Progress report for SNE21-007-ME
Project Information
Problem and Justification
Adapting to climate change is a new imperative for agriculture. Current and projected changes in weather present new opportunities and risks for agriculture in Maine and the Northeast. Longer growing seasons might allow farmers to grow new varieties and crops, but increased risks of spring frosts, summer droughts, wetter/cooler springs, and more frequent and intense rainfall pose serious threats to crop production and farm viability. Seventy-six percent of Maine agricultural service providers who responded to a 2021 survey felt that farmers need additional support to address climate change on their farms, and 79% said they are interested in helping farmers do so. In many cases, practices that farmers and advisors have identified as ones that would help farmers adapt to changing weather patterns (e.g. irrigation, drainage, weather-based decision tools; Johnson et al., 2019; White et al., 2018) require new knowledge and skills, not just for farmers but also for their agricultural service providers. Survey respondents reported feeling least confident in making recommendations related to implementing irrigation systems, managing excess water, changing breeds/varieties, and using weather-based decision tools.
Solution and Approach
The goal of this 3-year plan is to increase agricultural service provider ability to help farmers adapt to climate change by increasing their knowledge, skills, and confidence in providing information and recommendations about specific agricultural practices that address the risks associated with climate change. Each year, we will focus on one climate adaptation practice, such as irrigation. The aim is not to create topic experts, but to help trainees become well-informed advisors who, in the context of their current positions, will help farmers frame the right questions, address relevant considerations, evaluate options, and connect with the most appropriate resources and experts. The educational approach combines on-farm learning, peer-to-peer learning, expert presentations, hands-on experiential learning, and individual learning.
44 agricultural service providers who gain practical knowledge and skills in climate adaptation practices (CAPs) will work with at least 2 farmers each to develop a set of customized CAP recommendations for their farms and reach an additional 10 farmers each through one-on-one consultations or educational programs.
Agricultural Need
Adapting to climate change is a new imperative for agriculture. Current and projected changes in weather present new opportunities and risks for agriculture in Maine and the Northeast. Longer growing seasons might allow farmers to grow new varieties and crops, but increased risks of spring frosts, summer droughts, wetter/cooler springs, and more frequent and intense rainfall pose serious threats to crop production and farm viability. Seventy-six percent of Maine agricultural service providers who responded to a 2021 survey* felt that farmers need additional support to address climate change on their farms, and 79% said they are interested in helping farmers do so. The risks the respondents were most concerned about were drought, changes in water availability, extreme precipitation events, delayed field operations, soil erosion, flooding and saturated soils, high temperatures, higher insect/disease pressure or new insect pests and diseases, frost or freeze events, and changing weather patterns in general. In many cases, practices identified in prior surveys of farmers and advisors as ones that would help farmers adapt to changing weather patterns (e.g. irrigation, drainage, weather-based decision tools; Johnson et al., 2019; White et al., 2018) require new knowledge and skills, not just for farmers but also for their agricultural service providers. 2021 survey respondents reported feeling least confident in making recommendations related to implementing irrigation systems, managing excess water, changing breeds or varieties, and using weather-based decision tools.
* The 2021 survey, conducted for our 2020 SARE state program, was as a regional needs assessment to identify agricultural service providers’ knowledge gaps and training needs as related to helping farmers adapt to climate change. The survey was distributed to 5286 email addresses; 585 agricultural service providers responded and 467 completed the entire survey. Survey results reported here are for the 65 individuals who reported working with Maine farmers, 54 of whom completed all survey questions. Their primary affiliations were: Extension (47%), non-profit (23%), private consultants (13%), Federal/NRCS (6%), Conservation District (4%), State agency (4%), and Other (4%).
Proposed Solution
The goal of this 3-year plan is to increase agricultural service provider knowledge, skills, and confidence in providing information and recommendations about specific agricultural practices that address the risks associated with climate change. Each year, we will focus on one climate adaptation practice. The first year’s topic will be irrigation. Irrigation was among the climate adaptation practices for which survey respondents did not think farmers currently have the knowledge and skills that they need to be successful. It also was among the topics for which respondents reported feeling least confident in providing farmers with recommendations. Topics for years two and three will be determined based on information from the 2021 regional survey, the project advisory board, and (for year three) an end-of-year survey of 2021-22 participants. Based on information to date, likely topics are coping with too much water (wet springs and extreme rainfall events) and weather-based decision tools. Trainees will help determine the specific topics to cover for each theme, first by participating in an introductory fall farm tour and then throughout the program.
The aim of this program is not to create experts who help farmers implement specific practices, but to help trainees become well-informed advisors who, in the context of their current positions, will help farmers frame the right questions, address relevant considerations, evaluate options, and connect with the most appropriate resources and experts. For instance, regarding irrigation, trainees will learn about relevant state rules and regulations, types of irrigation systems, economics and costs of irrigation, plant-soil-water relationships, estimating water needs and water source capacity, irrigation scheduling, soil moisture monitoring, methods to improve water use efficiency, available resources, and local examples of irrigation systems at multiple production scales. Participants also will learn how to develop a comprehensive “farm irrigation scheme” or plan that addresses all of the above and that can be used in their work with farmers.
Agricultural Service Provider Interest
Eighty-three percent of 61 respondents who work with Maine farmers said they were likely (55%) or extremely likely (28%) to participate in professional development opportunities to improve their ability to help farmers adapt to climate change. These respondents represented the full diversity of agricultural service providers in Maine and included Extension, non-profits, private crop advisors, conservation districts, NRCS, and state departments. The survey also included an open-ended question about other topics of interest for professional development. Many others were suggested, such as business planning and marketing, but none had the overall level of interest as climate adaptation practices.
Advisors/Cooperators
Educational Approach
Recruitment
In the summer before each project year, we will send an email to 150 agricultural service providers who work directly with farmers in Maine (e.g., Extension, NRCS, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, private crop advisors, non-profits, and state agencies) inviting them to participate in the upcoming one-year training. Thus, each year we will have a new cohort of 18 trainees, although we expect there to be some who participate in multiple trainings. The invitation will outline the opportunities and expectations of joining the year’s training group, which include increasing their ability to assist farmers with evaluating and implementing specific adaptation practices, gaining hands-on experience with specific tools and practices, and developing a network of fellow agricultural service providers. The expectations are that trainees will: participate in at least 75% of winter training activities; conduct a farm project individually or as a member of a team; participate in at least one farm tour; keep track of their farmer advising, outreach activities and farmer outcomes; and report on their learning, activity, and farmer outcomes in end-of-year and end-of-project verification surveys.
Farmers who host the introduction farm tour, host the CAP SWOT assessment, and partner with trainees for the farm projects will be recruited by the Coordinators, with input from the Advisory Board, and offered $500 stipends to compensate them for their time.
Education
The education plan was designed using results from the 2021 needs assessment survey. Respondents were asked to describe a professional development experiences that they have found particularly effective and why. The educational approaches that were mentioned most often were included in this plan, and are: on-farm learning, peer-to-peer learning, expert presentations, hands-on experiential learning, and individual learning. The training topic for year one will be irrigation. Topics for years two and three will be determined as described in “Proposed Solutions” with potential topics being coping with too much water and weather-based decision tools.
Each year’s training will include the following activities:
- Introductory Farm Tour – At the beginning of each year in September (or just before in August) an initial farm tour focused on the upcoming year’s theme will be held to 1) provide an introduction to the trainees, 2) help trainees and project leaders identify the specific topics to address in winter educational activities, and 3) serve as a common case study for discussions during the year. (1 per year)
- Winter Workshop – Each workshop will be a half-day session with expert speakers that is open to the public, followed by lunch and a shorter afternoon session focused on activities for project participants only. Each year an out-of-state speaker will be invited to present at the workshop and work with trainees during the afternoon session. (1 per year)
- Farm projects – Trainees will work, individually or in groups of 2-4, with one farmer to develop a set of recommendations related to the year’s topic. Trainees will be grouped according to their interest regarding farm type and scale. They will be given the option to recruit a farmer partner themselves or to be paired with a farmer by the project Coordinators. The Coordinators will work with the project advisory group to identify interested farmer partners. The trainees will receive this assignment in the fall and work on them over the winter. The assignment for the first year will be to develop a farm irrigation scheme that outlines relevant regulations, appropriate types irrigation, water sources, water needs, methods to improve water use efficiency, irrigation scheduling strategies for specific crops, partial budgets, and resources for financial and technical assistance.
- Winter webinars and meetings – Three 1-2 hour sessions will occur from January through April. They will be a mix of webinars that address specific technical subjects related to the year’s topic presented by expert speakers (ex. water source development rules and regulations) and working sessions where trainees present and troubleshoot their farm projects. (3 per year)
- Resource Directory – Each year’s training group will develop a curated list of informational resources on their topic that will be shared with the public as an Extension webpage. Certain will be assigned for individual learning.
- CAP SWOT Assessment – In the summer, trainees will engage in a “Reading the Farm” like exercise to help apply and dive deeper into what they learned during the winter. They will tour a farm and, working as a team, conduct a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis for the host farm related to their training topic.
Verification
Participants will receive an end-of-program survey in the November following their training year to verify learning and performance target outcomes for service providers. Participants in years one and two will receive similar surveys each following year in November to further verify performance target outcomes for service providers as well as for farmers. A draft of the verification tool is attached.
Milestones
18 agricultural service providers sign up to participate in a 1-year Climate Adaptation Practices (CAP) training project after receiving an email invitation from the SARE state coordinator. The invitation outlined the opportunities and expectations of joining the year’s training group. NOTES: This and all of the following milestones occur each year. Recruitment for year 1 will occur before the project start date. The total number of agricultural service providers who participate in this 3-year project is based on an assumption that 10 individuals will participate in two of the three years: 3 times 18 minus 10 equals 44.
44
22
September 01, 2023
Completed
September 30, 2022
In September 2021, 11 agricultural service providers signed up to participate in the Maine Climate Adaptation Practices (MECAP) Year 1 training, "Too Little Water". Participants were from Extension (4), non-profits (3), state agency (1), NRCS (1), Soil and Water Conservation District (1), and University (1). The trainee from NRCS later dropped out for lack of time.
In September 2022, 17 agricultural service providers signed up to participate in the MECAP Year 2 training, "Too Much Water". Two trainees later dropped out for lack of time. Participants were from Extension (6), non-profits (4), state agency (2), and Soil and Water Conservation District (3), and include one participant from New Hampshire. Six of the Year 2 participants also participated in Year 1.
In total, 22 agricultural service providers signed up for one or both years of the MECAP program, and 19 participated. Six agricultural service providers participated in both years of the program.
For 2023, we moved to a less-intensive programming model to allow time for a new State Coordinator to transition into the position and conduct a needs assessment in preparation for developing a new 3-year plan. We will offer a series of webinars on Year 3’s topic, “Weather-Based Decision Tools,” for agricultural service providers, but will not ask them to sign up for the series ahead of time or expect them to participate in each webinar in the series. We will report the final total number of participants once the webinar series is finished.
18 trainees participate in an introductory farm tour focused on the year’s topic and drawing on what they learned during the tour, help decide what specific topics will be addressed during the year’s training.
44
3
14
October 31, 2023
Completed
November 18, 2022
Six MECAP trainees participated in the Year 1 Fall Farm Tour, held on November 2, 2021 at Snell Family Farm in Buxton, Maine. Ten trainees participated in the Year 2 Fall Farm Tour, held on November 4, 2022 at Crystal Springs Farm in Brunswick, Maine. (Two of these trainees participated in the Year 1 Fall Farm Tour.)
Before each farm tour, participants received and reviewed information about the host farms, climate change impacts on agriculture in Maine, potential adaptation practices for Too Little Water or Too Much Water, and an on-farm climate change risk assessment guide. During these farm tours, trainees:
- Learned about one farm’s experience with the risks they face associated with too little/too much water and the strategies they are using to address those risks that can provide context for the remainder of the training.
- Identified the topics that trainees feel they need to be familiar with to advice farmers on implementing and managing irrigation (Year 1) or managing for excess moisture and extreme rainfall events (Year 2).
- Started building connections and trust among participants and coordinators.
- Learned about the MECAP program activities for the year.
- Provided feedback and suggestions for the winter’s activities (Year 2 only).
- Learned about NRCS water source development and irrigation programs (Year 1 only).
In 2021, all Year 1 trainees filled out an introductory survey that included questions about their interest in specific training topics (ex., drought and water stress, surface water and groundwater pumping regulations, monitoring soil moisture). As well, the 4 Year 1 trainees who did not attend the Fall Farm Tour, plus 4 who did, participated in an online MECAP program meeting on November 19, 2021 to learn more about the MECAP Farm Projects and Resource Directory activities, and to provide further input on webinar topics and speakers for the winter.
In 2022, Year 2 trainees at the Nov 4 farm tour discussed the topics to cover and speakers to invite for the year’s program. SARE Outreach Coordinator Tom Molloy followed up after the farm tour with trainees who did not attend.
18 trainees and an additional 12 agricultural service providers and 20 farmers participate in a morning workshop focused on the year’s topic. In the afternoon, trainees participate in project activities including beginning work on their farm projects. NOTE: The total number of non-trainee agricultural service providers who participate in these annual workshops is based on an assumption that 10 individuals will participate in two of the three workshops: 3 times 12 minus 10 equals 26. The total number of farmers makes the same assumption: 3 times 20 minus 10 equals 50.
50
70
28
46
December 31, 2023
Completed
January 31, 2022
Eight Year 1 trainees, 15 other agricultural service providers and 10 farmers participated in a 2-hour online workshop on February 7, 2022 titled, “Getting Started with Irrigation”. The invited speakers were Trevor Hardy of Brookdale Fruit Farm, Inc. and Brookdale Farm Supplies, the largest irrigation and row crop supplies company in New England, and Candi Gilpatric, an Agricultural Engineer with Maine NRCS. Trevor and Candi talked about evaluating if irrigation is cost-effective, assessing whether water resources are sufficient to meet crop needs, and irrigation equipment options and considerations.
All 10 Year 1 trainees met in their farm project groups with SARE Outreach Coordinator Tom Molloy during the fourth week of January to review the objectives and resources for the farm projects. These farm project group meetings took the place of a trainee meeting after the online workshop.
Ten Year 2 trainees, 16 other agricultural service providers, 18 farmers, and 2 others participated in a 3-hour online workshop on January 5, 2023 titled, “What To Do About Too Much Water”. (Three trainees participated in both Year 1 and Year 2 workshops.) The invited speakers were Joshua Faulkner, Research Assistant Professor and Farming and Climate Change Program Coordinator with University of Vermont Extension; Melissa Law, Co-owner of Bumbleroot Organic Farm in Buxton, Maine and a member of the Maine Climate Council; Sarah Simon, Climate Resilience Specialist at Maine Farmland Trust; and Helena Swiatek, NRCS District Conservationist based in Presque Isle, Maine. Topics were: Assessing a farm’s vulnerability to excess water and heavy rains, Strategies and practices to cope with too much water, one farm’s experience developing an adaptation plan, and NRCS programs to address too much water on the farm.
All 15 Year 2 trainees met in their farm project groups with SARE Outreach Coordinator Tom Molloy during January to review the objectives and resources for the farm projects. These farm project group meetings took the place of a trainee meeting after the online workshop, as in Year 1.
Trainees work individually or in groups of 2-4 with a farmer partner to develop a set of recommendations related to the year’s topic and guided by the farmer’s interests. The trainees receive their assignment in the fall and work on them over the winter.
15
44
7
19
April 30, 2024
Completed
June 30, 2023
Year 1 trainees formed three groups (with 4, 4, and 3 trainees) and each group worked with one farmer to assess their farm’s needs related to the increased frequency of dry spells and drought on their farm and to develop a plan to address those needs. Two groups worked with mixed vegetable farmers and one group worked with a potato-grain farmer. In all cases, farmers were interested in implementing irrigation systems on their farms. Trainees evaluated existing water sources, irrigation systems. Two groups also worked with their farm partner to trial soil moisture meters on their farms . The SARE Outreach Coordinator helped farm project teams schedule 3-4 meetings (including in some cases a farm visit) and provided guidance on their projects.
Year 2 trainees formed four teams (with 3, 3, 3, and 6 trainees), each paired with a farm to help identify the risks to the farm associated with excessive water and extreme rainfall, and potential strategies to reduce those risks. The teams worked with: one seed potato farmer in northern Maine who was focused on improving site-specific drainage issues in a large field; one wild blueberry farmer in midcoast Maine who wanted to design water diversions for fields and farm roads to reduce erosion with heavy rains; one livestock farmer in southern Maine also interested in water diversion but in the barnyard area to prevent saturating areas of a nearby pasture;and one mixed vegetable farm in southern Maine interested in addressing drainage and water diversion issues through tile drainage, ditching, and ponds. The SARE Outreach Coordinator helped farm project teams schedule 2-3 additional meetings (including farm visits) and provided guidance on their projects.
Each year’s training group develops a curated list of informational resources on their topic, which is posted on the UMaine Extension website.
44
11
September 30, 2024
Completed
September 30, 2022
The Year 1 trainees developed “Irrigation Resources for Maine Farmers”, a curated list of over 50 online resources on irrigation planning checklists, suppliers and consultants, drought and water monitoring, water rules and regulations, water sources, types of irrigation systems, economic, irrigation management, and crop specific resources. The resource directory is posted on the UMaine Extension website and will be updated annually by Ellen Mallory (current SARE Coordinator). Link: https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/1225e/
Year 2 participants decided not to try to develop a resource directory on excess water and heavy rains because they felt that there were not many resources besides those offered by NRCS and so the most efficient approach is to direct clients to NRCS resources.
18 trainees each participate in at least 2 out of 3 webinars and meetings from January through April. These sessions include webinars on specific technical subjects and working sessions where trainees present and troubleshoot their farm projects.
44
21
April 30, 2024
In Progress
In Year 1, 9 trainees each participated in at least 2 out of the 4 webinars and meetings that were offered each month from February through May, listed below with topics and speakers. One trainee participated in only one due to time constraints. In Year 2, 12 trainees participated in at least 1 of 2 webinars and meetings offered in February and April, and 9 participated in both. Three trainees did not participate in either event in Year 2 but all had participated in Year 1. In both years, recordings of all webinars were made available for trainees to view.
February 25 – Follow-up session with Candi Gilpatric, NRCS (9 trainees attended)
- Trainees had the opportunity to ask Candi, a speaker at the February 7 Workshop, questions regarding their farm projects or other interests regarding assessing whether water resources and planning for irrigation.
March 16 – Water Sources and Regulations (8 trainees attended)
- Navigating surface water or groundwater pumping regulations, Bill Sheehan of Maine Department of Environmental Protection
- Developing on-farm water sources – pond and well installation and design, George McLaughlin, Maine Potato Board
- Water quality regulations and assessment, including how to comply with FSMA/GAP standards and testing, Rob Machado, UMaine Extension
April 25 – Irrigation Management and Efficiency (7 trainees attended)
- Monitoring soil moisture, Haley Jean and Rachel Schattman, UMaine
- Tools for monitoring weather and drought, Sean Birkel, UMaine
- Determining optimal timings and amount of irrigation applications, Ricardo Griffin, irrigation consultant
May 11 – Managing risk / farm projects (5 trainees attended)
- Insurance and emergency resources in case of drought, Tom Molloy, SARE Outreach Coordinator
- Farm project progress-to-date reports
August 10 – Optional irrigation field day (3 trainees attended). This field day was offered by the Southern Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District and the MECAP project provided funding for one speaker. The northern location made it difficult for many trainees to attend.
YEAR 2
February 16 – Use and management of soils for agricultural purposes, David Rocque, retired State Soil Scientist. (9 trainees attended)
- How soil type affects suitability for drainage and water diversion practices
- Different types of drainage and water diversion practices
- Regulatory considerations
April 6 – Soil drainage (12 trainees attended)
- Site and soil type considerations for implementing drainage projects, Greg Granger, NRCS
- In-field structures for too much water: Surface and subsurface options, Helena Swietek, NRCS
- Keeping clean water clean: Barnyard and field edge drainage systems, Lori Wilson, NRCS
- Design, installation, and maintenance of drainage tile systems, Matt Porter, Precision Agriculture Inc.
18 trainees participate in a CAP SWOT assessment in which they tour a farm and, working as a team, conduct a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis for the host farm related to their training topic.
3
44
3
7
August 31, 2024
Completed
June 14, 2022
Seven trainees participated in in-depth farm tours of Marr Pond Farm (one of farm project partners) and Stutzman Farm on June 14. The purpose of the tours changed from a SWOT assessment to reporting out and getting feedback on the Marr Pond Farm farm project, assessing the results of moisture meter trialing at Marr Pond Farm, and touring a neighboring farm’s irrigation systems. Marr Pond and Stutzman Farm Tours
We did not offer this activity in Year 2 due to severe time constraints on the part of the State Coordinator and Outreach Coordinator, and will not offer it in Year 3 due to transitioning to a new State Coordinator, as described under Milestone #1.
18 trainees complete end-of-year evaluation surveys that assess learning outcomes and performance target outcomes for agricultural service providers and farmers.
44
8
September 30, 2024
In Progress
Three Year 1 trainees completed the online survey distributed in September 2022. Year 1 and Year 2 trainees received a second survey in December 2023 to report on learning outcomes from the Year 2 training and performance target outcomes that occurred in the prior year associated with either the Year 1 or Year 2 trainings. Of the 19 service providers who participated in our programs to date, 8 completed either one of the surveys or both.
18 trainees work with at least 2 farmers to provide in-depth guidance on CAPs and reach an additional 10 farmers each through one-on-one assistance or educational programs.
528
44
871
8
September 30, 2024
In Progress
Eight trainees reported having worked with a total of 89 farmers to help them make an informed decision regarding how to address either too little or too much water using what the trainees learned or gained from participating in the MECAP program. Five trainees provided in-depth guidance related to implementing irrigation to 60 farmers and six trainees provided in-depth guidance related to addressing excess water and heavy rains to 29 farmers. In addition, trainees reported reaching another 871 farmers and 57 agricultural service providers through 2 newsletter articles, 4 presentations, 2 new projects, and 2 farm tours.
Milestone Activities and Participation Summary
Participation Summary:
Learning Outcomes
Year 2 (replaced prior narrative)
Trainees received email requests to complete online verification surveys in mid-September (year 1) and early December (year 2), which were followed by email reminders. Three trainees completed the survey in year 1 and 7 in year 2. The survey asked trainees to report the extent to which they had increased their 1) knowledge and understanding and 2) confidence in providing information and recommendations for farmers about specific training topics as a result of participating in the program.
All year 1 trainees reported they increased their knowledge and confidence for all 13 irrigation topics listed, with the greatest increases in:
- different types of irrigation systems and their uses,
- irrigation management,
- local examples of irrigation system, and
- where to go for technical and financial information for farmers.
71% of year 2 trainees (5 out of 7) reported increasing knowledge and confidence for all 8 excess water topics, and all gained increased knowledge and confidence for at least half of the topics. Trainees reported the greatest increases in:
- Assessing a farm’s vulnerability to excess water and heavy rains
- Site and soil type considerations for implementing drainage and water diversion projects,
- Practical applications and considerations for tile drainage system,
- Local examples of addressing “too much water” on the farm, and
- Where to go for additional technical and financial information for farmers.
All trainees who completed the surveys said they found all components of the MECAP program valuable and rated the farm tours and developing new contacts with the other trainees and workshop presenters as the most valuable aspects.
Performance Target Outcomes
Performance Target Outcomes - Service Providers
Target #1
Gain practical knowledge and skills in climate adaptation practices (CAPs) and apply that knowledge by working with at least 2 farmers each to develop a set of customized CAP recommendations for their farms and reach an additional 10 farmers each through either one-on-one consultations or educational programs.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 6 |
• Consultations on irrigation options, water diversion projects, and connecting with NRCS.
• On-farm trialing of a soil moisture sensor to determine irrigation timing.
• Farmer workshop on strategies to deal with excess water and heavy rainfall.
• One farm tour and one field day that highlighted systems to improve irrigation efficiency.
• Newsletter articles (2) on how to address too much and too little water (reached 800 farmers total).
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | 900 |
| Activity | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consultations | 60 | 29 | 89 | |
| Published press, articles, newsletters | 2 | 2 | ||
| Tours | 1 | 1 | ||
| Webinars, talks and presentations | 4 | 4 | ||
| Workshops and field days | 1 | 1 | ||
| New projects related to the training topic. | 2 | 2 |
Performance Target Outcomes were verified using the same surveys that verified Learning Outcomes, described above. Of the 19 service providers who participated in our program to date, 8 completed either one of the surveys or both. In the survey sent at the end of year 2, trainees were asked to report their educational activities and services over the prior year as related to both year 1 and year 2 training programs
Five trainees reported provided one-on-one consultations with a total of 60 farmers to help them make an informed decision about implementing irrigation (year 1 topic) based on what the trainees learned or gained from participating in the MECAP program. Six trainees reported consulting with 29 famers to help them make an informed decision about excess water and heavy rains (Year 2 topic). In addition, trainees reported reaching another 871 farmers and 57 agricultural service providers through 2 newsletter articles, 4 presentations, 2 new projects, and 2 farm tour/field days.
Additional Project Outcomes
“I liked meeting other staff from different organizations. We got to known each other in our team and I feel this will help with networking down the road.”
“Because of this training I am able to consider of variety of options for dealing with too much water when I talk with farmers. One success story is that I was able to work with a new cut flower producer in Franklin County to help guide field layout and crop selection for their farmland.”
SARE Outreach
We provided in-depth personal assistance about SARE farmer and partnership grants to 5 farmers and 1 service providers in Year 1 and 17 farmers and 12 service providers in Year 2. We provided information about the SARE grant programs to an additional 67 farmers and 32 service providers at 4 in-person events in Year 1, and 242 farmers and 70 service providers at 3 in-person events in Year 2. The events were:
- Southern Aroostook Irrigation Field Day, Houlton, August 10, 2022
- Piscataquis County SWCD twilight meeting, Sangerville, October 19, 2022
- Crystal Springs Farm Tour, Brunswick, November 4, 2022
- Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association Farmer-to-Farmer Field Day, Old Town, November 5, 2022
- Maine Ag. Trade Show, Augusta, January 10 to 12, 2023
- 2023 Sustainable Ag. Workshop, Preque Isle, March 22, 2023
- Rogers Farm Field Day, Old Town, July 26, 2023
Note that in 2022, the Maine Agricultural and Trades Show was a 4-day all-virtual event (January 11 to 14), for which we created an online display. Typically, the majority of our in-person contacts come from this annual event but this year it was impossible to know how many people accessed the online display.
Recieved information about SARE grant programs and information resouces:
| Audience | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service providers | 33 | 82 | 0 | 115 |
| Farmers | 72 | 259 | 0 | 331 |