Building Resilient and Successful Farm Businesses in the Southern Appalachians

While 2020-2022 certainly were not the years we planned for, they have provided opportunities for some amazing work, connection, and change! They have required rethinking everything from delivery, content and approach of our programs to the technology and skills required, as well as the funding necessary, to continue to provide high quality education and training for growers. Organic Growers School is proud to share more about our journey, and the impact SARE’s funding has made for the 386 beginning and experienced over the last 2 years.

Impact of COVID:

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a huge impact on the local agriculture community and especially new and beginning farmers, those who have been farming for 10 years or less. Access to land, markets, and capital provides a unique set of challenges that new and beginning farmers face, reflected in the Organic Growers School (OGS) 2015 Barriers to Farming Survey and repeated in the 2020 Farming in NC Report.

We interviewed three new and beginning farmers, all graduates of OGS’s Farm Beginnings® program, and currently participate in Apprentice Link and/or the CRAFT Farmer Network. They had to adjust their production planning and quickly try to find alternative outlets and were expecting reductions in revenue, also related to anticipated land transitions. A major theme throughout each interview was the increased uncertainties newer farmers face, exacerbated by this pandemic. It was also evident that each farmer had developed planning and tracking systems, allowing them to make informed, adaptive decisions based on real data. In addition, each farm is well networked in the food and farming community, particularly due to their participation in the WNC CRAFT Farmer Network and Farm Beginnings programs, making access to information and other farmers easier. 

There have been some surprising silver linings as well. One farmer, who previously sold at farmers markets and to restaurants, expressed that this pandemic has forced them into thinking about marketing ideas they wouldn’t have considered before, such as a CSA. And, they have actually seen more people in their immediate area joining the CSA. They have found they can tap into customers they wouldn’t have before, who are passionate about local food and don’t want to go to farmers' markets.

Other farmers are experiencing this loyalty and support from customers as well, as customers realize the value of local farms and foods and how fragile the global food system and delivery structures are.  The farmers all seem excited about that possibility and hope that it doesn’t take another disaster for people to continue to see that local sustainably grown food is closer, safer, healthier, and good for our local economy. 

Sampling of Program Survey Results & Impact: 

As much of our educational programming shifted online due to the pandemic, we did see a decrease in participation in our program evaluation surveys. As our response rate was lower, particularly for follow-up surveys, we ask that you bear that in mind. Here is a sampling of results from those participants that did respond to surveys:

• From all programs 27% (107) committed to adopt a new practice, make a change or incorporate something they learned into their current farm or farm plan. 
• For Farm Dreams:
  • 100% of respondents reported gaining knowledge 
  • 72% said they would change something in their life as a result of taking this class.

• CRAFT Farmer Network:
  • 79% felt an increase in connection with regional farm support organizations and resources.
  • 68% saw an increase with implementing new sustainable production practices
  • 63% saw some increase with making goal driven and informed life/business decisions
  • 100% reported an increase in knowledge
  • 75% said I will change something in my current or future agricultural career because of this CRAFT tour.
• CRAFT Quotes:
  • “For me, it was the good CRAFT discussions that took place this year through the email listserv: The topic of compost is one that comes to mind.”
  • “I went on the Forest Farming tours and both of the tour hosts were so great. They were really eager to answer any questions, talk to folks afterwards in lengthy conversations and just had a general excitement about their farms that they wanted to share with everyone who attended.”
  • “I am still buzzing from that tour and am excited to get working on more farm projects around me.”
  • “Walking through the whole year of lambing and growing sheep out was super helpful, especially as we could see various buildings and animals associated with the process”

• Farm Beginnings Quotes:
  • Farm Beginnings helped me realize that while there is a lot I don't know, I now have some confidence that I could start my own farm business. It is one of many factors that have made what seems like the impossible task of small-scale farming, a little more approachable.
  • Seeing first hand working farms and hearing from the farmers how and why they do tasks the way they do, always experimenting to improve efficiency. The difference in gardening and farming is the planning and follow through on plans necessary to produce for markets rather than just harvesting for family and being satisfied with whatever survives the elements. It is a much more controlled approach rather than just letting nature take its course. The concept of employing animals to improve soil and the focus on the microbiology in soil ecology was new to me and provides a model for sustainable and regenerative farming practices.
  • The holistic goal section was life changing! It has helped us move forward with clarity and confidence. The enterprise budgets were really challenging and increased my farm related financial literacy quite a bit. The sections on holistic farming gave me a solid foundation/framework to move forward from.

Apprentice Link:

As a part of a strategic sustainability planning process for Organic Growers School we made the tough decision to close our Apprentice Link program, after 10 years of providing apprentice matching services to WNC farmers. A primary reason for this change was the proliferation of other internship and farm labor matching services that have developed nationally since Apprentice Link started, and the smaller niche aspect of our program was unable to compete in this new landscape. 

Mentor Services:

Mentor Services piloted in October 2020, and 6 mentor-mentee matches have been made over the last two years. These beginning farmers received between 15-30 hrs of one-on-one support with their mentor over a 12-month span. We are currently accepting applications on a rolling basis to match more beginning farmers with a mentor. We have seen increased interest and applicants in this program, and yet many applicants have not remained engaged to the matching stage. In addition, we’ve had multiple  farmers apply from outside of WNC where we have less capacity and networks to find local mentors to accommodate the farmers' needs. We are continuing to analyze and monitor this program so that we can adapt it to best fit the needs of the farmers in our region. 

JourneyPerson Farmer Training: 

We planned to launch and pilot this program in winter 2020. However, we ultimately decided to postpone the program as our target audience farmers were facing some many added burdens as they pivoted to meet the farming demands brought on by the Pandemic. 

We met with our Farmer Steering Committee at our bi-annual meeting in July 2021 to get their input on why the program wasn’t successful in winter 2020. The feedback we heard was that the program is still important and there is a need for beginning farmer support in this way. And, that time and cost continues to be a barrier for those farmers in our target audience. They are at a stage in their business where they’re really keeping their heads down, busy doing the farming work. And, taking time away feels difficult. In response, we have made some adjustments to the program, and re-framed our marketing language so that it was more understandable for us to re-launch in fall 2021. Adjustments we made for the 2021-2022 cohort include:

• Reducing the cost of the program
• Re-framing the marketing language so that farmers understand that this program won’t take them away from their farm, but rather enable them to work on their business, as they usually would, within the structure and support system of a cohort of their peers and other advanced farmers. 
• We are also raffled off $1000 in matching funds to 2 farm participants in the cohort. If they are able to save up to $1000 during the course, OGS will match their savings. 
• We are also incorporating online elements into this program to reduce travel times for participants so they can better fit it into their schedule. We will still have a few in-person sessions to help facilitate the cohort development and relationship building, as able based on the rate of COVID infections in our region.

Seven beginning farmers are currently participating in the JourneyPerson Program. They have participated in two weekend intensives: Advanced Enterprise Development and Holistic Financial Planning. A third intensive is scheduled for October 2022 at the request of the participants. They also gather for monthly cohort meetings. In future years we aim to offer the Savings Incentive Plan to all participants. 

Recruit & Serve New Audiences:

With all our programs moving online in 2020-2021 and maintaining some online opportunities in 2021-2022 we have substantially increased our geographic reach. In our Farm Beginnings class, in particular, students are participating from 5 different states and DC. Farm Dreams workshops were all online, as were the JourneyPerson monthly cohort meetings, and 2 CRAFT Winter Roundtables. Although we are able to start more safely meeting in-person, we are excited to retain an online element in several of our programs to be able to maintain that accessibility feature that remote learning offers so many folks who would otherwise not be able to participate in our programs and support services. 

And, this goal continues to be an ongoing effort. As we were able to shift the majority of our Farmer Programs online over the course of this year and last which increased accessibility to our training for many. Most notably, we saw success with online and hybrid programming with Farm Beginnings®. In 2020-2021 we had a 50% increase in total participants, and went from 2 BIPOC participants in 2019 to 14 in the 2020-2021 class.

Farmer Success Story: 

Olivia Ramos is a 2018 graduate of Farm Beginnings, and started her farm Soil Shine Farm and Ferments in the South Toe Area of Yancey County with her partner Rocky Ramos in 2019 after graduating from the program. They produce non-certified organically grown sauerkrauts, kimchi, seasonal pickles, hot sauces, beverages, and more, and grow the majority of their ingredients in their biodynamic market garden. You can find their products at several small scale grocers, and the Yancey County Farmers Market. 

Here is what Olivia shared about her Farm Beginnings experience, “Farm Beginnings helped me clarify and crystallize my farming vision and enterprises. When the opportunity arose, I was ready to begin my value-added farm-to-ferment business quickly and effectively because of all the groundwork I had laid in Farm Beginnings. I gained so much insight from the coursework, field trips, and mentorship. I love that Organic Growers School uses a Holistic Management framework to teach about farming, and I use those tools all the time in my other projects. The Holistic Management framework helps me stay grounded and focused on the big picture as I develop my business.”