Organic Ag. Academy

Final report for ENC19-175

ENC19-175 (project overview)
Project Type: Professional Development Program
Funds awarded in 2019: $13,794.00
Projected End Date: 10/14/2022
Grant Recipient: Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Region: North Central
State: Wisconsin
Project Coordinator:
Valerie Dantoin
Email
Full Circle Farm
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Project Information

Abstract:

The Organic Ag. Academy will give high school and technical college teachers in-depth training to increase their knowledge and awareness of sustainable and organic agriculture and the tools to teach this topic to their students. The long-term impact will be more student exposure to sustainable and organic agriculture and the career opportunities in this field. This will expand the pool of workers skilled in sustainable agriculture practices.

To achieve these outcomes, the Academy project will develop 15-hour training sessions around six sustainable and organic agriculture topics. High school agricultural science and environmental studies teachers and technical college instructors from Horticulture, Farm Business Management, Agronomy, and Dairy Science programs are the audience for in-depth two-day sessions held over three summers. Participating educators will receive lesson plans, curriculum guides, lectures, assessments, teaching tools, and lab ideas to incorporate into their educational programs. Follow-up surveys will measure educator knowledge and awareness gains, as well as how content is being integrated in the participant classrooms/programs. Project results will be disseminated through SARE for potential replication in other geographic regions.

Further, content and deliverables for the six sustainable and organic agriculture topics will be developed with guidance of NCR-SARE (North Central Region-Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education) to ensure they meet SARE quality standards, setting the stage for development of a SARE Teaching Certificate for successful completers of the six training sessions.

Project Objectives:

Outputs of the Academy project include:

  • Updated curriculum for six, 15-hour sessions. The curriculum will include six hours of classroom content and seven hours of field work at farm sites, with two hours allocated for travel to/from/between farm sites. Ms. Dantoin, SAFS instructor, will develop the curriculum and share with NCR-SARE to ensure alignment with SARE quality standards.
  • Six curriculum guides with lectures, assessments, and suggested teaching tools and labs are created for participant use post-training. Ms. Dantoin, SAFS instructor, will develop the content, including typical lesson plans with timelines outlined, course competencies, learning objectives, PowerPoint lectures with notes, worksheets and quizzes, lab instructions, and lab supply needs.
  • Three surveys developed to measure impact of the training (see Evaluation). Ms. Dantoin, SAFS instructor, will develop the surveys with guidance of NWTC’s Institutional Research staff.
  • Two, two-day training sessions conducted annually, reaching ten educators (i.e., high school agricultural science and environmental studies teachers, and technical college instructors from Horticulture, Farm Business Management, Agronomy, and Dairy Science programs) at each session. Ms. Dantoin will deliver the course content, reaching a duplicated total of 60 educators over the three-year period.
  • SARE Teaching Certificate developed, in coordination with NCR-SARE.

Education

Educational approach:

The Organic Ag. Academy project is developing 15-hour training sessions around six sustainable and organic agriculture topics. High school agricultural science and environmental studies teachers and technical college instructors from Horticulture, Farm Business Management, Agronomy, and Dairy Science programs are the audience for in-depth two-day sessions held over three summers. Participating educators receive lesson plans, curriculum guides, lectures, assessments, teaching tools, and lab ideas to incorporate into their educational programs.

Education & Outreach Initiatives

Soil & Nutrients
Objective:

Increasing educator knowledge and awareness of sustainable agriculture topics, practices, strategies, and approaches.

Description:
  • Content:
    • Soil health: soil biology, organic soil fertility and fertilizer inputs, organic crop yields, composting
    • Manure and runoff: spreading, composting, run-off control, managed grazing, buffers, cover cropping, pollution impacts
  • Site visits:  NWTC Sustainable Agriculture Garden, various organic farms to see soils practices
Outcomes and impacts:

We asked learners to rate their knowledge before, and then after, the training in these subject areas: Physical Structure, Organic Fertilizers, Compost Process, Soil Organic Matter, Soil Health Testing, and Soil Microbiology. Four of the six participants provided survey responses. All topics had minimum knowledge gains of .75 (on scale of 1—"don’t know much” to 5—"I know a lot”), with the largest gains (1.5) in the topics of Organic Fertilizers, Compost Process, and Soil Microbiology. 

Livestock & Managed Grazing
Objective:

Increasing educator knowledge and awareness of sustainable agriculture topics, practices, strategies, and approaches.

Description:
  • Content:
    • Livestock: organic alternatives to hormones & antibiotics; organic animal healthcare toolbox; pastured pork, free-range chicken
    • Grass-fed livestock: managed grazing, meat & milk nutritional quality research, marketing fact & fiction. Fencing, watering systems, and ecosystems services provided by managed grazing.
  • Site visits:  Jaworski robotic milking & managed grazing farm, Full Circle pastured pork farm, and site of a Wisconsin Discovery Farm drain tile water quality monitoring station.
Outcomes and impacts:

We asked learners to rate their knowledge before, and then after, the training in these subject areas: 1) Plant species and management used in grazing; 2) Equipment used in managed grazing (reels, fencing, waterers); 3) Conservation benefits of managed grazing, 4) Management of animals (cattle, hogs, chickens) in a managed grazing system, and 5) Nutritional profile of meat/milk/eggs from managed grazing system. Three of the five participants provided survey responses. All respondents increased their knowledge from an average score over all topics from of 3.67 to 4.67 with a maximum of 5 points.

Organic Gardening
Objective:

Increasing educator knowledge and awareness of sustainable agriculture topics, practices, strategies, and approaches.

Description:
  • Content: The farm/garden ecosystem. Farming without herbicides, pesticides, or GMO seeds. Yield trials, long-term sustainability, carbon sequestration. Pest and weed control in organics. What is organic certification? Season extending hoop houses. Variety selection.
  • Site visits:  Norsk Farm, Barenbrug Seed Company, Full Circle Farm
Outcomes and impacts:

Students rated “To what extent did you increase your knowledge and awareness of sustainable agriculture topics, practices, strategies, and approaches?” on a scale of one to five with one being “no increase of my knowledge” and five being “absolutely increased my knowledge” as a 4.5.

Fermentation & Cheesemaking
Objective:

Increasing educator knowledge and awareness of sustainable agriculture topics, practices, strategies, and approaches.

Description:
  • Content: Fermentation as a science and human gut microbiome and health. Making yogurt, keifer, kombucha, soft cheeses, hard cheeses, sourdough, and sour fermented beverages (root beer, ginger beer).
  • Site visits: NWTC Sustainable Agriculture Garden, NWTC food science lab, commercial micro-brewery.
Outcomes and impacts:

Students rated “To what extent did you increase your knowledge and awareness of natural processes and the science involved in cheesemaking and fermentation?” on a scale of one to five with one being “no increase of my knowledge” and five being “absolutely increased my knowledge” as a 4.5.

Beekeeping
Objective:

Increasing educator knowledge and awareness of sustainable agriculture topics, practices, strategies, and approaches.

Description:
  • Content: Bee biology basics, colony organization, obtaining bees, hiving a package, hive inspections, extracting honey, new & sustainable colony ideas, and native pollinators.
  • Site visits:  We visited and inspected the active hives of NWTC student garden and the Brown County Beekeepers Association.
Outcomes and impacts:

Teachers reported that they loved the opportunity to inspect the hive and see how other beekeepers tend the hives. They all were able to hold frames full of bees, find the queen, and see pollen comb, brood comb and honeycomb. This was the highlight of the class but teachers report that they will use the curriculum that was developed at the College and incorporate it into their classroom lessons.

On the report survey, all the respondents increased their knowledge to a 4 or 5 (on a scale of 1-5). Several teachers had prior experience beekeeping and still reported a high increase in knowledge due to the course. Every respondent said they would be using their new knowledge in the classroom.

Herbs & Health
Objective:

Increasing educator knowledge and awareness of sustainable agriculture topics, practices, strategies, and approaches.

Description:
  • Content: Identify 20 wild & cultivated herbs found in one’s neighborhood. Explore six easy labs to teach salve-making, tincturing, etc.
  • Site visits: Green Bay Botanical Garden grounds, NWTC’s Sustainable Agriculture Garden, Full Circle Farm
Outcomes and impacts:

Attendee feedback was that they loved this course and the labs associated with it.  The respondents (4 of the 8 enrollees) all significantly improved their knowledge of herbs and herbal remedies. They also indicated they already are incorporating some of the knowledge and curriculum from the course into existing classes or they are planning new sustainable classes based on this new information.

Educational & Outreach Activities

83 Curricula, factsheets or educational tools
5 On-farm demonstrations
6 Workshop field days

Participation Summary:

1 Extension
30 Ag service providers (other or unspecified)
1 Farmers/ranchers

Learning Outcomes

21 Participants gained or increased knowledge, skills and/or attitudes about sustainable agriculture topics, practices, strategies, approaches
20 Ag professionals intend to use knowledge, attitudes, skills and/or awareness learned

Project Outcomes

35 New working collaborations
Project outcomes:

Soils & Nutrients: Participants responded via survey to indicate how the training has reshaped the education they are providing to K-12 students:

  • “I used the Cation Exchange Capacity Analogy Group Work Project. I used the "Soil in my Hands" Project and build off of it. I used materials the Soil Health handouts and demos - Tardigrades Rock! “
  • “A lot of the sustainability parts are being incorporated now and will be intertwined in our new Sustainable Agriscience course, that will hopefully run next school year.”
  • “Materials were used and greatly appreciated by students - there truly is a growing interest in 'all things Soils' - finally!”
  • “The training helped me see the other side. I think we teach a lot of traditional production ag and struggle with teaching alternatives.”

Livestock & Managed Grazing: Survey respondents shared 1) an interest in trying methods with more than just cattle, 2) an increase in teaching about sustainable practices, and 3)  the implementation of techniques in their own cattle/crop enterprise.

Organic Gardening: A participant responded via survey:

  • “I have included a great deal of the knowledge in my current plant science classes. We will work to add on a sustainable ag or sustainable gardening classes to our courses offered. Such classes would not be possible without this training.”

Fermentation & Cheesemaking: Participants responded via survey:

  • “I have not begun teaching the course yet this year (starts third trimester), but as a new teacher to this course it has greatly helped me create and develop content and prepare to teach the class.”
  • “It has given the confidence to do them in my classroom and know I'll have successful results with students.”
  • “Huge impact. I definitely would not have gone into very much depth with my students without this class or try as much hands on.”
  • “Students really enjoyed the learning of making cheeses and fermented products.”

Beekeeping Class: Participants responded via survey. Here are a few comments:

  • “You built a perfect class. I wish we could meet 4-6 times for 4-6 hours each over the course of a season to cover more of the knowledge and skills out.”
  • “This course has given me the confidence to offer summer ag classes on beekeeping.”

Herbs Class: Participants responded via survey. Here are a few comments:

  • "I enjoyed the hands-on day. The water wheel planting was the highlight of my summer."
  • "I learned exactly what I had hoped. The only limit was the time that we had. I would like to learn more about specific crop production practices for organic growing."
  • "I was most interested in growing practices and yes my needs were met."
  • "I valued the virtual classes. I dare say that the live virtual classes were so convenient and enlightening that I would like to have a monthly class."
19 Agricultural service provider participants who used knowledge and skills learned through this project (or incorporated project materials) in their educational activities, services, information products and/or tools for farmers
1 Farmers reached through participant's programs
Additional Outcomes:

Connecting with the high school teachers through these summer academies helped the associate degree program in Sustainable Food & Ag Systems to increase its enrollment the last two years.

Overall this grant has allowed me, the NWTC Organic & Sustainable Ag instructor a great opportunity to connect with and interact with many high school ag teachers. The high school teachers gained knowledge for themselves, but more importantly brought this new learning into their classrooms. They exposed more students to Sustainable Agriculture. I have seen a significant increase of high school students enrolling in the Sustainable Food & Ag associate degree program at NWTC and I attribute that to increased awareness of our program among the high school teachers. Our program, which is in the Trades & Engineering Division of the College, was one of the only programs to increase enrollment in 2020 and 2021 when COVID was a factor. This SARE grant and the connections it fostered with high school ag teachers really fueled the success of our associate degree program. In fact, the College just spent well over $100,000 renovating a classroom into a lab space for teaching sustainable ag food labs.

Success stories:

Quotes from students in the Soil & Nutrients class:

  • “Students in my classes gained greater soils knowledge in sustainable approaches!”
  • “These classes are being used and will continue to be used in our new, innovative and sustainable classes being offered at our Green Bay Public Schools.”
  • “More exposure to alternative/sustainable practices will lead to a healthier community, etc. The more I share with others what I am learning/doing, the more interested they are in this subject.”

Quotes from students in the Livestock & Managed Grazing class:

  • “I have numerous students that have a few chickens on their small lots. I hope they will consider rotational grazing with them.”
  • “Students are becoming aware of sustainable agricultural practices and are looking at agricultural production as a holistic system.”
  • “The hands-on experience and knowledge is very helpful and necessary when sharing this knowledge with others. I took lots of pics to support my experience, etc.”

Quotes from students in the Organic Gardening class:

  • “The ability to see how an organic farm runs their production was the best. Question and answers provided by the farmers was an excellent way to learn.”
  • “Our Pulaski Community Garden is in its infancy. The techniques, connections, and knowledge shared through this program will continue serve our local community and improve access to local & sustainable vegetables. I am excited to share my new found knowledge with dozens of new gardeners each year.”

Quotes from students in the Fermentation & Cheesemaking class:

  • “Providing current Agriscience teachers additional tools to be used in their curriculum is ALWAYS a good thing. Having the opportunity to be on campus and learning from other professionals is a very educational learning experience that will get passed on down to our students in the high school.”
  • “This was a fantastic opportunity for me to learn more about different types of food sciences and was a great help in developing materials for a new class that I have never taught before.”
  • “I am starting a Food Science class next year for college credit."

Quotes from students in the Beekeeping and Herb classes:

  • “I immediately utilize harvest and pack shed knowledge. We are planning our community and school gardens for this coming spring.”
  • “I have included a great deal of the knowledge in my current plant science classes. We will work to add on a sustainable ag or sustainable gardening class.”
  • “It has been a good part of my horticulture class.”
  • “Our Pulaski Community Garden is in its infancy. The techniques, connections, and knowledge shared through this program will continue serve our local community.”
  •  “The growing methods were used [with] some students gardens this past year.”
Recommendations:

Due to COVID and school district restrictions on travel, we had a lower turnout than we had targeted.  However, those who participated appreciated in-person learning with COVID precautions.

I will continue to use the approach of providing a “teaching academy” for high school teachers for the next several years. I surveyed high school teachers about the likelihood that they would participate in courses in  a) Permaculture, b) Sustainable Agriculture: Issues & Practices, and c) Mushrooms. I will probably be offering these in the next few years in the blended format of a virtual starting class, online curriculum available through the summer, then a final in-person hands-on workshop day. I would recommend a blended course for these busy ag professionals for anyone trying to connect with high school teachers who keep working hard all summer long.

Information Products

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Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.