Progress report for EDS23-049
Project Information
The Cumberland River basin is home to nearly three million people all of whom depend on the river and its tributaries for economic and physical survival. Since 1997, the Cumberland River Compact, a conservation non-profit organization, has worked to improve water quality in the Cumberland River’s 18,000 square mile basin, an area that includes both Kentucky and Tennessee. We take great pride in working cooperatively with a broad spectrum of citizens, businesses, and government agencies. Because the Cumberland River Compact is non-confrontational we have developed a robust network of contacts in rural communities, urban communities, among farmers, natural resource managers, regulators, corporations, environmental NGOs, and citizen groups.
The Compact has received many awards that demonstrate our ability to work with a diverse group of people including winning the Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award in 2019 and 2021. However, many of us were the proudest when we received the Tennessee Soil and Conservation District award for Conservation Partner of the Year.
According to the USDA, the number of farmers has been in a decline since its peak in 1935. Since 2007, the number of farmers has declined by nearly 200,000. All the while, the population in the United States has increased by over 20 million in the last decade (US Census). Farms are being lost due to career changes and family farms are being sold to development. It is imperative that we increase the number of farmers and ensure that new farmers learn sustainable agriculture practices from the beginning to protect water and soil health. As land value in Tennessee skyrockets, the struggle to maintain a profitable farm for new generations increases. This program will teach new farmers how to farm sustainably and how to create a business model to increase profits for the farm.
We see an opportunity in Tennessee to increase the number of farmers and to increase the number of sustainable urban farms with "Terra Firma" River Friendly Farms - New Farmer Training Module. The Cumberland River Compact has certified 13 farms "River Friendly" since we launched the program in 2020. This certification evaluates farms in five areas of practice: Soil Health and Erosion, Nutrient Management, Pest Management, Farmstead Management, and Waterway Protections. After successful certification, the Cumberland River Compact helps promote and market these farms and their practice to consumers. The Terra Firma program teachers farmers who utilize these kinds of BMPs to succeed not only in their conservation initiatives but in their business initiatives as well.
Terra Firma has provided training on financial resources, budgeting, logistics and other business needs key to running a farm. We see this opportunity as a way to provide well-rounded certified new farmers that can increase the number of farmers in Tennessee, in turn increasing the local produce available to consumers.
- Create a training program that will benefit all Beginning farmers. New farmers will participate in a comprehensive training to prepare themselves to become profitable farmers and better stewards to the land they farm.
- Increase knowledge of the business aspects of farming. By providing farmers with the needed business management skills, they will be more profitable in farming.
- Increase knowledge of conservation practices on farms. Through peer-to-peer learning, farmers increase their knowledge and resources for conservation BMPs.
- Remove or lessen barriers to entry- Specifically for historically underserved communities. Farmers learn about alternative land access opportunities as well as sources of start up capital.
- Certify new farmers as River Friendly Farmers. New farmers will complete certifications to allow them to market their products as River friendly.
Cooperators
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
- - Technical Advisor
- - Technical Advisor
- - Technical Advisor
- - Technical Advisor
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
Education
Twenty-six farmers from Middle and East Tennessee met every Tuesday evening for six weeks in The Nashville Food Project’s Community Room to “look under the hood” of their farm businesses. Holistic farm planning, accounting, record keeping, labor and project management, National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) programming, capital financing, marketing, and social media were the main topics covered. As this course took place during winter months, it was a classroom based course. Four of the six classes were in person. Two were remote: One course teacher (Richard Wiswall) lives too far away to travel, and a big ice and snow storm kept us from meeting in person for Sarah Janes Ugoretz's class on creating Positive Farm Labor Experiences.
A standout feature of Terra Firma is that every class included a farmer-teacher, someone who not only possesses business expertise but also has been “in the trenches” and knows the difficulties of managing a farm. Mirroring the farmer-teacher approach, the course facilitated student-to-student support. Farmers were encouraged to share how they have managed their farms. These conversations were productive and bore everything from favorite farm management software (Tend Smart Farm) to favorite resources for crop planning (Crop Planning for Organic Vegetable Growers).
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Terra Firma – the origins of which lie in a conversation between the Compact’s Executive Director Mekayle Houghton, The Nashville Food Project’s CEO C.J. Sentell, and farmer/owner of Henosis Mushrooms, David Wells– was dreamt up as a way to help small, Beginning farmers who prioritize conservation sharpen their business acumen. It was developed to fill a knowledge gap and meet the unique needs of a specific type of farmer: one who has been in business for fewer than ten years, prioritizes conservation practices, and sells into the local market.
One change from our original proposal is the name of the course itself. We changed the name from "Beyond Agricurious" to "Terra Firma." Terra Firma is Latin for "solid ground," and we thought this name better reflects the "solid ground" on which the Beginning farmers who take the course will stand.
Our inaugural cohort of twenty-six farmers from Middle and East Tennessee met every Tuesday evening for six weeks in The Nashville Food Project’s Community Room to “look under the hood” of their farm businesses. Holistic farm planning, accounting, record keeping, labor and project management, National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) programming, capital financing, marketing, and social media were just some of the topics covered. All of the farmers who participated were Beginning farmers (have farmed for 10 years or less), so they are all considered Historically Underserved.
All of the farmers who participated in Terra Firma strive for sustainable farm systems– one that minimizes inputs and focuses on soil and water health. We need farmers who put soil health at the center of their operations to fulfill production goals and thrive as business owners if we are to have the resilient, abundant food and ecosystem our organization envisions.
Several of the participants have also received the Cumberland River Compact’s River Friendly Farm certification. This certification assures the consumer that the certified farmer uses practices that promote healthy soil and protect both groundwater and streams.
A standout feature of Terra Firma is that every class included a farmer-teacher, someone who not only possesses business expertise but also has been “in the trenches” and knows the difficulties of managing a farm. Mirroring the farmer-teacher approach, the course facilitated student-to-student support. Farmers were encouraged to share how they have managed their farms. Conversations revolved around the use of cover crops, the best place to buy certified organic compost, favorite labs for soil testing, nurseries selling riparian plants, attended local Soil & Water Conservation District meetings, and general access of NRCS services and funds.
The Cumberland River Compact values small, sustainable farmers and the people they feed. We want to see these farmers flourish and share their knowledge and ethos with more people and the next generation. We developed Terra Firma to fulfill this goal.
To spread the word about our course, the Cumberland River Compact published a blog about the course (approximately 500 reads), included it in two newsletters, wrote two press releases to promote it, and posted about it on social media channels before and during the course. We are also nearing competition of a blog written by and to be published in conjunction with The Nashville Food Project. The blog will tie together then importance of the Terra Firma course, Beginning sustainable farmers, and the food system at large.
Learning Outcomes
Project Management
Financial Management and record keeping
Creating positive farm labor experiences
Marketing and social media
Whole-farm planning
Grants and NRCS cost-shares
Project Outcomes
We want to see Beginning farmers who value conservation flourish and share their knowledge and ethos with more people and the next generation. We developed Terra Firma to fulfill this goal. All of the farmers who took our course follow up survey (19 farmers) said they feel more prepared to tackle the unique challenges of running a farm business
We have been thrilled to see many of the tools shared and skills learned during Terra Firma already benefitting the farmers who took the course. Even farmers who didn't take the course are benefitting as they hear about the skills and tools from the farmers who did.
The agile project management tool, Scrum, was the most popular class of the series. Farmers shared it far and wide, on text messages and on social media. Hayley, co-owner and operator of Harpeth Moon Farms and one of our River Friendly Farms, shared with a group of other farmers: "I love Scrum because it seems like you can kind of make it match your system- we are doing quarterly lists, Athen breaking down by week for the board because our crop plan is set up that way."
When describing the course benefits, the farmers say it best. Here is some of the feedback we got from Terra Firma participants:
“This course brought our community together to learn skills and collaboratively solve problems and roadblocks that we all face as small-scale food producers.”
“It was wonderful to connect with producers in the community and hear about their difficulties and successes in their operations.”
"Terra Firma was a great experience for me as I step into a bigger role in my families Agritourism business. I learned more about financial planning and employee reviews, which will help me in the future as we grow our business."
"A Terra Firma introduced me to a wonderful group of farmers who care about the land and people. The teachers and class members were very generous with their energy, information, and support.This class inspired me to keep working toward my goals and dreams."
We worked hard to accommodate farmers' busy schedules and lives as much as possible. We offered a meal during each class, stipends to some farmers, and even childcare. It was a lot of manage, but the farmers were grateful for the extra effort.
Next year, we would like to bring back a couple farmers who took the course this year who will age out of being a "Beginning farmer" (<10 years farming experience) during 2024; these farmers are increasingly leaders in the agriculture community and will make fantastic teachers for next year's course. We'd like to reduce the number of classes from 6 to 4, and bring in some really well known farm business experts such as Ellen Polishuk or Ben Hartman.
We got excellent feedback from our first cohort and are motivated to put on an even better course next year.