Final report for EDS24-059
Project Information
The purpose of this project was to teach Texas farmers how to host successful, educational youth programming on their farm by co-developing a comprehensive handbook and field testing its contents. The vision for the Farm-Based Education Handbook stems from direct inquiries from Texas farmers looking for support in expanding their offerings. This handbook was co-developed by the Texas Center for Local Food (TCLF) and a team of Texas farmers who represent a range of backgrounds and skill sets, including those new to farm-based education and those who already run successful programing. The team crafted the learning objectives, content outline, and reviewed the handbook at different points of completion.
The Texas Farm-Based Education Handbook guides curious, community-minded farmers through a step-by-step process in creating successful farm-based education events. These events may include field trips, summer camps, and more. Handbook contents were informed by farmer feedback, including two main sections: (1) Field trip basics, (2) Farm exploration curriculum and recipes. Our goal was to build an easily customizable curriculum broad enough to cover different operational farm types and regions across Texas. The curriculum is modular, and accommodating to farms, as lessons will not require specialized equipment or materials beyond common farm and household items. The handbook will also cover how to connect with student/youth groups, practical marketing tips, and example outreach materials. The handbook is informed by, and complimentary to, two introductory Agritourism business courses on TXFED.org, TCLF’s online learning network.
The Texas Farm-Based Education Handbook contributes to two of SARE’s sustainability pillars: profitability and quality of life. Farm-based education is a valuable opportunity for farmers to generate revenue and new income streams, and build community connections.
Farmers were actively engaged throughout the process; TCLF hosted one field day gathering, reaching approximately 25 farmers to evaluate and improve the contents of the Texas Farm-Based Education Handbook. The field-day gathering was held at Hope Full Farm and included educational opportunities for farmers interested in learning how to host youth programs and wondering where to start. At the field day, we gathered feedback from participants on the accessibility and applicability of the handbook’s curriculum.
Throughout the project, TCLF conducted outreach to disseminate the handbook and share lessons learned to a broader audience of Texas farmers and educators, reaching over 6,000 people before the project end date. We conducted an online feedback survey midway through the project that reached 29 farmers and educators. The final version of the handbook is a PDF download in Spanish and English, available for purchase for $30.
- Collaboratively develop a Texas Farm-Based Education Handbook with a team of four Texas farmers.
- Host one field day gathering reaching an expected 25 farmers to evaluate and improve the contents of the Texas Farm-Based Education Handbook.
- Conduct outreach to disseminate the handbook and share lessons learned to a broader audience of Texas farmers and agricultural educators, reaching at least 100 people before the project end date.
Cooperators
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
- - Producer
- - Producer
- - Producer
Education
The creation of the Farm-Based Education Handbook was a collaborative process designed to make a final product that is relevant and useful to producers and educators across Texas. Our collaboration methods included the use of a Topic Team to develop content and a Field Day event to promote the handbook and gather feedback on the first draft of the project. The contents of the handbook emphasize community building, engaging curriculum, and sustainable business strategies. The project encouraged collaboration between educators, farmers, and communities, highlighting the importance of Farm-Based Education in creating a viable future for farmers.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation summary:
The outreach for the Texas Farm-Based Education Handbook began by asking producers about their interest and assembling producers interested in being part of a Topic Team. Topic Teams are a group of subject matter experts who work with TCLF to build educational materials and programming. We began using Topic Teams in the development of our successful collaborative training site, TXFED.org (a USDA Agricultural Marketing Service project), and have continued to refine and improve that process over the past two years. Typically, assembling a Topic Team involves TCLF staff reaching out to professional contacts, including producers, who have experience around a particular subject. We assembled a team of 4 Topic Team members, two with experience in farm-based education, and two producers hoping to introduce educational programming on their farms. We included producers with little to no experience hosting farm-based education programs as we’ve found it is useful to have the target audience’s perspective while developing educational courses and materials.
The Topic Team met five times virtually throughout the development process: 1) orientation, 2) defining learning objectives, 3) reviewing the outline, 4) pre-certification, and 5) final certification. In between, TCLF staff did behind-the-scenes work of building out handbook content including lesson plans, worksheets, and recipes. The Topic Team also completed asynchronous work to develop the content of the handbook. The Co-PI managed the Topic Team and structured the content with feedback from producers.
Our Farm-Based Education Field Day was an opportunity to test handbook contents with small and mid-sized Central Texas producers interested in implementing farm-based educational programming. We began promoting the event two months prior, with the Co-PI creating promotional materials and a free registration page. We also developed a “promo kit” with sample newsletter and social media language and graphics for the field day. Then, we worked with our existing grant partners and allied organizations to share the event with their networks. Overall, we have a strong network of Texas farmers and farm support organizations who regularly cross-promote programming.
Hope Full Farms, an Austin-area farm in the early stages of establishing its youth programming, hosted our field day. We hosted around 25 farmers and educators at the event, which is typical for on-farm events in the area. The event entailed group discussions, peer-to-peer learning, a farm tour, a cooking demonstration, and icebreaker games. It was an opportunity to learn by doing - attendees learned student engagement strategies by participating in activities that they could facilitate with youth on their own farms.
In June of 2025, we launched an outreach survey survey to gather feedback from farmers on the nearly completed handbook. Survey respondents gained access to an early edition of the handbook and were entered in a chance to win a gift card to Johnny’s Seeds. 29 farmers and educators responded to the survey, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. In addition to technical and constructive feedback, respondents also expressed their excitement for this project: “Detailed and clear. Love having the resources available to continue establishing the legal aspects of your farm and services to be offered,” one response read. Another farmer stated, “The information was easy to understand and helped set expectations. I have a curriculum development background and I thought it was very well done.” Overall the feedback confirmed our work with the handbook was headed in the right direction: “The section was clear. The information was presented in a logical manner and guided the reader by presenting an easy to understand process with helpful resources.”
Once the handbook was finished in fall 2025, TCLF conducted extensive outreach through newsletters, social media posts and advertisements, and in person events with community partners. Our total reach vastly exceeded our initial goal, reaching a total of 6,856 people – 1,149 through newsletters, 2,895 through social media posts, 2,662 through paid Meta advertisements, and 150 through in person events in Dallas, Austin, and Dripping Springs. TCLF will continue to promote the handbook through events, presentations, and TXFED courses. We would be delighted to work with SSARE to publish the handbook in their online resources, and may seek further funding to create a professionally formatted and printed handbook for further dissemination and/or to develop the handbook into a TXFED.org virtual class series.
We planned to incorporate the handbook into our pre-existing Farm-to-Kids Texas curriculum, which provided K-8 students in Elgin Independent District the opportunity to attend three field trips per school year at area farms. Unfortunately, funding for our Farm-to-Kids program was terminated by Executive Order during the project period. Nonetheless, the Farm-Based Education Handbook will be a supportive tool for farmers who host students for field trips throughout the state.
While the handbook targets Texas producers, it will have applicability in other states and regions - particularly the activities and curriculum, as well as the assessment tool. Legal considerations, weather, geographic context, and state learning standards will vary from state to state, but the handbook’s contents will be highly adaptable to different regions and states. The handbook is publicly available online at a low cost of $30 to anyone who wants to explore and consider farm-based education in Texas or beyond.
Learning Outcomes
Increased confidence in working with youth for on-farm programming
New ideas for how to transform their farm into a learning space
Concrete activities and lesson plans to share with youth participants
How to incorporate learning objectives and curriculum standards in to farm based education
Increased awareness of safety considerations for hosting youth educational programs
Project Outcomes
We expect and will monitor long-term outcomes, including usability and practices implemented by farmers based on information they gained in the handbook. For this SARE Education project, we focused on collaborative development and outreach of the Learning on the Land Handbook. We received one report from a producer in South Texas who is now using one of the provided handbook activities for youth agritourism events.
Economic Benefits:
- New Income Streams: Agritourism encourages farmers to generate new sources of income. By building up their youth programs or field trip offerings, farmers can reduce their reliance on single crops, providing a more stable and strong financial foundation.
- Year-Round Income Opportunities: Field trips and youth education programs can be offered during the slower parts of the season to help offset the lull in income that farmers experience when there aren’t a lot of crops ready to harvest and market. Overall, these practices help mitigate risks tied to seasonal fluctuations and crop failure.
- Lower-Effort, High-Impact Approaches for Youth Programming: The handbook curriculum focuses on simple, yet impactful lessons to introduce youth to your farm. The lessons are designed to require minimal materials and preparation time, so farmers can optimize their time farmers while still hosting engaging youth programs.
Environmental Benefits:
- Farm-Based Education: The project teaches the next generation about farming and environmental stewardship. Getting outside for farm-based education fosters in youth a connection with their local farms and encourages them to see themselves as farmers when they grow up.
Social Benefits:
- Community Engagement: The project fosters a sense of community among farmers, youth, and local stakeholders by promoting collaborative learning. Teachers, students, families, and farmers, all benefit from this relationship — farmers expand their customer base, and youth get an opportunity for hands on learning that can foster math, science, language arts, artistic, and interpersonal skills.