MN SARE 2023-24 Plan of Work

Our Advisory committee has identified three initiative areas for our MN SARE work in 2023/2024. In all of the initiatives, the expected outcomes, activities, and evaluation will be similar.

Expected outcomes: In a typical two-year workplan, we will fund 15 mini-grants and 30 travel grants. We aim to reach at least 1000 educators with this programming. This happens through SARE programming offered at field days, workshops, online programming, and conferences. This number does not include the others we reach through our Face of SARE work. We expect that 900 of these educators increase their awareness and knowledge, share this information with colleagues or clients, and/or incorporate this knowledge into current programs. In addition, we expect 250 of these educators to develop new programming to train fellow educators. Each year we fund about 15 travel scholarships to sustainable agriculture events across our region. We expect that everyone receiving a travel scholarship incorporates the new knowledge they gained into new or current programming and share it with colleagues and clients. They can do this by developing new programming, adding it to existing programming, and/or including information in a newsletter. We also ask that they include SARE resources (books, bulletins) in future programming they develop as well as make farmers and educators they work with aware of SARE grants. Lastly, we expect to see the number of SARE grant applicants from Minnesota increase over the two years of the work plan due to our grant writing workshops, webinars, and relationship building. We would expect to see this specifically in the under-served audiences we plan to reach.

Activities: We have included specific program ideas and topic areas under each initiative below. We achieve these expected outcomes through our robust travel and mini-grant program. We provide travel scholarships to send educators to local, regional, and national events and ask that they incorporate that knowledge into new or existing programming. We also request that they write newsletter articles about what they learned and include information about the SARE program in these communications. This model helps increase our audience for both our SARE travel grant program and SARE grants and resources. We work with local educators and farmer-educators through our mini-grant program. These include extension educators as well as state agency and NGO partners. We provide funds in each of our initiative areas to put on workshops, field days, develop educational materials and other events related to sustainable agriculture. We work closely with event organizers and share additional SARE information (grants, publications, etc.) through these events. When appropriate, MN SARE Coordinators attend the events to speak about SARE. Lastly, we organize our own programming to supplement the mini-grant work as needed in each initiative area. Examples include: farmer workshops, webinars, and field days; partnering with SARE grant recipients to put on workshops or related events to share their work; and developing educational materials (bulletins, presentations) as needed. We’ll attend all of the major conferences, workshops and field days to let participants know about SARE grants and resources as well as how to apply for SARE funds.

Evaluation: We will use NCR-SARE PDP mini-grant post event surveys and travel grant post event surveys to evaluate the outcomes. We typically follow up with grant recipients shortly after the event and again in 6-9 months. We also ask that all mini-grant projects conduct their own evaluations and provide those results to us. We do not process mini-grant invoices or travel grant reimbursements without a completed evaluation. Information we collective in our evaluations includes: number of attendees, number of materials distributed, anecdotal information based on conversations with attendees, specific ways they are going to incorporate information into their programming or field days (we typically ask that attendees identify one or two takeaways that stuck with them). In a second follow-up we ask for examples of how they have used the resources following the event. We follow-up with anyone that attends our grant writing webinars or workshops to find out if they plan to submit a grant and if they want help doing so, and we follow-up again to find out if they did submit (and why not if necessary).

Adapting to a changing climate and other food system disruptions

In order to participate in the NCR-SARE regional initiative for 2023-24, one of our state initiative focus areas will be on “Adapting to a changing climate and other food system disruptions.”  Activities under this topic may include workshops, study tours, webinars, or other educational programming. During the two-year plan of work period, we will also offer additional SARE-funded travel scholarships, and where appropriate, mini-grant support to further educational programming that provides professional development for educators working with farmers and ranchers on programs related to climate change and other major food system disruptions, such as the COVID pandemic. Program topics could include: workshop on topics such as managing for flood and drought, building soil health, cover crops, integrated pest, protecting, increasing pollinator habitats, supply chain and distribution disruptions.

Building resilient Local Food Systems

This initiative will focus on building resilient systems for small scale rural and urban fruit/vegetable/livestock farmers, distribution and processing issues, and supporting pollinator health. Much of this is supporting the many organizations and individuals already contributing to local foods efforts in Minnesota. We plan to work with educators in multiple regions in Minnesota on a mini-grant on expanding access to local food markets and resources in those regions. We will also work closely with the SARE grant recipients in MN on their projects, helping to link them to Extension and NRCS staff working on these topics. We anticipate that at least 75 farm advisors and farmer-educators will participate in these state programs during the time of this initiative, and additional individuals will be reached through webinars or other web-based distribution of information. We plan to send educators and farmer-educators (virtually or in person) to the following local and regional events in 2023 and 2024: MN Organic Conference, Minnesota Farmers Market Association Conference, Sustainable Farming Conference and chapter events, Emerging Farmers Conference as well as outreach events at the U of MN Research and Outreach Centers. We will use NCR-SARE PDP mini-grant post event surveys and travel grant post event surveys to evaluate the outcomes. Examples of programming topics include: meat processing and distribution issues; supply chain issues, urban agriculture; increasing access to additional USDA food system resources and programming; pollinator health, integrated pest management, and diversity across the landscape.; continued partnership with the Soil Health Network in our state to bring soil health and water quality resources to MN farmers. Tour or workshop on product aggregation and marketing, light processing, season extension (high tunnels or post season storage), food preservation, food safety and regulations when selling to institutions, workshops for alternative livestock producers.

Emerging farmers

This initiative will focus on providing resources and support to emerging farmers in Minnesota and specifically BIPOC farmers in rural and urban areas. We will continue our work with the tribal colleges in Minnesota on food sovereignty projects. In addition, we will partner with established programs in our state (Farm Beginnings) to provide SARE resources and outreach regarding NCR SARE opportunities. Activities will include workshops, tours, webinars and educational programming. We will provide travel scholarships and migrants to increase the professional development of farmers and educators working with these groups. We anticipate that at least 75 farm advisors and farmer-educators will participate in these state programs during the time of this initiative, and additional individuals will be reached through webinars or other web-based distribution of information. We plan to send educators and farmer-educators (virtually or in person) to the following local and regional events in 2023 and 2024: Tribal colleges workshops and events, Indigenous Farming Conference, Sustainable Farming Conference, Emerging Farmers Conference as well as outreach events at the U of MN Research and Outreach Centers. We will use NCR-SARE PDP mini-grant post event surveys and travel grant post event surveys to evaluate the outcomes. Examples of programming topics could include: grant writing workshops with under-served populations in Minnesota (both urban and rural); helping to link new farmers to existing programs in the state; partnering with tribal colleges on food sovereignty issues; partnering with educators in NW Minnesota who are working with a group of women farmers to provide learning opportunities in their region.