Final report for SNE21-014-WV
Project Information
Statewide local food demand is increasing, but WV faces an aging population of farmers, with related issues of farmer retirement, next-generation ownership/management transition, and new entry into farming. This project was driven by a 2014-2017 statewide ‘sustainable agriculture needs assessment’ process, and more recent discussions in 2018-2019 with ASPs and farmers, to better understand priority training areas, challenges faced, assistance needed and ideas for future programs, to better serve nascent and beginning farmers (hereafter called BF) in WV. Results of the 2014-2017 survey, together with related state census statistics, have confirmed that higher demand for local foods and related products has created new opportunities for WV producers, but points to knowledge and experience gaps that continue to limit entry and business success for agribusinesses in WV.
This proposal created a unique partnership of the state’s agricultural service providers to leverage resources, streamline program offerings, and build upon collective best-practice to meet the business planning and risk management needs of BFs, while reducing programmatic overlap. This three-year project developed a Train-the-Trainer (TTT) program for ten (10) ASPs and Farm Mentors/Farmer Leaders (hereafter referred to collectively as ASPs) in WV to successfully work with BF, to help them start or expand operations, and improve the sustainability of their practices, and to support these farmers in their early years of operation through mentoring, community partnerships and networking opportunities. The TTT program developed a comprehensive whole-farm planning and risk management curriculum designed as a ‘one-stop-shop’ of resources to help offer a more holistic and efficient training opportunity to overcome the unique challenges for this targeted group. As a result of this project, 10 ASPs gained practical knowledge and skills needed to design and provide on-farm mentorship and BF training opportunities for at least 30 new beginning farmers.
At the end of the project, 10 ASPs will gain practical knowledge and skills needed to design and provide on-farm mentorship and BF training opportunities for their clientele. Six (6) ASPs will use this information to design and deliver on-farm mentoring, technical training and coaching to five (5) beginning farmers each (small scale crop, livestock, and value-added and specialty producers with profit motives) in their region. The other 4 trained ASPs will assist the 4 primary ASPs to develop their programs.
Statewide local food demand is increasing, but WV faces an aging population of farmers, with related issues of farmer retirement, next generation ownership/management transition, and new entry into farming. West Virginia (WV) have experienced a significant decline in the number of producers (10% between 2012 and 2017) and an increase in the average age of producers (56 to 60 years) (USDA, 2018). Currently, for each principal operator under 35 years old, there are 7 over 65. With almost half of the WV farmers projected to retire in 10 years, the potential loss of family farms may lead to a further consolidation of farmland or transition to residential developments; the decline of rural communities; and diminished access to fresh, locally grown food.
This project was driven by a 2014-2017 statewide ‘sustainable agriculture needs assessment’ process, and more recent discussions in 2018-2019 with ASPs and farmers, to better understand priority training areas, challenges faced, assistance needed and ideas for future programs, to better serve aspiring and beginning farmers (hereafter called BF) in WV. Results of the 2014-2017 survey, together with related state census statistics, have confirmed that higher demand for local foods has created new opportunities for WV producers, but points to knowledge and experience gaps that continue to limit entry and business success for producers in WV. The needs assessment survey and other communications showed that 92% of beginning farmers (n=29), 100% of nascent/aspiring farmers (n=19) and 87% of ASPs (n=57) indicated strong interest in starting/expanding production, product development/value-adding, and/or market development, but require training and support in whole-farm planning and risk management to help identify and mitigate business risks in these new markets. Respondents also indicated a desire to learn from more experienced ‘mentor’ farmers. Ninety-two % of respondents also agreed, that although many organizations are currently working to build a local food system, they operate independently and with limited focus on the specific needs of nascent and early-career farmers.
This proposal grew out of the realization that WV ASPs can best serve our beginning farmers by creating a unique partnership of the state’s agricultural service providers to leverage resources, streamline program offerings, and build upon collective best-practice to meet the business-planning and risk management needs of our targeted group, while reducing overlap. Our previous working relationships and current project efforts help strengthen our commitment as partners.
This three-year project developed a Train-the-Trainer (TTT) program for ASPs and Farm Mentors/Farmer Leaders in WV to successfully work with beginning farmers, to help them start or expand operations, and improve the sustainability of their practices, and to support these farmers in their early years of operation through mentoring, community partnerships and networking opportunities. The TTT program developed a comprehensive whole-farm planning and risk management curriculum designed to help move BFs from a production mindset to a business and risk-oriented mindset. The TTT program provided a one-stop-shop of resources to help offer a more holistic and efficient training opportunity to overcome the unique challenges for this targeted group.
Project participants (from WVU Extension, WVDA, NRCS, Farm Bureau, FSA, WV Farm and Food Coalition, WV Farmers' Market Association, and Farmer Leaders) who have been collaborating for several years to support farmers across WV have participated in this project. More specifically, they were engaged in the following activities:
- Mentorship Training;
- Mentorship Development and On-Farm Mentoring;
- Technical Training and Assistance;
- Business Development and Market Access Training;
- New Farmer-Mentor-ASPs Working Group (Profit Team);
- Performance Verification and Project Evaluation
As a result of this project, 23 ASPs gained practical knowledge and skills needed to design and provide on-farm mentorship and BF training opportunities for their clientele. Twelve (12) ASPs used this information to design and deliver on-farm mentoring, technical training and coaching to five (5) beginning farmers each (small scale crop, livestock, and value-added and specialty producers with profit motives) in their region. Thirty-two (32) farmers managing about 320 acres adopted at least four (4) recommended actions in whole-farm business planning and risk management, and report improved productivity and profitability of existing/expanded operations.
Working with new audiences and new programming always presents challenges, which are compounded in impoverished areas in rural WV. However, our project team and collaborators have extensive knowledge of food systems paired with decades of experience working with limited resource constituents. As such, the anticipated challenges of recruitment, retention and program sustainability were built into our program with appropriate mitigation strategies.
Advisors/Cooperators
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
- - Technical Advisor (Educator)
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
- (Educator)
- (Educator)
- (Educator)
- (Educator)
- (Educator)
Educational Approach
RECRUITMENT:
Beneficiaries: Forty (40) beneficiaries were recruited, targeting individuals and groups that have participated in our needs assessments efforts and have indicated an interest in participating in this project. This included 10 ASP personnel from WVU Extension, WVDA, NRCS, Farm Bureau, FSA, WV Farm and Food Coalition, WV Farmers' Market Association, and Farmer Leaders, and personnel from other CBOs (Sprouting Farms, Project Welcome Home, etc.); 10 Farmer Leaders/Mentors; and 20 nascent/aspiring and beginning farmers (with less than ten years of farm experience).
Recruitment Efforts:
- The individuals who received the learning needs and interest survey were invited to apply to the training program.
- The application described the 3-year project: learning objectives and performance target, the training offered, and expectations for participants.
- Travel support and a small stipend for service providers to use for educational programs or materials were offered as incentives to participate.
- Commitment to the project goals and performance target, and to participants’ expectations were required for acceptance (requires sign-off).
- Where applicable, participants were encouraged to include these activities as part of their annual programs of work (PI verbally coordinated with agency and organization directors to seek approval and involvement).
EDUCATION AND VERIFICATION:
- An introductory webinar will introduce the overall 3-year PDP project, including project activities, training topics, schedule, and format,
and participation requirements.- Verification: number attending, interested, committing to project; pre-survey to determine baseline level of knowledge, skills and confidence,
- The Beginning Farmer Advisory Council will provide overall guidance for the project while leveraging support and resources from various stakeholders.
- Verification: number participating
- Mentorship Training - The project will lead 10 ASPs and 10 Farmer Leaders/Mentors through a comprehensive 'Train-the-Trainer' Mentorship Training based on the 'whole-farm planning' Mentorship Curriculum Guide developed in the 2020-2021 WVU State Plan.
- Verification: numbers completing training; Shorter, focused pre/post-survey evaluations (changes in Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes).
- Mentorship Development and On-Farm Mentoring - Six (6) ASPs will engage five (5) BFs each, in partnership with six (6) farmer Leaders/Mentors, in an on-farm mentoring opportunity. BFs will spend 3 non-consecutive weeks working on an assigned mentor farm. Off-farm mentoring will be provided to continue the mentor/mentee relationship with the mentor providing the mentee with technical and social support.
- Verification: numbers completing training; focused pre/post-survey evaluations (changes in Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes).
- Technical Training and Assistance - This project provides a cohesive 6-month calendar of ASP Business Planning and Risk Management technical training (20 contact hours) to complement the mentorship training, focusing on whole farm planning tools, rooted in a risk-management framework. We will use existing materials and develop new materials where needed. A Moodle classroom will enable web-based sharing of project materials. Six (6) ASPs will engage five (5) BFs each in a BF Business Planning and Risk Management program in selected (a la carte) areas suitable for their audiences. More specifically, this program will address the five areas of agribusiness risk (production, marketing, financial, human resource and legal risks), which are important to building viable and sustainable operations.
- Verification: numbers completing training; focused pre/post-survey evaluations (changes in Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes);in-session assessments.
- Business Development and Market Access Training - The Project Team will create a comprehensive web-based hub of tailored resources for use by ASPs and BFs throughout the project. In the third year of the program, we will conduct workshops in each of these areas and bring the resources to the trainees via a ‘Resources Expo’, to include technical and marketing resources, land resources, financial resources, and Equipment & Machinery resources.
- Verification: numbers access resources, attending Expo, and indicating usefulness of resources.
- New Farmer-Mentor-ASPs Working Group (Profit Team) -A state-wide learning and resource-sharing network (Profit Team) will be formed, meeting quarterly, to continue to support project beneficiaries by helping to share best practices in strategic areas of concern.
- Verification: numbers attending and indicating usefulness of meetings.
- Performance Verification and Project Evaluation - Project participants will attend an annual project evaluation forum to discuss the progress and evaluate the success of the project. To further team-building and cross-disciplinary exchanges, project participants will be invited to become part of a directory of trained ASPs and farmer-leaders who agree to be available for mutual support and as resources for inquiries from other ASPs and farmers. This directory will be maintained on the WVU Extension website.
- Verification: number of ASPs conducting BF trainings; and BFs reporting improvement in business start-up or expansion and incorporating recommended business planning and risk management strategies.
- Finally, a key feature for ensuring that beneficiaries discuss their new knowledge, skills, and learning resources with farmers to get feedback, the project will offer travel support and stipends to cover meeting expenses for beginning farmer discussions conducted by the project beneficiaries. The project team will be available by phone, e-mail, and in-person for consultation and assistance.
Milestones
Twenty-five (25) ASPs, 15 Farmer Leaders/Mentors, and 20 nascent/aspiring and beginning farmers (with less than ten years of farm experience) receive an invitation to an introductory webinar that will introduce the overall 3-year PDP project, including learning objectives and performance target, the activities to be offered, expectations for participants, and incentives for participation (travel support and stipend for soliciting feedback from farmers and other ASPs). Ten ASPs and 10 Farmer Leaders/Mentors sign on to participate in the 3-year program.
10
10
18
16
October 31, 2021
Completed
November 02, 2021
Twenty-five (25) ASPs, 15 Farmer Leaders/Mentors, and 20 nascent/aspiring and beginning farmers (with less than ten years of farm experience) received an invitation to an introductory webinar that introduced the overall 3-year PDP project, including learning objectives and performance target, the activities to be offered, expectations for participants, and incentives for participation (travel support and stipend for soliciting feedback from farmers and other ASPs).
Sixteen (16) ASPs and 18 Farmer Leaders/Mentors attended the session, and 10 ASPs and 10 Farmer Leaders/Mentors signed on to participate in the 3-year program.
The WV Farm Service Agency (FSA) has asked us to develop and use this program as a required 'Borrower Training Program' for both their staff and borrowers. We have signed an MOU with the FSA to this end. We have used this curriculum as the overarching training material for this project.
Fifteen (15) ASPs and ten (10) farmer-leaders/mentors receive an invitation to join the Beginning Farmer Advisory Council to provide overall guidance for the project while leveraging support and resources from various stakeholders. Seven (7 ASPs) and three (3) farmer-leaders join the BF Advisory Council. These persons may overlap with the individuals above.
3
7
5
10
November 30, 2021
Completed
December 02, 2021
Fifteen (15) ASPs and ten (10) farmer-leaders/mentors received an invitation to join the Beginning Farmer Advisory Council to provide overall guidance for the project while leveraging support and resources from various stakeholders. Ten (10 ASPs) and five (5) farmer-leaders attended the remote meeting, and all fifteen (15) attendees agreed to join the BF Advisory Council (overlap of responsibilities).
Ten (10) ASPs and 10 Farmer Leaders/Mentors participate in Mentorship Training - participating in a comprehensive 'Train-the-Trainer' Mentorship Training (10 contact hours) based on the 'whole-farm planning' Mentorship Curriculum Guide developed in the 2020-2021 WVU State Plan, to develop a diverse pool of mentors and ASPs to serve the varying needs of WV beginning farmers.
10
10
26
23
April 30, 2022
Completed
May 04, 2021
Thirteen (13) ASPs and ten (10) Farmer Leaders/Mentors (total- 23) participated in Mentorship Training - participating in a comprehensive 'Train-the-Trainer' Mentorship Training (10 contact hours) based on the 'whole-farm planning' Mentorship Curriculum Guide developed in the 2020-2021 WVU State Plan, to develop a diverse pool of mentors and ASPs to serve the varying needs of WV beginning farmers. We did this training in 2022 with 6 participants, in 2023 with 8 participants, and in 2024 with 9 participants. This program continues in 2025, with 5 ASP and 5 Farmer Leaders participating.
In total, 26 beginning farmers participated as mentees in this training program—6 in 2022, 10 in 2023, and 10 in 2024. In 2025, an additional 12 mentees are currently participating in on-farm mentorship.
Six (6) ASPs will engage five (5) BFs each, in partnership with six (6) Farmer Leaders/Mentors, in an on-farm mentoring opportunity. BFs will spend 3 non-consecutive weeks (75 contact hours) working on an assigned mentor farm, and participating in a wide variety of hands-on activities (as per the Mentorship Curriculum developed in the WV PD Grant 2020-2021 - WV Beginning Farmer Mentorship Curriculum ) under the supervision of an experienced farmer. Selected weeks will correspond to periods of critical farm activities. The Mentor will engage the Mentee in the Mentorship Curriculum, which is a 'whole-farm planning' mentorship curriculum that includes program objectives, task analysis sheets and related assessment/evaluation forms, and training rules and regulations, that will inform our competency-based mentorship program for beginning farmers.
Off-farm mentoring (5 contact hours/BF) will be provided to continue the mentor/mentee relationship with the mentor providing the mentee with technical and social support through on-farm, in-person, telephone, or e-mail consultations.
Mentors and mentees will be matched based on mutual interests and preferences that will be elicited through an initial questionnaire designed to facilitate the matching process. The model proposed above has been selected based on background research we have conducted to determine best practices used by other beginning farmer programs - most notably by the Future Harvest’s Beginning Farmer Training Program. However, the Project Team recognize that this model may prove to be logistically difficult for some participants and we will modify the mentorship schedule as the need arise (possibly moving to once per week throughout the year). We will attempt to accommodate participants' needs but strive to maintain programmatic continuity as far as possible.
Total Contact hours = 80 hours/BF
30
6
26
23
August 30, 2024
Completed
December 31, 2024
Throughout this grant, 23 Mentors ( 12 ASPs and 11 Farmer Leaders/Mentors) engaged 26 BFs, in on-farm mentorships. On average, BFs spent 3 non-consecutive weeks (75 contact hours) working on an assigned mentor farm, and participating in a wide variety of hands-on activities (as per the Mentorship Curriculum developed in the WV PD Grant 2020-2021 - WV Beginning Farmer Mentorship Curriculum ) under the supervision of an experienced farmer.
Selected weeks corresponded to periods of critical farm activities. The Mentors engaged the Mentee in the Mentorship Curriculum, which is a 'whole-farm planning' mentorship curriculum that includes program objectives, task analysis sheets, and related assessment/evaluation forms, and training rules and regulations, that will inform our competency-based mentorship program for beginning farmers.
Some off-farm mentoring (at least 5 contact hours/BF) was provided to continue the mentor/mentee relationship with the mentor providing the mentee with technical and social support through on-farm, in-person, telephone, or e-mail consultations.
Mentors and mentees were matched based on mutual interests and preferences that were elicited through an initial questionnaire designed to facilitate the matching process. The model used was selected based on background research we have conducted to determine best practices used by other beginning farmer programs - most notably by Future Harvest’s Beginning Farmer Training Program.
Average Contact hours = 80 hours/BF
This on-farm mentorship process has continued in 2025 because of the popularity of the program.
Ten (10) ASPs will participate in a cohesive 6-month calendar of ASP Business Planning and Risk Management technical training to complement the mentorship training, focusing on whole farm planning tools, rooted in a risk-management framework. We will use existing materials (WV Annie’s Project Curriculum; WV Sustainable Agriculture Capacity Building Program - Funded by NESARE; and other State Programs), and develop new materials where needed.
Curriculum modules will be delivered as a hybrid course – using a combination of face-to-face workshop and webinar sessions , with 20 total contact hours. Modules include:
i. Production Risk Training Module (livestock, horticulture and value-added tracks) – ‘What will I Produce and For Whom’
ii. Financial Risk Module – ‘Planning for Profitability by Understanding my Farm Numbers’
iii. Marketing Risk Module – ‘Using Farm Numbers to Develop Realistic Marketing Plans’
iv. Legal Risk Module – ‘Managing my Farm and Food Safety Risks’.
v. Human Resource Risk – ‘Networking, Community Partnership and Communication ’.
The Project Team will develop a Moodle (online platform) classroom, which will enable web-based sharing of project materials (curriculum materials; slide presentations; templates, worksheets, and decision tools to use with farmer participants; and verification surveys to use in their education programs.); and to serve as a discussion and Q&A forum. Materials will also be available on flash drives or through hard copies if internet issues pose a problem for participants.
Curriculum Materials will be supplemented by participation in the Annual WV Small Farm Conference.
10
26
23
April 30, 2024
Completed
December 31, 2024
Twenty-three (23) educators (12 ASPs and 11 Farmer Leaders/Mentors), as well as 26 beginning farmers, participated in a cohesive ASP Business Planning and Risk Management technical training to complement the mentorship training, focusing on whole farm planning tools, rooted in a risk-management framework. We built the course curriculum for training throughout 2022-2024, using existing materials (WV Annie’s Project Curriculum; WV Sustainable Agriculture Capacity Building Program - Funded by NESARE; and other State Programs), and developing new materials where needed.
Curriculum modules were delivered in 2023 and 2024 as hybrid courses – using a combination of face-to-face workshop and webinar sessions, with 20 total contact hours.
Modules included:
i. Production Risk Training Module (livestock, horticulture, and value-added tracks) – ‘What will I Produce and For Whom’
ii. Financial Risk Module – ‘Planning for Profitability by Understanding my Farm Numbers’
iii. Marketing Risk Module – ‘Using Farm Numbers to Develop Realistic Marketing Plans’
iv. Legal Risk Module – ‘Managing my Farm and Food Safety Risks’.
v. Human Resource Risk – ‘Networking, Community Partnership, and Communication ’.
The Project Team used a Moodle (online platform) classroom, which enabled web-based sharing of project materials (curriculum materials; slide presentations; templates, worksheets, and decision tools to use with farmer participants; and verification surveys to use in their own education programs.); and to serve as a discussion and Q&A forum. Materials were also available on flash drives and through a designated Google Drive as the Moodle platform at WVU was discontinued in 2023. WVU now has a new system (eCampus Ultra) and we are migrating all project materials to this new system for access by project participants and the wider public.
Additionally, we supplemented this training program with several related one-off pieces of training at the 2023 and 2024 Small Farm Conference and WV Women in Agriculture Conference. Each year, NESARE had a sponsored track at each conference with sessions related to the broad theme of 'Business Planning and Risk Management' - 13 sessions in total for the two conferences for 2023 and 2024.
Based on specific county programmatic needs, 6 participating ASP requested additional training in Food Safety. These 6 ASPs were given the opportunity to participate in the national Produce Safety Alliance train-the-trainer program and the WV Writing your Farm Food Safety Plan Program, as additional trainings under this project, and have since been added as trainers in the WV Food Safety Training Team.
Six (6) ASPs will engage (the same BFs as above) five (5) BFs each (30 total BFs) in a BF Business Planning and Risk Management program in selected (a la carte) areas suitable for their audiences. ASPs will choose training areas from the curriculum established above.
30
6
32
23
August 31, 2024
Completed
December 31, 2024
Twenty-three (23) educators (12 ASPs and 11 Farmer Leaders/Mentors) have engaged 5-6 BFs each (32 total BFs) in BF Business Planning and Risk Management programs in their respective regions, in selected (a la carte) areas suitable for their audiences. ASPs select the training areas most appropriate for their audiences based on the curriculum established above.
In addition to specific regional-based trainings, beginning farmers and ASP also enrolled in 2 statewide related trainings:
- the 2023-2024 WV Annie's Project - a business planning and risk management training for aspiring, beginning and mid-level women in agriculture (53 participants - 13 ASP and 40 beginning farmers), and
- the 2023-2024 WV Agritourism and Direct Marketing Initiative - a business planning and risk management training for beginning agribusiness owners/operators (47 participants - 16 ASP and 31 beginning farmers).
Additional 6 ASPs trained in Food Safety have participated as trainers in 3 statewide food safety trainings for 32 participants.
The Project Team will create a comprehensive web-based hub of tailored resources for use by ASPs and BFs throughout the project. Materials will also be available on flash drives or through hard copies if internet issues pose a problem for participants. In the third year of the program, we will bring the resources to the trainees via a ‘Resources Expo’. Resources Hub will include technical and marketing resources, land resources, financial resources, and Equipment and Machinery resources.
30
10
30
26
September 30, 2024
Completed
December 31, 2024
The Project Team has built a comprehensive web-based hub of tailored resources for use by ASPs and BFs for this project. Materials are also made available on flash drives or through hard copies when asked, since internet issues posed a problem for some participants. These resources were originally housed on a Moodle (online platform) classroom, but was later available on flash drives and through a designated Google Drive as the Moodle platform at WVU was discontinued in 2023. WVU now has a new system (eCampus Ultra) and we are migrating all project materials to this new system for access by project participants and the wider public - the expected completion date for this is September 2025.
In the third year of the program (Oct 2023 and Feb 2024), we worked in conjunction with the WV Women in Agriculture Conference and the WV Small Farm Conference to bring resources to the project participants via a ‘Resources Expo’ at each conference. The resources provided included technical and marketing resources, land resources, financial resources, equipment and machinery resources, and grant and lending assistance.
The Project team will convene a state-wide learning and resource-sharing network (Profit Team), meeting quarterly, to continue to support project beneficiaries by helping to share best practices in strategic areas of concern.
30
10
42
11
September 30, 2024
Completed
December 31, 2024
The Project team convenes a state-wide learning and resource-sharing network (Profit Team), meeting quarterly, to continue to support project beneficiaries by helping to share best practices in strategic areas of concern. Some major areas where we see a lot of discussion are around :
- farm diversification into value-added and direct marketing initiatives, including agritourism.
- on-farm food safety, including writing a food safety action plan and exploring GAP certification;
- forming partnerships/alliances/clusters to better direct market their products and create new market opportunities for their enterprises.
As a result of these discussions, we have amended the BF curriculum to include modules on direct marketing and agritourism, as well as safety and writing a farm food safety plan.
As the interest in agritourism and regional direct marketing alliances increased throughout this project, we have additionally developed collective marketing materials and specific outreach programs for operators pursuing regional direct market and agritourism options.
The Project Team will conduct Project Performance Verification and Project Evaluation. Project participants will attend an annual project evaluation forum to discuss the progress and evaluate the success of the project. To further team-building and cross-disciplinary exchanges, project participants will be invited to become part of a directory of trained ASPs and farmer-leaders who agree to be available for mutual support and as resources for inquiries from other ASPs and farmers. This directory will be maintained on the WVU Extension website.
30
10
30
26
September 30, 2024
Completed
December 31, 2024
The Project Team conducted Project Performance Verification and Project Evaluation. Project participants participated in annual check-in and regular email project evaluation forum to discuss the progress and evaluate the success of the project. To further team-building and cross-disciplinary exchanges, project participants will be invited to become part of a directory of trained ASPs and farmer-leaders who agree to be available for mutual support and as resources for inquiries from other ASPs and farmers. This directory will be maintained on the WVU Extension website.
Sample survey tool: Pre-Project Survey - General
Sample evaluation results summary: January 10 2024 Managing Financial Risk - Morrow
Milestone Activities and Participation Summary
Participation Summary:
Learning Outcomes
Pre and post-training survey were used in 'Train-the-Trainer' Mentorship Training. Some key areas being evaluated included:
- Best practices to consider when designing mentoring programs;
- Considerations for designing an overall mentorship program;
- Determining a good mentor-mentee fit;
- Hallmarks of a success on-farm mentorship program;
- Developing a farm policy for mentorship programs;
- Entrepreneurship and business management skills;
- Beef production skills;
- Maple Syrup production skills;
- Poultry egg production skills;
- Agritourism and direct marketing skills;
- Field vegetable production skills;
- Food Safety and Writing your Farm Food Safety Plan skills
Performance Target Outcomes
Performance Target Outcomes - Service Providers
Target #1
At the end of the project, 10 ASPs will gain practical knowledge and skills needed to design and provide on-farm mentorship and BF training opportunities for their clientele. Six (6) ASPs will use this information to design and deliver on-farm mentoring, technical training and coaching to five (5) beginning farmers each (small scale crop, livestock, and value-added and specialty producers with profit motives) in their region. The other 4 trained ASPs will assist the 4 primary ASPs to develop their programs.
Each farmer = 10 acres (300 total acres)
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 18 | 26 |
At the end of the project, 26 unique ASPs gained practical knowledge and skills needed to design and provide on-farm mentorship and BF training opportunities for their clientele. Sixteen (16) ASPs will use this information to design and deliver on-farm mentoring, technical training and coaching to at least five (5) beginning farmers each (small scale crop, livestock, and value-added and specialty producers with profit motives) in their region. The other 10 trained ASPs assisted the 16 primary ASPs to develop their programs, and assisted with regional and statewide trainings.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|
300 total acres (average) |
300 total acres (average) |
300 total acres (average) |
| Activity | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curricula, factsheets and other educational tools | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Consultations | 100 | 110 | 130 | 340 |
| On-farm demonstrations | 10 | 12 | 5 | 27 |
| Online trainings | 5 | 11 | 6 | 22 |
| Published press, articles, newsletters | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| Study circles / focus groups | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| Tours | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Webinars, talks and presentations | 4 | 5 | 2 | 11 |
| Workshops and field days | 3 | 5 | 5 | 13 |
Verification methods used included pre-and post-surveys for all training courses (similar general surveys but adapted for the audience and subject matter being targeted) - see sample instrument in resources section.
Number of ASPs providing responses - 26. Information provided is captured throughout this report.
Performance Target Outcomes - Farmers
Target #1
30
Thirty (30) farmers managing about 300 acres adopt at least four (4) recommended actions in whole-farm business planning and risk management, and report improved productivity and profitability of existing/expanded operations. Examples include:
Conduct risk-management assessment, prioritize risks and marketing concerns, and develop an appropriate whole-farm plan to be used to further their business motives; or
Develop whole-farm, enterprise, or partial budgets, to estimate costs, returns, and break-even points, and transactional requirements for a specific market; or
Initiate a business relationship with a complementary enterprise or a regional alliance to implement one aspect of their whole-farm plan.
300 acres
32
320
Similarly to ASPs, farmer pre-and post-surveys were also conducted specifically for individual trainings (same general survey but adapted for the audience and subject matter being targeted) - see sample instrument in resources section.
No. of farmers providing verified information - 32
Additional Project Outcomes
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | $96000 | $825000 | $921000 |
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
This project has resulted in many new project ideas for helping beginning farmers:
- Farm diversification strategies have emerged as an important topic to help farms navigate the challenges of traditional farming. Agritourism and direct marketing, freeze-dried value-added products, landowner rights and responsibilities and heirs' property, land access, and producer partnerships have all been prioritized as barrier issues for beginning farmers in WV and surrounding areas.
- Several grants have been applied for and received to support these off-shoot projects, with about $1m in additional funding.
- In addition, we have connected many farmers participating in our program with the Grant Resources Team at WVU (to assist with writing and managing grants), which has led to at least 4 farmer grants to support further initiatives related to this project.
- New collaborations have emerged and current relations have been strengthened - partnering with Eastern Community and Technical College for mentoring programs; WV Department of Agriculture for cottage industry support; WV Maple Syrup producers for producer alliances; Farm Service Agency for long-term borrower training; WV Convention and Visitors Bureau for producer alliances and marketing; and WVU Martin Hall Advertising Agency for producer promotion strategies.
These resources were developed by a collaboration between Martin Hall Agency, WVU Extension, and WVU students.
- This resource describes the process to help beginning agritourism operators and director marketers gain insight into promotional strategies to better reach their target markets, and offers promotional resources that can be adapted for use by beginning agribusiness owners/operators.
- This resource was developed to help beginning farmers gain insights into consumer marketing perceptions and how they can harness consumer demand to increase agribusiness sales for their individual farms and to bring more customers to their region.
- This is a sample presentation made to educators and beginning farmers to help agribusinesses gain insights into consumer marketing perceptions and how they can harness consumer demand to increase agribusiness sales for their individual farms and to bring more customers to their region.
An Extension educator from north-central WV was able to apply her training from this project to lead 12 livestock producers in her region through a beginning farmer education and mentorship program, to help them get started and/or improve their livestock operations. 100 percent of her trainees indicated the training was an excellent whole-farm planning and comprehensive risk-mitigation training, and provided many decision-making tools to help increase farm efficiency and control costs. Additionally, 100% of participants reported some tangible improvements to their operations including, accessing new markets for their products, making production and management changes as a result of record-keeping and financial analysis improvements, and implementing food safety improvements for those with diversified operations. Most notably, participants commented on the networks and partnerships that grew out of this training - "I feel as if I have found at least 5 other business partners that I can turn to to help me with questions I may have as I continue farming".
Another Extension educator in the Eastern region expanded on this project by conducting land access and transition planning workshops to meet the specific needs of beginning farmers in her area.
One farmer in the southeastern part of the state has used her beginning farmer training to improve her freeze-dried enterprise on her farm. She has collaborated with WVU (Extension and the Martin Hall Agency) and the WV Farm-to-School program to apply for and receive a grant to pursue freeze-dried initiatives for farm-to-school. We continue to support this grant to develop feasibility analyses, promotional strategies, and food safety protocols for producers wanting to supply freeze-dried products to the farm-to-school market.
SARE Outreach
- WVU-NESARE e-mail updates
- Continuous updating of WVU-NESARE website and Facebook Page
- Respond to inquiries about SARE grant programs and resources in a timely manner
- Promote SARE-sponsored events through email and 'SARE IN WV' Facebook page
- Promote outcomes, educational resources and project profiles or stories from SARE-funded projects
- Help strengthen sustainable agriculture networks in the state or region.
- Promoting SARE at annual conferences in WV - WV Small Farm Conference, WV Women in Agriculture Conference; and one national conference that was held in WV in 2024 - the National Farm Viability Conference with 245 participants in attendance.
Recieved information about SARE grant programs and information resouces:
| Audience | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service providers | 75 | 75 | 350 | 500 |
| Farmers | 500 | 500 | 500 | 1500 |
Information Products
- Agritourism and Direct Marketing Resources
- FSA/WVU Borrower Financial Literacy Training - Curriculum
- Agritourism in WV - Promotional Resouces
- Developing Beginning Farmer Alliances - Agritourism and Direct Marketing in the Greenbrier Valley
- Sample Presentation - Direct Marketing and Agritourism Regional Marketing