Progress report for EDS24-057
Project Information
In 2018, the PI was awarded a Southern SARE PDP grant focused on soil health called Soil SMaRTS (Specific Management and Resources Training for Sustainability) for soil health in Tennessee. This project successfully implemented an 8 module soil health curriculum with a train-the-trainer program for Tennessee Extension agents. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic showed the potential that virtual environments could have for learning and engagement. In Tennessee, this new format brought a new clientele that had not been exposed to Extension previously. Utilizing the existing Soil SMaRTS curriculum and an innovative, virtual platform could help this new population understand more about sustainable agriculture and soil health while also engaging traditional audiences.
Virtual teaching tools have been shown to enhance engagement, interest, and learning outside of traditional teaching methods. Applying these tools as an alternative delivery method can help teach new audiences about the importance of sustainable agriculture practices and can help increase the impact and awareness of SARE programs. They can also help reach the next generation of farmers through the incorporation of new, innovative uses of technology. This project seeks to create virtual farm tours (VFTs) that can provide an immersive virtual reality experience for existing and potential farmers of all ages and experience. They will provide interactive opportunities to learn from other farmers and experts about sustainable agriculture practices that can improve soil health. The VFTs will include clickable content such as video testimony from the farmer as well as other video, image, and textual information designed to interest and teach the user as they move through the tour. The VFTs will also include links to quizzes and surveys to allow users to test their knowledge and provide reporting and feedback information. Links to the VFTs will be provided to all Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension agents from Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee through a shared listserv and to farmers through an existing contact information database, social media, and relevant agricultural events. Agents and farmers will engage with the VFTs and provide information on changes in knowledge, potential changes in behavior, and overall feedback.
The short-term goal of this project is to increase agent and farmer knowledge of soil health. The medium-term goals are to enhance engagement and impacts outside of Tennessee by marketing these materials through the SARE website and to other Extension programs and farmers through the Southern Region Program Leaders Network. Another medium-term goal is to create changes in farmer behavior related to sustainable practices for soil health. Long-term goals include increasing agent and farmer knowledge of soil health principles and changes in farmer behavior throughout the Southern SARE region and for these innovative, virtual tools to be used to enhance other current and future SARE curricula.
Objective 1: Identify three farms for the creation of virtual farm tours (VFTs). These will be identified through the TSU network of farmer program participants, Tennessee NRCS, and the Tennessee Association of Conservation Districts.
Objective 2: Create the VFTs. This involves touring selected farms, interviewing/videoing farm operator(s), capturing 3-D images/video, using software to stitch and incorporate clickable content from the Soil SMaRTS curriculum.
Objective 3: Create virtual farm tour fact sheet. This will provide steps for others to follow to create VFTs.
Objective 4: Evaluate the VFTs. A stakeholder advisory group of eight farmers will provide initial evaluation of the VFTs. Feedback will be used to modify the VFTs where applicable. Links to surveys within the VFTs and follow-up surveys will also be used.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Equipment and software for producing the 360 virtual farm tour were purchased and tested. Identification of potential farms/farmers to highlight was conducted with assistance from the local NRCS. One farm has been visited where 360 images were collected. Over the next year, two additional farms will be selected and 360 images collected. Virtual farm tours and fact sheet will be developed.
Once the final virtual farm tours (VFTs) are developed, producers and Extension agents will be provided with links to access them. These will be distributed through the University of Tennessee and Tennessee State University Extension agent listserv, the Southern Region ANR Program Leaders Network listserv, email (using existing databases of contact information from previous programming), social media, and at relevant agricultural events throughout the year (i.e. TSU Small Farm Expo, TSU Outreach and Assistance Conference, TSU Women in Agriculture Conference, TSU Veteran Bootcamp, Tennessee State Fair, etc.). The VFT links will also be included on the TSU Cooperative Extension website and provided to Southern SARE.
The VFTs are designed to be self-paced, asynchronous learning opportunities so there will not be specific outreach events that will be used to teach material. Instead, producers will learn by interacting with the 3-D, immersive, virtual platform and clickable content available. For example, a producer will move through the farm on their smartphone, computer, or using an immersive headset (i.e. Oculus, Google Cardboard). The first tour stop might have a hotspot that can be clicked on to reveal a video of the farmer welcoming them to the farm and describing the types of sustainable activities they engage in. The next tour stop could be an area where cover crops have been planted with multiple clickable hotspots across the field. One area of the field could have a hotspot that opens a text box that describes how cover crops can be useful in enhancing soil health. Another area of the field could have another hotspot that opens a diagram of different types of cover crops and their relative C/N ratio and describe the benefits of cover crop blends. Another hotspot could open a close up image of the roots of the cover crops that were dug from the field. A last hotspot could open a video demonstrating how infiltration rate can be measured in the field and the rate could be compared with another area of the farm. These hotspots will also include links to a quiz and survey that allow producers the opportunity to test their knowledge and provide feedback. They will also provide links to the Soil SMaRTS curriculum and other SARE materials. Each tour stop will move to different areas of the farm highlighting different important aspects of sustainable practices for soil health so that by the end of the VFT, the participant will have learned a lot of information through these innovative interactions. An example VFT that demonstrates some of these features can be found at: https://www.midwestdairy.com/farm-life/virtual-farm-tour. While these are not the traditional modes used for farmer training, it is an example of new ways that farmers are learning. They may not have time to participate in an in-person training, but can see what others are doing and learn from their peers using this technology. This new interactive engagement tool can add value to existing SARE materials and can also reach new audiences that have never participated in the traditional methods of delivery. Additionally, the VFTs can help engage youth in learning about agriculture to further enhance agricultural resilience and security and teach the next generation of farmers.
The material covered across the VFTs will come from a previous Southern SARE PDP grant focused on soil health. The soil health curriculum includes 8 modules that focus on Soil Health Basics, Soil Biology, Soil Health Principles, Soil Health Indicators, Cover Crop Management, Grazing Management to Improve Soil Health, Economic Benefits of Improving Soil Health, and Financial Benefits of Cover Crops. Examples of content that may be incorporated into the VFTs include, but is not limited to, the following:
- description of the four soil health principles
- explanation and examples of physical, chemical, and biological disturbances
- benefits of organic matter
- types of cover crops
- description of NRCS recommended cover crop blends
- cover crop establishment and termination methods
- cover crop planning tools
- in-field demonstration of how to measure soil infiltration rate
- in-field demonstration of how to measure aggregate stability
- description of available water holding capacity
- description of erosion
- functional groups of soil organisms
- benefits of soil organisms
- stocking density and soil health
- grazing/cutting height and soil health
- economic value of organic matter and nutrients
- economic benefits of weed reduction
- USDA Cover Crop Economics Decision Support Tool
- EQIP cover crop reimbursement rates
Following the development and marketing of the VFTs, a fact sheet will be developed to provide a step-by-step guide on how to create a virtual farm tour. This fact sheet will be reviewed by at least three external reviewers and then made available online through the TSU Cooperative Extension Program publication website and provided to the Southern SARE program. The fact sheet will also be produced in hard copy format for distribution during relevant agriculture and Extension events.