Training agriculture professionals and educators to support beginning farmer veterans’ mental health.

Progress report for ENC23-229

ENC23-229 (project overview)
Project Type: Professional Development Program
Funds awarded in 2023: $119,032.00
Projected End Date: 10/02/2026
Grant Recipient: Michigan Integrated Food and Farming Systems (MIFFS)
Region: North Central
State: Michigan
Project Coordinator:
Dr. Adam Ingrao
Email
Michigan Food and Farming Systems
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Project Information

Abstract:

A result of our aging farmer and rancher population is that interest in new farmer and rancher training has grown and hundreds of projects have emerged to prepare the next generation of successful farmers and ranchers. Recent systematic reviews of beginner farmer and rancher training programs show that beginning farmer trainers are well-trained to help new farmers gain a good foundation in production, marketing, business planning, and other vital subjects that help them build and manage sustainable and successful farm and ranch businesses but don’t connect those activities to a farmer’s mental health. The goal of this project is to deliver capacity building trainings and workshops for USDA staff, technical assistance providers, and farmer-serving organizations, as well as clinicians and behavioral health providers to diversify their professional skills to support the sustainability of beginning farmers, using beekeeping as the model. Knowledge outcomes include increased knowledge of veteran and farmer beekeeper perspectives and adaptive beekeeping knowledge. Action outcomes include educators disseminate informed knowledge to veterans and farmers; trainers will be more effective teachers; engage more diverse expertise in local farmer training programs; and guide behavior change. Condition outcomes include higher sustainability amongst farmers and veterans through improved mental health; confident educators with a better holistic understanding of training farmers; and increased health and quality of life. These outcomes will be met through delivery of the Beekeeping for Therapy professional development curriculum followed by facilitating delivery of the program to veterans and farmers by newly trained educators.

Project Objectives:

Educational Materials

  • Eight trainings will be conducted for Ag educators. We expect 12-15 participants per training.
  • Train the trainer program materials, support materials, and implementation guidelines for curriculum delivery will be provided to at least 96 Ag educators.
  • Standardized forms and surveys to measure program outcomes will be provided to at least 96 Ag educators.
  • PowerPoints, videos, publications, audio recordings pictures, and other teaching tools delivered to at least 96 Ag educators.
  • Instructional videos on therapeutic practices will be added to the H2H YouTube channel with over 1,600 subscribers.
  • At least one scientific journal publication and one professional journal publication.

Curricula

  • Beekeeping for Therapy curriculum.
  • At least 96 Ag educators will understand how to train other Ag educators on the Beekeeping for Therapy curriculum.
  • At least 650 Veterans and farmers will have experienced the Beekeeping for Therapy curriculum.

Presentations

  • Presentations on therapeutic practices and our findings will be given at beekeeping conferences throughout Michigan and Kansas in year 3 of the proposal.
  • Presentations on therapeutic beekeeping practices will be given at the AgrAbility National Training Workshop in year 3 of the proposal.
  • Presentations on the therapeutic beekeeping practices will be given at the American Beekeeping Federation annual conference in year 3 of the proposal.

 Partnerships

  • H2H has a close partnership with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Great Plains Master Beekeeping (GPMB) course and the Department of Veterans Affairs Honeybee Initiative for Veterans Empowerment and Support (HIVES Program).
    • In recent years H2H has aligned its curriculum with GPMB to ensure H2H students have an educational pathway to continue learning about beekeeping past the H2H program. As a result, thousands of H2H alumni are currently enrolled in GPMB. Our team has already been in discussions with GPMB to incorporate our proposed activities into the GPMB course as an advanced skills certificate for Master beekeepers who have completed the GPMB program.
    • These partnerships will allow individuals completing their Master Beekeeping Certificate to become trainers of the Beekeeping for Therapy curriculum and will provide a place to house all materials perpetually.
  • AgrAbility is a major partner of H2H by providing workshops and lectures on accessible beekeeping and have been working with Co-PI A. Ingrao over the last decade to develop accessible recommendations and tools for veterans with disabilities. We will work closely with AgrAbility's National Veteran Outreach Coordinator, Joe Ricker, to promote our therapeutic beekeeping practices to a wide veteran audience.

Cooperators

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  • Dr. Jessie Bennett - Technical Advisor
  • Courtney Brummel - Technical Advisor
  • Cheryl Roberts - Technical Advisor
  • Laura Remes - Technical Advisor

Education

Educational approach:

The educational approach for this project is the production of asynchronous and synchronous professional development courses, the Bee Calm Bee Well course, on evidence-based therapeutic beekeeping practices intended for clinical staff of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), clinicians working in mental, recreational and occupational healthcare as well as professional beekeeping educators in the North Central Region. For clinical staff within the VA we offer synchronous and asynchronous educational trainings housed within the VA's Talent Management System (TMS). Synchronous training is offered through a live three webinar series combined with a 10 part beekeeping education series and couple with a two day practical hands on training. VA staff not participating in synchronous training have the option to take the program in an asynchronous format that is available to all VA staff within the VA TMS system for the next three years (2025-2028). For non VA clinical staff and professional beekeeping educators we have developed a similar program format that is housed within the Heroes to Hives program (synchronous and asynchronous).

Education & Outreach Initiatives

Dept. of Veteran Affairs Clinical Staff Bee Calm Bee Well Training
Objective:

Train Dept. of Veteran Affairs' clinical staff on therapeutic beekeeping practices and beginning beekeeping

Description:

This educational initiative is focused on providing evidence-based therapeutic beekeeping and beginning beekeeping training to clinical staff within the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) in the fields of psychology/psychiatry, occupational therapy, physical therapy, recreational therapy, and social work. Training is provided through hybrid synchronous and asynchronous format on the VA's Talent Management System (TMS). For training, individuals participate in a three webinar series covering the considerations, partnerships, and facility support needed for a therapeutic beekeeping program as a prerequisite which, upon completion, opens up a 12 part beginning beekeeping training (as most clinical staff are not trained in beekeeping). Following completion of virtual trainings, individuals then participate in a 2-day on-ground training with live bee hives to hone their skills with bees and learn the facilitation of the therapeutic practices in a VA setting.

Outcomes and impacts:

Learning Outcomes:

1. Participants will gain perspective from veterans and beekeepers regarding use of beekeeping as a therapeutic intervention.

2. Participants will gain technical and systems-level information on hosting and facilitating a therapeutic beekeeping program.

3. Participants will acquire beginning beekeeping knowledge.

4. Participants will acquire technical knowledge on how to conduct therapeutic beekeeping programs in a VA setting.

5. Participants will acquire skills in creating safe and supportive educational spaces for therapeutic practices.

6. Participants will gain personal wellness benefits from participating in training.

 

Action Outcomes:

1. Participants disseminate informed knowledge to veterans, farmers, and ranchers.

2. Participants will provide a more diverse and holistic expertise in therapeutic programs.

3. Participants will become resources for reducing farm stress.

4. Participants will help reduce the stigma of mental health challenges in agriculture.

5. Participants will diversify their therapeutic intervention offerings by incorporating therapeutic beekeeping practices.

6. Participants will improve veteran mental and personal health with therapeutic beekeeping interventions.

Bee Calm Bee Well Training for Beekeeping and Clinical Professionals
Objective:

Train professional beekeeping educators and medical professionals on therapeutic beekeeping practices.

Description:

This educational initiative is focused on providing professional training on how to facilitate a therapeutic beekeeping program to professional beekeeping educators and medical professionals working with individuals who may benefit from beekeeping as a therapeutic intervention. Participants take part in a hybrid synchronous/asynchronous program that includes a prerequisite three webinar series on trauma informed care, partnerships, and developing a therapeutic beekeeping program. Individuals new to beekeeping are also supplied with a 12 part beginning beekeeping education course. Following these educational activities, individuals can then participate in a 1-2 day on-ground training where they experience the therapeutic practices first hand and learn how to facilitate the practices on their own.

Outcomes and impacts:

Learning Outcomes:

1. Participants will gain perspective from veterans and beekeepers regarding use of beekeeping as a therapeutic intervention.

2. Participants will gain technical and systems-level information on hosting and facilitating a therapeutic beekeeping program.

3. Participants will acquire beginning beekeeping knowledge.

4. Participants will acquire technical knowledge on how to conduct therapeutic beekeeping programs in various settings.

5. Participants will acquire skills in creating safe and supportive educational spaces for therapeutic practices.

6. Participants will gain personal wellness benefits from participating in training.

 

Action Outcomes:

1. Participants disseminate informed knowledge to veterans, farmers, and ranchers.

2. Participants will provide a more diverse and holistic expertise in therapeutic and beekeeping education programs.

3. Participants will become resources for reducing farm stress.

4. Participants will help reduce the stigma of mental health challenges in agriculture.

5. Participants will diversify their therapeutic intervention offerings by incorporating therapeutic beekeeping practices.

6. Participants will improve mental and personal health within their communities through therapeutic beekeeping interventions.

Educational & Outreach Activities

24 Curricula, factsheets or educational tools
1 Journal articles
2 Webinars / talks / presentations

Participation Summary:

2 Extension
2 Researchers
12 Nonprofit
9 Agency
30 Ag service providers (other or unspecified)
20 Farmers/ranchers

Learning Outcomes

75 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

2 New working collaborations

Information Products

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Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.