Final report for NENJ14-001
Project Information
With many new and established farmers offering or entering into the on-farm direct market business, management decisions can be very different from those of commercial agriculture production and wholesale marketing. When visitors are invited onto the farm, risk management and liability issues are increased.
Three Rutgers Agricultural Agents and one Extension Specialist in agricultural policy offered a training program for agricultural service providers over a three-year period to learn about strength, weakness, opportunity and threat (SWOT) analysis related specifically to on-farm direct marketing operations. The leadership team organized and scheduled visits to 10 commercial farms offering some form of direct marketing. Agricultural service providers were recruited to participate in on-farm visits to conduct SWOT assessments. Notes were taken using the SWOT model during each visit, reports were developed and recommendations sent back to farmer hosts for each location. Since some of the reports may have revealed some major flaws and may have been critical, all locations and reports were kept confidential.
A total of 17 agricultural service providers attended 10 on-farm training opportunities, but only 10 said they would use the information in the future in their programming. An additional 3 agricultural service providers indicated they would utilize SWOT analysis with on-farm direct marketing operations after a one day class room training in May 2017, bringing the total to 10 agricultural service providers continuing use of this program in the future. Of the 10 agricultural service providers, 2 worked with 6 farmers and 3 held training events for 85 farmers and included SWOT education during summer 2017, reaching a total of 91 farmers. Additionally, the 85 farmers received printed copies of the bulletin, "SWOT Analysis for On-Farm Direct Marketing Operations" to use as a self-assessment tool with an agricultural service provider to assist with management and decision making. The bulletin is also available online 
at http://sare.rutgers.edu/agri_swot_project.html
10 Ag service providers will conduct additional SWOT analyses and provide other education and services about agritourism and on-farm direct marketing to 15 farmers
10 Ag service providers will outreach to other professionals about their experiences and knowledge gained through these trainings.
On-farm direct marketing has evolved to be the main marketing strategy for small to medium farms. Theses farms are not large enough or have economy of scale to compete in wholesale markets. As more established farmers transition and beginning farmers enter into direct sales to the public, educational and outreach assistance on topics related to risk management, food safety, financial planning, hospitality training, liability strategies and regulatory compliance are demanded from cooperative extension and other agricultural service providers. Farmers realize there is a major difference between production agriculture and wholesale marketing versus retail sales and bringing the public on the farm. What they may not fully realize is the complexity of managing an on-farm direct marketing operation, government regulations, liability and other risks that come along with inviting the public onto the farm.
In order to educate and serve farmers with on-farm direct marketing operations in the areas of risk management and liability, information and training needed to be developed and implemented. Extension education has always utilized the "learning through doing" concepts with conducting demonstrations and hands-on learning. Therefore, 17 agricultural service providers were brought onto 10 farms to conduct SWOT analysis for each individual farm with guidance from the leadership team. The goal of the on-farm training events was to educate agricultural service providers and help them gain the experience needed to further offer SWOT analysis with other farmers they work with in the future. Additionally, a bulletin, "SWOT Analysis for On-Farm Direct Marketing Operations" was written and distributed both online and in hard copy for agricultural service providers and farmers to utilize as an assessment tool.
Advisors/Cooperators
Educational Approach
The educational approach to the project "On-Farm Direct Marketing SWOT Analysis Training" included hands-on field trips to 10 farms over a 2-year period to conduct assessments of retail farm markets and agritourism operations with 17 agricultural service providers. Farms visited for SWOT analysis training included 3 pick your own operations, 3 community supported agriculture operations, 2 agritourism operations, 1 Christmas tree operation, 1 farm brewery and 1 farm market. During farm visits agricultural service providers and the leadership team prepared detailed notes about the farms' strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A post-visit summary was written by the leadership team with input from agricultural service providers and recommendations were developed and sent back to the 11 participating farmers. Information was presented at winter educational meetings for farmers over the project period and a formal classroom training for 36 agricultural service providers in year 3. In addition, an outreach website was developed to further disseminate information and a self-assessment tool for agricultural service providers, farmers and other interested in on-farm direct marketing decision making.
Milestones
Year 1 Milestone Accomplishments
October 31, 2015
In Progress
YEAR 1 (October 1, 2014 – September 30, 2015)
- October-November 2014 – 12-15 ag service providers working with the Rutgers leadership team conduct on-farm SWOT analyses related to risk management, food safety, financial planning, employee hospitality training, liability strategies and regulatory compliance on 6 farms with agritourism and/or on-farm direct marketing operations. Farms will be located throughout the state and 3-5 service providers will participate in each SWOT analysis, gaining knowledge and skills to conduct their own SWOT analyses with farms. See attached PowerPoint Slide Set “SWOT Analysis for Direct Marketing Overview”.
Complete. In Fall-Winter 2014-2015, five farms with agritourism businesses were visited by the project leadership team to meet with farmers to conduct an in-depth SWOT analysis of the farm. The sixth farm signed up for the project declined at the last minute due to an unfortunate circumstance. Ag service providers were invited via email from Rutgers faculty and staff email lists, USDA service centers in NJ, NJ Farm Bureau Staff and NJ Department of Agriculture Staff. Two farms were located in Morris County (Northern NJ), two in Burlington County (Central NJ) and one in Camden County (Southern NJ). Eleven ag service providers total, attended the on-farm SWOT analyses. This is one less than the target of 12, however can be attributed to the last farm cancelling participation in the project.
- November 2014 - February 2015 – The 12-15 ag service providers meet with the leadership team to review and discuss the SWOT analyses of all 6 farms. They share information about concerns and recommendations for improvement on farms they visited, and learn about concerns and recommendations on farms they did not visit. Participants will also receive additional educational information and resources for their own future SWOT analysis activities.
Complete. In February of 2015, 14 ag service providers, (Rutgers Faculty and Staff, NRCS, NJ Farm Bureau and NJ Department of Ag Personnel) participated in a meeting session at the NJ State Agricultural Convention to discuss SWOT analysis training and results from the 5 farms. In addition, a lecture was presented to 68 farmers and 8 ag service providers on this topic with report information from the 5 farms (sources kept confidential).
Also, in January 2015, 5 presentations were delivered by the leadership team and one trained ag service provider related to agritourism risk management during a ½ day Mid-Atlantic conference with 110 attendees (101 farmers and 9 ag service providers) present. Another presentation was given at a Northern NJ grower meeting in February that also provided information about the project and benefits for farmers with agritourism operations. Resources were presented and checklists to conduct assessments were discussed for ag service provider use in their programming or for individual farmers to access.
- November 2014 – February 2015 - The 12-15 ag service providers work with the leadership team to prepare a report for each farm’s SWOT analysis and recommendations to share with beneficiary farms and with other trainees. They will also help develop case studies for each farm to be shared using web media services.
Complete. The leadership team for the project prepared reports for each of the 5 farms where SWOT analyses were conducted. Fourteen ag service providers gave input at the on-farm visits and through discussion at the meeting session. Case studies were written, but not yet shared on the web, as a compilation from year 1 and year 2 on-farm visits will be completed and posted at the same time.
- February-April 2015– 12-15 ag service providers and members of the leadership team visit the farms and present SWOT analysis results and provide recommendations to farmers.
Complete. Written hard copies and email attachments of the on-farm SWOT analyses visits were sent to each of the 5 farms visited. Members of the leadership team discussed results with farmers and indicated they would follow up in the future to see if any changes were made to the operation based on recommendations. Most ag service providers indicated they were not available in this time period to revisit farms, but were interested in receiving results of any changes. This information will be collected in the future.
- April-June 2015- The 12-15 ag service providers (from year 1) receive follow-up surveys and/or phone calls to ask whether and how they are utilizing information and skills learned and the educational tools provided at SWOT training events, and offer assistance if service providers have questions or concerns.
Complete. An electronic survey was administered to see if ag service providers utilized the information and skills learned from SWOT training events and on-farm visits. Of the 14 that attended the training meeting session (that included the 11 who participated on-farms), 5 replied to the survey. The other 9 were called directly by the leadership team. Two indicated they shared the resources and information with farmers, but had not conducted SWOT analyses with farmers in their areas of responsibility.
- June-September 2015 – Rutgers leadership team will analyze data and write final reports on ag service providers’ actions. They will also survey the 6 farms that received SWOT analysis recommendations to see if recommendations were implemented. The team will document case studies of 6 farms where SWOT analysis was done. Case study reports and educational information from the trainings will be disseminated to audiences beyond the project trainees via blogs and web delivery.
In Progress. Since only 2 ag service providers indicated they shared information with farmers, there was not much to report. These same participants will be invited to future on-farm events and meetings. Follow up still needs to be conducted with farms who received SWOT reports to see if changes were made to their operations based on the recommendations made. In conversations with some farmers, the time period was too short to have made changes and the leadership team decided to follow up with these farmers on-year out from receiving their report. Therefore, follow up will be done in 2016.
- Ongoing throughout the year – Statewide outreach of sustainable agriculture information and educational resources via Rutgers University sustainable agriculture and crop production blogs, e-alerts and e-newsletters (e.g. Plant and Pest Advisory and Sustaining Farming on the Urban Fringe) will be supported with state program technical and computer expertise.
Ongoing. Three presentations were provided by the PDP Coordinator at farmer meetings to provide information about SARE Farmer/Grower grants during winter 2015. SARE program information and resources were distributed to Rutgers Faculty and Staff at one department meeting and one association meeting in spring 2015. Articles were written and posted pertaining to sustainable agriculture issues via the “Sustaining Farming on the Urban Fringe”, see web blog http://sustainable-farming.rutgers.edu/.
Year 2 Milestone Accomplishments
October 31, 2016
In Progress
- October 2015 – A professional development opportunity for 4-5 educators to attend multipurpose in-depth trainings and project outreach at the 2015 National Extension Tourism Conference will be provided. This conference in Galveston, TX will be to present information from 2014-2015 activities and gain in-depth knowledge from other extension professionals about on-farm direct marketing opportunities.
Complete: Three extension educators (Stephen Komar, Kenesha Reynolds-Allie, and Peter Nitzsche) attended the 2015 National Extension Tourism (NET) Conference in Galveston, TX in October 2015. They shared information and experiences from our SARE funded SWOT analysis project with 58 other extension educators working with agritourism and nature tourism in the United States. As a result of New Jersey Extension Faculty attending this conference, they were recruited to host the next NET Conference in August 2017 for extension professionals and other agricultural service providers to network and learn from each other about agritourism and nature tourism education and research.
- September-November 2015 – 6 farms, previously recruited, will undergo a SWOT analysis. The Rutgers leadership team will conduct SWOT analysis and invite 3-5 other ag service providers (extension personnel, NJ Department of Agriculture staff, New Jersey Farm Bureau staff, NOFANJ staff and insurance agents) to each site (according to regional accessibility) to receive training to be able to conduct their own SWOT analysis in the future with farms they serve. The leadership team will work with ag service providers to prepare a report of the analysis to share with beneficiary farms and other trainees. Case studies will be developed by these trainings and reports for each farm and shared using web media services.
In Progress: All 6 farms have undergone SWOT analysis with the leadership team and with ag service providers attending the training. Additionally, the team recruited unique agricultural direct marketing operations to include more diverse markets that offer CSA shares, a pick-your-own farm, a farm brewery, and a Christmas tree operation. Year 2 showed an increase in participation with a total of 16 ag service providers attending SWOT analysis trainings on the farms. In addition, 3 farm visits also included 17 undergraduate students from Rutgers University, in the Agriculture and Food Systems major. All farms were provided with a SWOT analysis report and recommendations to assist in making improvements to their direct marketing operations. Currently, the leadership team is working on developing case studies and to determine similarities/differences among direct marketing operations for a final report. Knowledge learned will also assist in shaping a final product to be used as a training guide titled, “SWOT Analysis Toolkit” for on-farm direct marketing operations to assess risk management and farm safety.
- December 2015 – Part time student will type up SWOT reports from 6 farms analyzed in fall 2015 and send recommendation reports back to those farms. Survey will be sent to farmers to see if they value recommendations and if they plan to implement recommendations.
In Progress? Complete? SWOT reports from 6 farms analyzed in fall 2015 were written and recommendation reports were back to those farms.
- February 2016 – Agritourism and direct marketing farm case studies will be presented at the New Jersey Agricultural Convention with 88 participants in the Agritourism session.
Complete: An oral presentation (62 participants) and poster presentation (in tradeshow with 950 attendees) were provided at the 2016 NJ Agricultural Convention to explain the SWOT analysis project for direct marketing.
- January 2016 – NJ SARE PDP Coordinator attended winter NESARE PDP meeting.
Complete: The state coordinator unable to attend due to a conflict of dates with the Northeast ASHS meetings in Philadelphia, PA and sent representative, Jack Rabin in place of PDP Coordinator.
- February-March 2016 – Part time student will survey ag service providers trained in 2015 to acquire data on progress after 1 year of training.
In Progress:
- July 2016 - NJ SARE PDP Co-Coordinator attended summer NESARE PDP meeting.
Complete: The state coordinator was be unable to attend, due to a conflict in dates with National Association of County Agricultural Agents Conference. NJ SARE PDP Coordinator is also the NE Chairperson of the SARE Fellows Program for NACAA and must attend this event. NJ will sent Jack Rabin to summer meeting.
- September 2016 – An on-farm twilight meeting will be held for ag service providers and farmers to learn from information gained through this program related to agritourism and direct marketing risk management, food safety, financial planning, hospitality training, liability strategies and regulatory compliance.
- October 2016 – An agricultural service providers training was conducted on October 4th in Burlington County, NJ with 28 participants. The goal was to discuss the 10 SWOT farm visits and determine areas of concern and what recommendations were provided to farmers to make improvements. Additionally, the discussion on obtaining input for creating a SWOT analysis toolkit guide for future programming with on-farm direct marketing operations for risk management and farm safety was a valuable part of this event.
Project Updates
November 1, 2016 – In early September, 2016 we were notified of changes to this project due to personnel losses. Liz Rabin, our webmaster for outreach has resigned due to the family moving to California. Additionally, with the retirement of Jack Rabin, we will no longer have his participation in the project. Liz and Jack will be very much missed and their expertise was an integral part of NJ SARE programming. Liz’s responsibilities in website maintenance and web outreach coordination have been transferred to the Rutgers Office of Research Analytics under the leadership of Lucas Marxen. This office bills for professional services provided, and are not considered hourly employees in the grant.
December 15, 2016 – Jack Rabin officially retired from Rutgers University. His position on the leadership team for this project is not being replaced, mainly since we are in the last year of the project.
Summary of accomplishments reported in Milestone Activities and Participation Summary for Years 1 and 2
Two workshops were conducted for Agricultural Agents at one university department meeting and one at a professional association meeting in spring 2015 to provide updates on the project and to distribute training materials for agents to use with their clientele. Five on-farm demonstration trainings were conducted; 4 in fall of 2015 and one in winter 2016. Twelve presentations were given by the leadership team to describe SWOT analysis and give examples from the 5 farms. Twelve presentations were given by the leadership team to farmers and ag service providers at 4 agricultural education events. Leadership team members had 28 individual consultations with farmers about using SWOT analysis and discussed resources online for improving risk management on agritourism farms. The agritourism training website that provides assessment tools, training videos and other materials for agritourism businesses had 5,957 page views from October 2014 to October 2015 with 3,836 new users and 140 returning users.
A self-assessment bulletin was written and published by the leadership team for this project, titled "SWOT Analysis for On-Farm Direct Marketing Operations". This tool was printed in written form and also available on the website http://sare.rutgers.edu/agri_swot_project.html. Ten agricultural service providers indicated they learned more about how to conduct SWOT analysis as related to on-farm direct marketing through this bulletin.
10
10
October 31, 2017
Completed
October 31, 2017
The accomplishment for this milestone was creating a product for agricultural service providers and farmers to use as a self-assessment tool for management of on-farm direct marketing operations.
In May 2017, 36 agricultural service providers attended a classroom style training event to learn about strength, weakness, opportunity and threat (SWOT) analysis as it pertains to on-farm direct marketing. At this event each participant was provided with a self-assessment work book titled, "SWOT Analysis for On-Farm Direct Marketing Operations. Of the 36 participants, 10 (7 who participated in on-farm SWOT training visits and 3 additional participants) agreed to continue using what they learned and would share the information with at least 5 farmers with on-farm direct marketing operations.
50
10
36
October 31, 2017
Completed
October 31, 2017
The 10 agricultural service providers who indicated they would continue to use information gained through on-farm and in classroom training events mainly work with fruit and vegetable farms with retail businesses that consist of farm markets and agritourism. In addition, some also work with farm wineries, farm breweries and Christmas tree growers selling direct to the public. Three of the 10 ASPs hosted farmer educational events in summer 2017 and distributed 85 copies of "SWOT Analysis for On-Farm Direct Marketing Operations" and educated these same growers on how to use this self-assessment tool. Of the farmers who received this information, 79% said they would use this tool to evaluate their on-farm direct marketing operations. Winter educational events planned in 2018 will also provide outreach and education on this topic and continued distribution of this self-assessment tool.
Milestone Activities and Participation Summary
Participation Summary:
Learning Outcomes
Year 1 key areas of learning verified
Of the 17 ag service provider participants, all indicated they gained knowledge about SWOT analysis for risk management for agritourism farms. None have indicated that they have used the skills learned. Only 2 participants indicated they shared project information with 6 farmers. More needs to be done to improve adoption and outreach of this program.
Year 2 Key areas of learning verified
During the fall 2016 training pre and post surveys of agricultural service providers (not all had participated in the on-farm activities) indicated that only 5 participants felt SWOT analysis for on-farm direct marketing would be related to their major programming responsibilities. Of those 5, 4 had previously attended at least one of the on-farm trainings provided in 2015 and 2016. Twenty-one out of 28 participants replied they improved learning about assessment for risk management and farm safety for on-farm direct marketing operations.
Year 3 Key areas of learning verified
In May 2017 a classroom training with 36 agricultural service providers (this also included providers who had previously attended on-farm training events) was conducted to teach SWOT analysis as related to on-farm direct marketing. Participants were surveyed on their gains in knowledge and their willingness to utilize the information provided with their farmer clientele. Survey results showed 83% of the participants indicated their knowledge of assessing on-farm direct marketing operations improved, but only 28% said they would utilize the information in the future with their farmer clientele. Low numbers of participants who would continue using SWOT analysis with on-farm direct marketing operations, was somewhat expected since working with farmer clientele with on-farm direct marketing, was not a major responsibility of most of the participants. As is the norm for most agricultural service providers, they specialize in different program areas and thus, some educators, agency or non-profit personnel are not responsible for working with on-farm direct marketing operations. Agricultural service providers who attended the classroom training were interested in the topic, but responded that they now knew who to send clientele to for more information about on-farm direct marketing needs rather than answering inquiries on this subject themselves.
Performance Target Outcomes
Performance Target Outcomes - Service Providers
Target #1
10 Ag service providers will continue conducting SWOT analysis on farms they service after the training project is completed, with a focus on farmer benefits of safer farms with less accidents, lawsuits, issues with regulatory compliance and customer complaints.
10 Ag service providers will outreach to other professionals about their experiences and knowledge gained through these trainings.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 |
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 85 |
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|
600 |
2,380 |
| Activity | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curricula, factsheets and other educational tools | 1 | 1 | ||
| Consultations | 7 | 3 | 10 | |
| On-farm demonstrations | 3 | 3 | ||
| Published press, articles, newsletters | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Tours | 5 | 5 | 10 | |
| Workshops and field days | 1 | 1 |
The performance target number of 10 agricultural service providers who would conduct additional SWOT analyses and provide other education and services to farmers was not reached. To date, 10 agricultural service providers out of 17 trained, indicated they will outreach to farmers with knowledge gained through training visits. In 2017, 5 agricultural service providers provided evidence of utilizing information and written materials developed by this project to work with farmers. Outreach and education for SWOT analysis for on-farm direct marketing operations will continue with the leadership team in their extension programs with on-farm direct marketing operations and via agricultural service providers trained.
Year 1 Narrative
Two agricultural service providers distributed educational materials to 6 farmers as a result of the training they received from this project. It is unknown the total size or scale of the farms they reached. Additional service providers may have shared information, but did not respond to online surveys or phone inquiries. As this project progresses, we anticipate greater use and outreach from participants.
An electronic survey was administered to see if ag service providers utilized the information and skills learned from SWOT training events and on-farm visits. Of the 14 that attended the training meeting session (that included the 11 who participated on-farms), only 5 replied to the survey. The other 9 were called directly by the leadership team. Only 2 indicated they shared the resources and information with farmers, but had not conducted SWOT analyses with farmers in their areas of responsibility. Since only 2 ag service providers indicated they shared information with farmers, there was not much to report. These same participants will be invited to future on-farm events and meetings. Follow up still needs to be conducted with farms who received SWOT reports to see if changes were made to their operations based on the recommendations made. In conversations with some farmers, the time period was too short to have made changes and the leadership team decided to follow up with these farmers on-year out from receiving their report. Therefore, follow up will be done in 2016.
Year 2 Narrative
During the completion of on-farm visits and training, an additional 7 new agricultural service providers attended SWOT analysis activities at farms. During an educational training in October 2016, a total of 28 agricultural service providers received updates and had input on future educational tools. Of that group only 6 felt they would use the information gained. Of the 7 who participated in the on-farm trainings, only 1 said they shared the information with 1 farmer and did an analysis of their farm operation that was in the beginning stages of starting an agritourism operation. In reality, working with a farm that is just beginning an on-farm direct marketing operation may be more beneficial for the farmer to assist with logistics, safety precautions, obtaining proper insurance and making other risk management decisions before going into a new venture.
The leadership team to completed a “SWOT Analysis for On-Farm Direct Marketing Operations” bulletin in April 2017. The bulletin was distributed in print form to 36 agricultural service providers and 85 farmers. It is also available on line at http://sare.rutgers.edu/agri_swot_project.html.
Additional Project Outcomes
Year 1 Narrative
We have two new Agricultural Agents in our university department who joined Extension in 2015 and are very interested in working with agritourism and risk management. One is an expert in economics and finances and is a welcome member of our department and will work well with this project topic. The other new hire is working with many organic farmers in her region and throughout the state to help the project reach organic farmers with risk management needs.
Year 2 Narrative
In year 2, our economics and finance agricultural agent, who was actively working with this project as a new agricultural service provider left her position to move to Alabama. Therefore, we lost an engaged member in our program. However, there is much promise in developing a toolkit guide that will be distributed in 2017 with hopes of acceptance and use by agricultural service providers and farmers alike.
Year 3 Narrative
The Rutgers NJAES Wine Grape Institute recognizes that farm wineries marketing directly to the public would greatly benefit from conducting SWOT analysis for on-farm direct marketing. Two Agricultural Agents working with the wine grape industry, as part of this institute, have utilized the self-assessment tool, "SWOT Analysis for On-Farm Direct Marketing Operations" in their curriculum with farm wineries. Since on-farm direct marketing is so diverse and offers many different products and activities, utilizing self-assessment tools for investigating, starting or making changes to an on-farm direct marketing operation will benefit many farmers in management and decision making.
SARE Outreach
Information about SARE grant programs and information resources was shared through the events and activities listed below. Additional outreach via sustainable agriculture websites is also summarized below.
Year 1 (2014-2015) SARE Outreach Activities
|
Event/Activity |
Number of Contacts with: |
|
|
Farmers |
Ag. Professionals |
|
|
NJ Agricultural Convention Presentation |
68 |
24 |
|
North Jersey Vegetable Growers Meeting |
65 |
11 |
|
Agricultural and Resource Management Agents Mtg |
0 |
42 |
|
Agricultural Agents Association of NJ |
0 |
35 |
|
NJ Hops Networking Meeting |
28 |
8 |
|
Vegetable Growers Association of NJ |
25 |
11 |
|
Sustainable Farming on the Urban Fringe web blog http://sustainable-farming.rutgers.edu/ (see below) |
Users 12,367 Page Views 25,912 |
|
|
Agritourism in New Jersey web blog http://sustainable-farming.rutgers.edu/agritourism-in-new-jersey/ (see below) |
Users 4,625 Page Views 5,681 |
|
|
Totals |
17,178 |
131 |
For the period Oct 1, 2014 through Oct 31, 2015: Website information developed through project.
Sustainable Farming on the Urban Fringe Website http://sustainable-farming.rutgers.edu/
Collaborative Projects in Sustainable Agriculture
Website Top 14 Pages most viewed (in order of popularity):
- High Tunnels in New Jersey
- Seed Heat-Treatment
- Farm Calls: A Winter’s Tale of Two Fields
- Wanted: Composted Manure - Linking Compost Producers with NJ Farm Needs
- Selecting Summer Cover Crops
- Growing Better Organic Potatoes
- Vineyard Site Assessment Checklist
- Farm Internships
- Tillage Tools for Breaking Ground
- Sex and the Single Asparagus
- Farm Calls: A Greenhouse Walk of Doom
- Excess Farm Indebtedness: Not a Sustainable Practice
- Let Native Pollinators Add to Your Farm’s Bottom Line
- Legislating the Lust for Local
Agritourism in New Jersey (subset of webpages on the Sustainable Farming on the Urban Fringe)
http://sustainable-farming.rutgers.edu/agritourism-in-new-jersey/
Top 13 Agritourism Pages most viewed (in order of popularity):
- Agritourism in New Jersey (Main/Landing Page)
- Agritourism Resources (Links to various agritourism references)
- Selecting an Agritourism Venture
- Hayride Safety Educational Tools
- Right to Farm & Agricultural Management Practices
- Write Your Business Plan
- Evaluate Your Unique Assets
- Write Your Marketing Plan
- Ag Planner, Policy-Maker Resources: Actions that Support Agritourism Enterprises
- Hospitality Training
- Risk Management Plan
- Training the Trainer: FAQs in Agritourism
- Unique Farm Stand Products
Year 2 (2015-2016) SARE Outreach Activities
|
Event/Activity |
Number of Contacts with: |
|
|
Farmers |
Ag. Professionals |
|
|
NJ Agricultural Convention Presentation |
72 |
21 |
|
North Jersey Pumpkin Growers Meeting |
35 |
6 |
|
Agricultural and Resource Management Agents Mtg |
0 |
39 |
|
Agricultural Agents Association of NJ |
0 |
32 |
|
NJ Hops Networking Meeting |
26 |
4 |
|
New Jersey Farm Bureau Convention |
120 |
22 |
|
Sustainable Farming on the Urban Fringe web blog* http://sustainable-farming.rutgers.edu/ (see below) |
Users 8,980 18,535 Page Views |
|
|
Agritourism in New Jersey web blog http://sustainable-farming.rutgers.edu/agritourism-in-new-jersey/ (see below)* |
Users 6,781 Page Views 11,253 |
|
|
Totals |
16,014 |
124 |
*Unable to determine if web blog users are farmers or ag professionals
Sustainable Farming on the Urban Fringe – Website Statistics
http://sustainable-farming.rutgers.edu/
ALL DATA FOR TIME PERIOD Jan. 1, 2016 – Dec. 1, 2016
General Statistics
- 18,535 page views
- 8,980 users
- 8% New visitors, 16.2% Returning visitors
Acquisition (how people find the site)
- 2% Organic Search
- 1% Referral (link from other site)
- Top 5 referrals
- rutgers.edu
- org
- com
- org
- com
- 8% Direct (used web address directly in browser)
- 7% Social Media
- 14% Email
- Top 5 referrals
Behavior
Top 15 viewed Sustainable Farming on the Urban Fringe website pages:
- High Tunnels in New Jersey
- Seed Heat-Treatment: A Management Strategy for Controlling Bacterial Diseases
- High Tunnel Construction Demonstration
- Sex and the Single Asparagus
- Growing Better Organic Potatoes in NJ
- Understanding On-Farm Utility Costs and Billing
- Companion Handouts for the Backpack Sprayer Videos
- Wanted: Composted Manure Linking Compost Producers with NJ Farm Needs
- Mobile Market Cooler Conversion Demonstration
- Backpack Sprayer Modification
- Aerated Bin Composting Demo Photo Gallery
- Improving Soils with Leaves and Other Local Organic Wastes
- Farm Calls: Tillage Tools for “Breaking Ground”
- Excess Farm Indebtedness: Not a Sustainable Practice
- Motivating Farmers to Attend Worthwhile Extension Programs
Sustainable Farming on the Urban Fringe Agritourism Pages – Website Statistics
http://sustainable-farming.rutgers.edu/agritourism-in-new-jersey/
General Statistics
- 11,253 page views
- 6,781 users
- 6% New visitors, 18.4% Returning visitors
Acquisition (how people find the site)
- 3% Organic Search
- 1% Referral (link from other site)
- Top 4 referrals
- rutgers.edu
- org
- com
- com
- 4% Direct (used web address directly in browser)
- 1% Social Media
- 1% Email
- Top 4 referrals
Behavior
Top 13 viewed Agritourism in New Jersey website pages:
- Agritourism in New Jersey
- Farmer Agritourism Resources: Write Your Business Plan
- Agritourism: On-Farm Breweries and Local Ingredients
- Farmer Agritourism Resources: Selecting an Agritourism Venture
- Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension Agritourism Resources
- Farmer Agritourism Resources: Hayride Safety Educational Tools
- Farmer Agritourism Resources: Right to Farm & Agricultural Management Practices
- Training the Trainer: FAQs in Agritourism
- Ag Planner, Policy-Maker Resources: Actions that Support Agritourism Enterprises
- Farmer Agritourism Resources: Risk Management Plan
- Farmer Agritourism Resources: Hospitality Training
- Farmer Agritourism Resources: Write Your Marketing Plan
- Farmer Agritourism Resources: Evaluate Your Unique Assets
Year 3 (2016-2017) SARE Outreach Activities
|
Event/Activity |
Number of Contacts (please enter your best estimate) |
|
|
Farmers |
Ag. Professionals |
|
|
NJ Agricultural Convention Presentation |
68 |
24 |
|
NJ Agricultural Convention Trade Show Information |
385 |
58 |
|
North Jersey Vegetable Growers Meeting |
74 |
9 |
|
Central Jersey Vegetable Growers Meeting |
112 |
8 |
|
Agricultural and Natural Resource Department Meeting |
0 |
42 |
|
Agricultural Agents Association of NJ |
0 |
35 |
|
Rutgers Commercial Vegetable Crops Working Group |
0 |
15 |
|
Vegetable Growers Association of NJ |
25 |
11 |
|
Rutgers Pepper Crop Advisory Council Meeting |
12 |
6 |
|
Rutgers Tomato Crop Advisory Council Meeting |
11 |
4 |
|
Rutgers Organic Farmers Advisory Council Meeting |
18 |
4 |
|
New Jersey Farm Bureau Annual Convention Trade Show |
185 |
32 |
|
Rutgers NJAES/SEBS Grant Training |
0 |
11 |
|
Totals |
890 |
259 |
|
|
|
|
|
Web Views/Social Media |
Totals |
|
|
Rutgers SARE Website*
|
Users 2,455 Page Views 7,688 |
|
|
Rutgers Agriculture and Natural Resources Facebook Page |
415 Followers |
|
* Sustainable Farming on the Urban Fringe website was replaced by a new website in February 2017 for New Jersey SARE outreach. The new website http://sare.rutgers.edu contains SARE outreach information and state PDP programming.
Recieved information about SARE grant programs and information resouces:
| Audience | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service providers | 131 | 124 | 259 | 514 |
| Farmers | 186 | 253 | 890 | 1329 |