Final report for EDS22-38
Project Information
FINAL REPORT: Development and Implementation of the Agriculture Community Education (ACE) On-line Learning Modules for Northeast Texas Limited Resource Producers Project: EDS22-38
Executive Summary
The Agriculture Community Education (ACE) project was launched through SARE Education Grant EDS22-38 to create and implement a series of online training modules that make sustainable agriculture education more accessible to limited-resource and underserved producers in Northeast Texas. Building on more than a decade of face-to-face instruction at Northeast Texas Community College’s (NTCC) Sustainable Market Farm, the ACE initiative aimed to transform existing hands-on courses into flexible, on-demand learning opportunities.
Five modules were developed covering core topics essential to small-scale regenerative production: Healthy Soils, Backyard Poultry, Meat Goat Production, Greenhouse Management and Vegetable Gardening. Each module featured multimedia instruction, real-farm demonstrations, assessments, and discussion components, delivered through NTCC’s Blackboard Ultra learning platform.
Implementation spanned two years and included integration into college coursework (HALT 2321 Small Farming, AGRI 1315 Horticulture and others), in-field demonstrations, and multiple public outreach events such as AgFest, Homestead Fairs, and student-led community poster sessions. A Texas YES grant extension in Year 2 allowed additional year for students to contribute to module refinement and program expansion and paid internships for graduating students to modify lesson plans.
Measured outcomes include a 32% average gain in student knowledge, 93% of participants reporting skill improvement, and over 70% noting financial benefit from practice adoption. Demonstrated impacts ranged from improved soil health and crop yields to better animal management outcomes. Additionally, the ACE project inspired the development of new Occupational Skills Awards (OSAs) in Homesteading Management and Plant Production Management, along with enhanced outreach through the new Farm Day Fridays initiative geared at underserved audiences including young adults with special needs.
Through a blend of online flexibility and real-world application, ACE has transformed NTCC’s agriculture program into a regional model for accessible, applied regenerative education. With curriculum updates planned, new modules in development, and broad community interest, the ACE project leaves a lasting legacy and scalable framework to support sustainable farming in Texas and beyond.
Total project budget for 2 years is $35,667. Breakdown includes: supplies: $6,425, Outreach: $2,800; Personnel: $23,200; NTCC indirect costs $3,242. The 2024-2025 year extension was utilized to offer two summer internships through the Texas Yes funds of $4950 that were primarily salary paid to instruct course modules for the summer which also included an additional 10% in indirect costs. Breakdown for Texas Yes grant funds awarded: $4100 Wages + $400 Materials and Supplies + $450 indirect costs.
ACE Project Objectives
The primary goal of the ACE (Agricultural Continuing Education) project is to enhance the long-term sustainability of small-scale farmers in the Northeast Texas region by providing targeted, practical education through online learning modules. Content for the online courses for sustainable practices in our biome was not readily available. NTCC Regenerative Farm is a community college agriculture program with a regenerative farm or laboratory that is set up to instruct area producers. NTCC Sustainable Ag Program Grant would provide the labor to build each online module as taught on our farm. Each module focuses on improving best practices in a key area of sustainable agriculture. Student learning outcomes are assessed based on knowledge gained and the adoption of improved practices, with evaluation metrics tied to measurable improvements in farm performance.
The following measurable objectives guide the project:
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Soil Health Improvement: Participants will demonstrate improved soil health through pre- and post-course soil sample analysis.
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Backyard Poultry Flock Performance: Participants will show improved egg production in their backyard layer flocks, measured before and after module completion.
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Meat Goat Production Efficiency: Participants will achieve reduced parasite loads and improved weight gain in goats, evaluated through fecal sample comparisons pre- and post-instruction.
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Greenhouse Pest Management: Participants will apply integrated pest management techniques to greenhouse vegetable production, assessed via improved germination rates.
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Vegetable Crop Yield: Participants will adopt cover cropping and companion planting strategies to increase vegetable yields, measured through comparative harvest data.
Additional skills and behaviors specific to each topic area may also be measured. Participants will be asked to evaluate the financial impact of the course by identifying whether they experienced increased profits or reduced input costs as a result of adopting practices taught in the modules.
Cooperators
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
- - Technical Advisor
- - Technical Advisor
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
- - Producer
- - Technical Advisor
Education
Activities (Methods/Approach)
The ACE (Agricultural Continuing Education) project was implemented over a two-year period with the goal of delivering high-impact, skill-based online education to small farmers in the Northeast Texas region. The project was grounded in real-world demonstration at the NTCC Sustainable Market Farm and integrated into academic coursework and community outreach events.
Curriculum Development and Content Creation (Spring 2022 – Spring 2023):
In the first phase of the project, a team was assembled through a competitive hiring process to develop, demonstrate, and document five core modules: Healthy Soils, Backyard Poultry Management, Meat Goat Production, Vegetable Gardening, and Greenhouse Production. Each module included PowerPoint presentations, how-to demonstration videos filmed on-site at NTCC’s Sustainable Market Farm, interactive discussion questions, fact sheets, and assessments. Content was aligned with the HALT 2321 Small Farming course and designed for delivery through the Blackboard Ultra Learning Management System.
Hands-on demonstrations were staged during the summer and fall of 2022. Supplies for each demonstration were procured to ensure accurate and repeatable real-life scenarios that mirrored conditions small producers would encounter. These demonstrations were video-recorded and embedded into the ACE modules to enhance the virtual learning experience with tactile, visual learning opportunities.
Course Implementation and Student Engagement (Spring 2023 – Spring 2024):
The completed modules were pilot-tested in the Spring 2023 semester through the HALT 2321 Small Farming course at Northeast Texas Community College. Students enrolled in the course participated in both in-person and online learning experiences and provided feedback on module clarity, engagement, and usefulness.
In the 2023–2024 academic year, the ACE modules were expanded to other relevant courses, including AGRI 1315 (Horticulture) and HALT 2371 (Small Farm Business Planning). Faculty integrated modules directly into course instruction, with a focus on applied learning and skills adoption.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
The ACE online lesson modules activities can be described as:
- Content Creation: Staff researched topical content to create scripts, PowerPoints, visual aids and videos for each of the 5 topics. The staff was made up of: Rene' McCracken, Lisa Dupree, Bradley Lofton, Claire McCracken, Elizabeth Lively and summer student workers. In the second and third year of the project: Jan Shirley, Baily Matej were added as instructional design staff and farm assistant respectively. Administrative staff were also utilized to help hire, train staff members as needed. Additional staff members completed purchase orders, picked up supplies, etc.
- Instructional Design: Developed content is then organized, edited and structured in a way that is easy to understand and follow. Final edits for each lesson will be made in year two after feedback from students is considered and applied.
- Demonstrations utilizing grant funded supplies on NTCC Sustainable Market Farm provide content for "Case Study" assignments. Instructors use case studies to illustrate key concepts and allow learners to work through scenarios.
- Simulations and in some cases - actual problems are presented to participants in HALT 2321 Small Farm course, tours and field days. This creates a safe and controlled setting so that instructors can provide hands-on experiences and reinforce learning.
- Problem solving exercises will be added to each lesson topic to challenge learners to think critically and apply their knowledge. These "most frequently asked questions" will be part of the each of the final assessments for all five topics. Questions added will be compiled from feedback from content delivery at tours, field days and in-person classes.
- Social Media Blog posts: NTCC Ag Department facebook page is utilized to reach our audience with instructional blogs. Questions and interest from blog posts are monitored and questions incorporated in the content of the course.
By utilizing these activities, instructors are engaging our audience and creating relevant on-line course material for our five course topics. This will result in future participant farmers understanding and adopting new sustainable agriculture skills and practices. Year 2 and the extension year 3 comprised of updating ACE course modules and refining outcomes.
Outreach Events and Community Testing:
To broaden impact and gather community feedback, several outreach events were held:
- March into AgFest (March 31–April 1, 2023): Initial project results were shared with local producers, and early feedback on content was gathered.
- NTCC Homestead Fair (March 8, 2024): This event served as a major dissemination point for ACE course content. Over 70 attendees heard from keynote speakers Matt and Jerica Cadman (Shady Grove Ranch), participated in farm tours, viewed SARE-funded demonstration plots, and engaged in discussions about soil health, poultry care, and regenerative practices.
- Farmers Market Poster Outreach (November 29, 2023): NTCC agriculture students presented posters summarizing ACE modules and shared key lessons learned with the public.
- 2nd Annual Homestead Fair (March 29, 2025): Designed to collect final feedback, this event emphasized community dialogue and peer-to-peer learning, with over 30 participants sharing experiences and lessons from implementing the skills taught in the modules.
Module Refinement and Evaluation (Summer 2023 – Spring 2024):
After initial testing and outreach, modules were refined based on both student feedback and community engagement. Quizzes, assessments, and video content were edited for clarity and updated to reflect practical on-farm realities. These updates ensured that the learning experience remained aligned with real-world producer needs.
Grant extension was attained and coupled with Texas Yes grant awarded for additional student interns Summer 2024. Continuing to edit modules and creation of the Plant Production OSA were primary goals of the grant. Final funds were spent by December 2024. Although grant funds were depleted, the online modules continue to impact students each semester. 
Learning Outcomes
Soil Health Management
Project Outcomes
Project Outcome generation and tabulation are in process and will be reported at end of second year - March 2024.
Projected Outcomes can be described as:
The ACE Online Learning Project will contribute to the future sustainability of farmers in several ways, including economically, environmentally and socially.
Economically, the lessons will teach farmers how to implement sustainable agriculture practices that can reduce production costs and increase yields. Specific data in the area of reduced reliance on fertilizers and pesticides provide reduced costs due to improved soil health and fertility. Practices such as cover cropping, crop rotation, pastured poultry and integrated pest management are also expected to provide farmers with measurable economic impact.
Environmentally, the lessons will teach farmers how to reduce their impact on the environment and promote biodiversity. Sustainable practices demonstrated such as conservation tillage, cover cropping, hugelkultur and silvo-pasture can reduce soil erosion and improve soil health, which can lead to higher crop yields and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Sustainable practices can also reduce water use and promote the conservation of wildlife habitats. Pre/post surveys with topical questions will help to provide data to farmers and instructors to assess impact.
Socially, the lessons will promote the well-being of farmers and their communities. Sustainable practices such as agroforestry and diversification can increase farm resilience and provide alternative sources of income during lean times. Historically, our farmers are dealing with inflated costs of inputs, high land values resulting from rapid influx of urban sprawl and rising population. The rapidly rising property taxes are the final straw for most and are pushing more to sell out. This provides an overwhelming obstacle to new farmers wanting to enter the industry. Sustainable practices can lead to healthier and more diverse diets, which can promote better health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. Finally, sustainable practices can contribute to the preservation of cultural traditions and the strengthening of rural communities.
Final outcome survey tools are still being completed and will be implemented at future course offerings, field days and tours. These are examples how data can be utilized to help producers and instructors to asses impact of the ACE Online Learning Lessons.
Outcomes and Impacts
The ACE project demonstrated clear, measurable progress in improving knowledge, practices, and sustainability outcomes for both student learners and community members engaged in the Northeast Texas agriculture community. Evaluation of the project’s effectiveness was conducted through pre- and post-assessments, course performance metrics, outreach engagement, and informal feedback mechanisms.
Learning Outcomes
Student participants in HALT 2321 and HALT 2371 Small Farming courses, as well as AGRI 1315 Horticulture, reported significant increases in knowledge and confidence in the five focus areas: soil health, meat goat production, backyard poultry care, greenhouse management, and vegetable production.
Key learning outcomes included:
- Soil Health: 87% of students demonstrated increased knowledge of soil biology, composting, and regenerative practices. Pre- and post-course soil samples indicated measurable improvements in organic matter content in student-managed plots. Assessments in courses such as Soil Science, Small Farming and Horticulture resulted in increased average scores by 10% in soil health modules.
- Backyard Poultry Management: Students reported a 15–25% increase in egg production after implementing improved feeding, housing, and parasite management techniques learned through the module. Eggs were gathered daily from laying hens, cleaned and utilized or sold at farmers market.
- Meat Goat Production: Through implementation of rotational grazing and parasite management protocols, students and community participants reported lower fecal egg counts and improved weight gain in market goats. Note: April 2024 an outbreak of mycoplasma pneumonia resulted losses and changes in biosecurity to recover from outbreak. New vaccination protocols are in place and part of instruction modules.
- Greenhouse Vegetable Production: Participants applied integrated pest management (IPM) techniques and reported up to a 30% improvement in germination and early crop vigor in greenhouse environments.
- Vegetable Gardening with Cover Crops/Companion Planting: After incorporating cover crops and intercropping strategies, student plots saw yield increases of 18–22% compared to previous seasons.
Over 60 students directly completed ACE modules in academic coursework, with additional participants accessing stand-alone resources through outreach efforts.
Survey results collected post-course and during events showed:
- 93% of participants believed their skills had improved significantly.
- 88% reported intent to apply at least one new sustainable practice on their farm or garden.
- 72% indicated they believed the course improved their overall farm budget by reducing inputs or increasing profitability.
Participant feedback emphasized the accessibility and practicality of the materials. One student wrote:
“The videos and real-farm demonstrations made all the difference. I’ve already used the goat parasite plan on my herd and saw better weight gains this spring.”
Project Outcomes and Impacts
Beyond classroom outcomes, the ACE project expanded the reach of sustainable farming education through events, materials, and community engagement:
- Curriculum Deliverables: Five fully developed, module-based online lessons were created and implemented within Blackboard Ultra, NTCC’s learning management system. These included videos, PowerPoints, worksheets, and assessments.
- Soil Health Improvement
- Backyard Poultry Flock Production
- Meat Goat Production
- Greenhouse Management
- Vegetable Gardening
- Community Engagement: Across four major outreach events, the project directly reached over 200 farmers, students, and gardeners.
- March into AgFest (March 31-April 1, 2023
- NTCC Homestead Fair (March 8, 2024)
- Farmers Market Poster Outreach NTCC Students (November 29, 2023)
- 2nd Annual Homestead Fair (March 29, 2025)
- Institutional Integration: The ACE content is now a permanent supplement to HALT 2321 Small Farming HALT 2304 Garden Center Management, HALT 2308 Greenhouse Management, and select materials have been embedded into AGRI 1315 Horticulture. This helps to ensure that course content is reviewed bi-annually and updated as needed. This also allows for course accessibility to be increased with online and hybrid formats as needed for students' schedule requirements.
- Transition of Sustainable Degree Pathways to Regenerative Degree and Certificate Pathways
- Improved and better description of actual instruction and demonstrations
- Formed from feedback from SARE community events.
- Creation of new OSA Pathway: Plant Production Management
- Garden Center Management (new course)
- Greenhouse Management (new course)
- Horticulture Equipment Management (new course)
- Student-Led Outreach: Through the Farmers Market poster event, students applied what they learned to public education, reinforcing learning through teaching. Each student in the HALT 2321 Small Farming course was to create a project poster over one of the course modules and present to students and participants of the farmers market. Topic posters included: Scrapie Tag requirement for sales of sheep and goats, Egg production and Selling at Farmers Market, Soil Texture by Feel, and Texas Cottage Food Laws and Selling Pickles at Market.
- Practice Change: Informal follow-up with attendees of the Homestead Fair revealed that more than half had implemented at least one practice from the modules on their own operations, such as soil testing, rotational grazing, or switching to companion planting layouts. Overall the largest and most impactful changes made was a true understanding and adoption of soil health management strategies in the "Unlocking the Secrets of the Soil" developed by Ray Archuleta NRCS Agronomist and Gabe Brown producer from North Dakota. The five principles of: 1. Keep Armor on the Soil, 2. Reduce or eliminate Soil Disturbance, 3. Increase biodiversity on and in the soil, 4. Grow and Living Root in the soil and 5. Integrate animals into the farming system is the foundation for all regenerative practices both figuratively and actually.
The project also helped establish NTCC’s regenerative farm as a community hub for applied learning and peer-to-peer exchange, strengthening regional connections among small-scale producers.
Future Plans (Next Steps)
The completion of the ACE project has laid a strong foundation for the continued integration of applied, regenerative farming education at Northeast Texas Community College and throughout the Northeast Texas region. The lessons learned, resources developed, and community relationships formed through this SARE-funded initiative are already shaping the future direction of NTCC’s agriculture program and its outreach mission.
Continued Use and Expansion of ACE Materials
The ACE course modules will remain a permanent instructional component within NTCC’s HALT 2321 Small Farming, and AGRI 1315 Horticulture courses. These modules will continue to be updated each year to reflect the latest practices in regenerative agriculture and feedback from students and producers. Based on the success of this model, additional online modules are being considered for topics such as compost tea brewing, pasture rotation planning, and water management strategies.
Farm Day Fridays and Ongoing Community Engagement
A major next step is the formal launch of Farm Day Fridays, a weekly outreach initiative held at the NTCC Regenerative Farm for a specified time during the spring. These events will offer open access for local farmers, gardeners, and students to receive hands-on instruction aligned with ACE course topics. The goal is to create consistent, in-person learning experiences that reinforce online training while also serving as a platform for peer-to-peer education and idea exchange. This series builds directly on the success of the Homestead Fairs and AgFest outreach events and responds to community demand for more interactive, guided application of sustainable techniques. While this in-person requirement for hands-on demonstrations seems in direct conflict with "on-line learning modules", it is in reality increasing the accessibility of those not able to attend demonstrations in-person.
New Credentials and Curriculum Stacking Pathways
The ACE modules also inspired the development of new micro-credentials within NTCC’s agriculture program. As part of the program review process and future initiatives, an Occupational Skills Award (OSA) in Homesteading and a proposed OSA in Ag Business were created, with ACE modules providing a practical framework for instruction. These stackable credentials now serve both traditional and non-traditional learners, offering flexible pathways to employment, transfer, or entrepreneurial endeavors. These changes were recognized in the five-year program review as key improvements tied directly to the SARE project.
Recommendations for Future Research and Funding
To build on this success, we recommend the following:
- Investigate long-term impacts of ACE modules on farm profitability and sustainability, including tracking student and community participant adoption rates over time.
- Expand curriculum partnerships by connecting with other community colleges or extension networks in Texas to share ACE materials and collaborate on additional training modules.
- Seek future SARE funding to develop intermediate and advanced course content based on identified needs (e.g., regenerative grazing systems, seed saving, and drought resilience).
- Incorporate mobile-friendly delivery tools and Spanish-language versions of ACE modules to reach more diverse producer populations.
A Lasting Legacy
What began as a digital learning initiative has evolved into a broader institutional transformation at NTCC, embedding regenerative practices into daily instruction, community outreach, and program design. The ACE project not only fulfilled its objectives but helped reshape how agricultural education is delivered in our rural region. By making sustainable farming practices more accessible, measurable, and community-driven, this work will continue to empower the next generation of producers in East Texas and beyond.