education, resources, and financial stipends to start or grow their farms/ranches.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Texas A&M Agrilife Extnesion's BattleGround to Breaking Ground: Growing Farmers & Ranchers Project (BGBG-GFR) willcontinue our mission of "Serving Americans by Feeding Them" through achieving the overall goals to:Grow: The existing Battleground to Breaking Ground program (BGBG) will grow through increasing education, outreach, and technical assistance to limited agriculture experience participants to give beginning farmers and ranchers (bfrs) the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations and enhance their sustainability; thus, increasing the number of veteran and other bfrs in Texas.Support: BGBG-GFR will enhance the success and sustainability of Texas' veteran and other bfrs by building upon their knowledge, skills, tools, and resources through experiential learning and supported employment to become successfully self-employed in agriculture.To accomplish these goals the project will:A) Develop and conduct in-person BGBG-GFR Partner Meetings in Texas coupled with hands-on learning opportunities that demonstrate practices to address climate change with climate smart agriculture, food, and forestry solutions.B) Expand BGBG courses with enhanced support for transitioning military, veteran and other bfrs that includes innovative, problem-solving strategies with a focus on removing systemic barriers and increasing equitable participation in USDA's program and services.C) Develop the current BGBG Program into a Registered Department of Labor Apprenticeship to 1. enhance the sustainability of bfrs and expand support to certified Battleground to Breaking Ground Mentors 2. Increase the number of available veteran and other beginning farmer rancher agriculture mentors in Texas.
Project Methods
Partner Meetings: BGBG staffwill host 2meetings across Texas per year ( with program partners/other bfrs support agencies/organizations (USDA-Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Rural Development (RD); Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA); Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC); etc.Hands-On Learning Opportunities: BGBG staff and partners willhost 3 HOLs per year (9 total) with BGBG Certified Mentors to demonstrate practices to address climate change with climate smart agriculture, food, and forestry solutions.Updated BGBG Courses:BGBG staff and partnerswill record modules that increase participants awareness of USDA programs & services and reduce their barriers to accessing these programs. Additionally, participants will develop their local Technical Assistance Team.Quarterly Online Meetings: BGBG staff will host quarterly meetings withagencies/organizations that offer programs & services to support bfrs to provide: education about programs & services, demonstrations of how to access & apply for programs/services; technical assistance & troubleshooting for attendees struggling to access programs/services.Statewide Stakeholder Meeting: BGBG staff and Farmer Veteran Coalition of Texas will host an annual meetingfor veteran and active duty military bfrs to provide education, training, and connection to USDA and other relevant networks/programs.Registered Apprenticeship Program: BGBG staff will develop the curriculum, training guides, and application package for a registered apprenticeship program and will apply to become a registered apprenticeship program with the Department of Labor and the Texas Veterans Commission. Staff will also register the apprenticeship with theDepartment of Defense's Skillbridge program.?Expected Data Type:All data collected will be primary data. Quantitative and Qualitative Data will be collected using nine instruments (see below).Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy Scale (ESE)McGill Quality of Life (MQOL)Independent Living and Working (ILW)Program Skills Assessment (SA)Satisfaction Survey (SS)Qualitative data will be collected using open-ended questions designed to solicit program feedback. Participants will be asked to provide feedback on the overall program and component parts. The quantitative data will utilize the following surveys that tap veteran transition to civilian reintegration including meaningfulness of work, quality of life, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and program skill acquisition assessment. Pre and post-tests will be administered to program participants to assess key outcome variables of Quality of Life, Entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and the success of participants' ag self-employment. Program participants will be assessed at the beginning of their participation in the program and at program exit.The Evaluation Team will review the qualitative data to assess themes for program improvement. Analysis of the program outcomes of quality of life, entrepreneurial self- efficacy, and independent living tests the changes in the scores between baseline and after program exit. We will present descriptive statistics across the four main outcome variables, conceptualized as entrepreneurialism (ESE), quality of life (McGill Quality of Life MQOL), and skill attainment both at baseline and follow-up.Initially summed scores for each measure will be used to operationalize each variable. Program Skills Assessment will be utilized as a part of the Individual Educational Plan process to assess farm and ranch business knowledge and skills improvement from program start and exit.DataFormat:Data collected will be digitized and stored utilizing Excel spreadsheets. A code book will be developed for instructions on input and analysis of the data. A methodology document outlining the study will be digitized and housed with the collected data. The project will create documentation detailing the source, coding, and editing of all data in sufficient detail to enable another researcher to replicate the study.Measurement Instruments will be shared in pdf format. The data will be uploaded to the Ag Data Commons website and the Texas Digital Library and their required formats will be followed.