Progress report for WPDP22-017
Project Information
Negotiation is the achievement of an agreement among parties via interpersonal communication. Improved interpersonal communication and negotiation skills can plausibly help sustain economic viability of farms and increase the quality of life by reducing the likelihood of conflict.
Extension faculty at the University of Idaho, Montana State University, University of Wyoming and collaborating partners in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming are developing a comprehensive program to improve farmers and ranchers’ negotiation skills throughout the US West.
The program expands on existing work by the principal investigators, several collaborators, and other Extension colleagues. Beginning in 2020, the PIs discussed needs, planned, and created a series of seven “Negotiation in Agriculture” guides and four course modules that include short video presentations, quizzes, and opportunities to interact with others online. Several more are in the final stages of development. (See Western Extension Committee, 2021 or negotiation.farmmanagement.org for more detail.)
However, through the process of creating these pedagogical tools, the PIs became aware that the need for negotiation resources in western agricultural communities was larger than anticipated. The activities in this project will expand on existing efforts by both enhancing online content and offering an in-person train-the-trainer event.
The project includes development of comprehensive educational material, covering both online and print curricula, that focuses on two main aspects of negotiation: 1) the basics of interpersonal communication and dialogue; and 2) negotiations within an agricultural context. These curricula will be developed for ongoing online-based programming. There will also be an in-depth, in-person training of agricultural professionals (e.g., county Extension Educators/Agents) throughout the US West, who will subsequently impart their training to local agricultural stakeholders. A website will be developed to host the curricula materials as well as an online forum where agricultural Extension county professionals can interact, share experiences, and practice negotiation techniques.
Activities in this project include provision of educational resources and training on negotiation skills and techniques to agricultural professionals such as western state Extension personnel, western US state department of agriculture staff, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) staff, or others who will, in turn, implement and conduct negotiation-focused educational activities for western farmers, ranchers, and other interested members of the western agricultural community.
Aligned subject matters – business risk management, planning, stakeholder engagement, community development, communications
Project objectives:
- Increase the capacity of agricultural professionals throughout the western United States in interpersonal communication and negotiation skills and techniques in a manner that facilitates the dissemination of such knowledge and skills to members of the western agricultural community with diverse backgrounds, skills, and beliefs, especially historically marginalized groups, beginning, limited resource, and veteran farmers and ranchers.
- Increase the use of interpersonal communication and negotiation skills and techniques among members of the western US agricultural community by building and enhancing their capacity to facilitate and engage in fruitful negotiations, which will likely lead to better business and personal relationships, and improved quality-of-life. Emphasis will be placed specifically on using negotiation best practices to reduce general business risk and improve environmental sustainability of western farm and ranch operations.
- Improve the awareness among agricultural business and policy stakeholders and members of the public on the importance of negotiation-related knowledge and skills that improve communication and relationships for enhanced quality of life throughout the western agricultural community.
The program will use existing material and develop additional negotiation-related curricula for delivery in both online and in-person formats over the course of three years, starting July 1, 2022, and ending June 30, 2025. The table below shows the main activities and when they will occur by quarter; January – March is Q1, April – June is Q2, July – September is Q3, and October – December is Q4.
The main activities for the first year include further development of curriculum materials, a program-specific website, and an online computer-based experiential learning tool. The curriculum materials will be developed based on continued consultations with the collaborators who are advising on curriculum. For example, during a Zoom call in development of this proposal, several Extension-based collaborators mentioned that they would prefer the curriculum to include both basic communications-related educational material and topic specific material relevant for agriculture. Such consultations will continue throughout the first year of the project as curriculum products are developed to verify whether the content is meeting the expected needs of the agricultural professionals who will be trained. Also in parallel throughout the first year will be planning for the in-person training in Q3 of 2023. This date range was chosen based on preferences of collaborators expressed in the above-mentioned Zoom call. Web-based programming, including webinars and dissemination of associated educational materials such as mini-courses, will be organized for Q4 and Q1 of each year of the project.
The curriculum materials will be intermittently expanded and updated based on feedback provided by the agricultural professionals who participate in the web-based programs and/or the in-person training. Support for the trained agricultural professionals, in the form of provision of copies of curriculum, referrals to specific experts, and general consultation on program implementation and evaluation, will be provided for the full period after the in-person training. The in-person capstone training will take place in Q4 of 2023. Overall program evaluation will occur at project conclusion in Q2 of 2025.
Timeline_Gantt_chart_WSARE_PDP_NIA
Cooperators
Education
From July 1 – December 31, 2022:
The project team met in the fall 2022 to discuss project progress and plans for anticipated educational approaches. In the project proposal, the team had proposed to implement online webinars (6 in total). However, a couple of the project team members had experiences on another project that were discussed amongst the team as a possible alternative to online webinars. Specifically, team members proposed the potential to implement recorded interviews of experts on specific negotiation topics that could be utilized in curriculum development and/or as “clips” on the program website. The project team did not reach a conclusion about what would be best during that meeting and decided to continue individual investigations to discuss at the next team meeting in spring 2023.
The project team discussed efforts to update existing curriculum. Specifically, the Principal Investigator discussed two efforts under curriculum development. First, Sarah Bush, Ph.D., an Agricultural Education and Communications expert at the University of Florida, was consulted for identifying topics that are more background basics for communication and not specific to negotiation in agriculture. Second, various program curriculum focused on Farm Succession within Extension at the University of Idaho and Kansas State University were reviewed based on the potential for Extension Educators/Agents who teach those programs to utilize the knowledge and skills obtained in a training focused on negotiations in agriculture.
The main program website remains that as the Negotiation in Agriculture website hosted under the Western Extension Committee (https://negotiation.farmmanagement.org/). The project team discussed the potential for continuing to host the program curriculum and material on that website but expanding and improving on the existing material. The decision regarding hosting the program material on this website or another independent site was left for further consideration and deciding in the team meeting in spring 2023.
From January 1 – December 31, 2023:
Members of the project team met for 14 team meetings during 2023. One notable change that was initiated in August was the replacement of Co-PI Dr. Kate Fuller of Montana State University (MSU) with Joel Schumacher of MSU due to Dr. Fuller leaving MSU for another position. The change in Co-PI was finalized among project team universities by November 2023.
The project team meetings that occurred in March and June 2023 focused on establishing a program website, organizing an in-person training, and expanding the training curricula.
Program website developed: Dr. Hatzenbuehler met with a website developer at the University of Idaho Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences (IIDS) in February and March to initiate the program website development process and get the initial website established. The website IIDS developed is hosted at https://agnegotiate.org/. The website is Moodle-based, and so is accessible for Extension educators/agents based at universities using their university email credentials. The website clearly recognizes Western SARE as the primary administering agency. The website was reviewed and approved of by the project team in the June 2023 meeting.
In-person training initiation: The date and location for the in-person training to occur from October 26 – 27, 2023 in Bozeman, MT, associated with the MSU Extension Annual Conference, was agree upon in the June 2023 project team meeting. Dr. Fuller initiated the logistical aspects for the training.
Curriculum expansion: In the June 2023 meeting, the project team agreed to expand the curriculum by recruiting experts who were not part of the project team on topics including, preparing to negotiate, interpersonal communications, negotiations in family businesses, assessing negotiation success, negotiating farm succession, negotiations with difficult people, negotiating agricultural leases, and negotiation versus mediation. Potential contributors for curriculum were discussed by project team members.
From June through August 2023, Dr. Hatzenbuehler recruited experts on the topics mentioned previously, per recommendations from the full project team. The experts who were recruited with titles and topics included:
- Steve Smutko, Associate Dean and Spicer Chair of Collaborative Practice, University of Wyoming – preparing to negotiate;
- David Talbot, Ombuds, University of Idaho – interpersonal communications;
- George Haynes, Extension Agricultural Policy Specialist, Montana State University – negotiations in family businesses;
- Nav Ghimire, Associate Director and Evaluation Specialist, University of Idaho Extension – assessing negotiation success;
- Ashlee Westerhold, Director of the Office of Farm and Ranch Transition, Kansas State University – negotiating farm succession;
- Chris Bastian, Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming – negotiations with difficult people;
- Richard Seamon, Margaret Schimke Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Idaho – negotiating agricultural leases;
- Lucy Pauley, Mediation Coordinator, Wyoming Department of Agriculture – mediation versus negotiation.
Each of these experts agreed to develop and provide a presentation on their topic that could be used both during the October 2023 in-person training and in trainings on the program website. They were also asked to present their developed material in-person or via Zoom at the October 2023 in-person training. One expert (Smutko) was unable to join for the in-person training, and so provided a presentation recording. Talbot, Ghimire, Bastian, Seamon, and Pauley presented via Zoom. Haynes and Westerhold presented in . In addition to these experts, members of the program team also presented and/or facilitated discussion at the training. Hewlett presented on “Why Negotiate? And Goals for the Training”. Hatzenbuehler presented on “What is Negotiation? What is it Not?”. Tejeda presented on “Implementing a Negotiation”. Schumacher led discussions on both days of the training. Hewlett and Hatzenbuehler also collaborated on a presentation that described the existing materials and plans for the program website. All presentations were recorded so that they can be uploaded to the trainings on the program website.
Activities in August to October 2023 were dominated by planning for the October 26 – 27, 2023 in-person training. There were 8 planning meetings that occurred leading up to the in-person training. More details regarding the in-person training are provided in the “Education & Outreach Initiatives” section.
From November to December 2023, the project team held 3 meetings in which the in-person training was assessed and plans for moving forward were discussed. The main plans for 2024 were discussed, and these will focus on:
- Expanding the material on the program train-the-trainer website so that it is equivalent to an in-person training. This includes supplementing presentation material with interactive learning activities, including quizzes, reading resources, discussion board for peer-to-peer and instructor-to-learner dialogue, and an interactive learning tool (e.g., negotiation decision tree, simulation);
- Promoting the program and website materials via webinars as the website is developed;
- Promoting the program and website materials at professional conferences;
- Increasing outreach activities; and,
- Exploring potential for additional in-person training opportunities.
Education & Outreach Initiatives
Objective 1: Increase the capacity of agricultural professionals throughout the western United States in interpersonal communication and negotiation skills and techniques in a manner that facilitates the dissemination of such knowledge and skills to members of the western agricultural community with diverse backgrounds, skills, and beliefs, especially historically marginalized groups, beginning, limited resource, and veteran farmers and ranchers.
Activities conducted and ongoing efforts to achieve objective 1 as of January 31, 2023:
- Ongoing curriculum review and development, to be completed in 2023 and updated in 2024 and 2025
- Discussion of this project with Extension Educator/Agent colleagues has been ongoing
- Planning of in-person training scheduled for fall 2023 was discussed in the team meeting in fall 2022, and specifics will be finalized in the planned team meeting in spring 2023
- A Qualtrics survey to be sent to Extension Educators/Agents throughout the US West to determine their preferences regarding timing and location was initiated and will be set in spring 2023.
From January 1 – December 31, 2023:
- The principal education initiative was the implementation of an in-person training titled “Negotiations in Agriculture: Train the Trainer Program” from October 26 – 27, 2023 at the C’Mon Inn in Bozeman, MT. The training ran from noon on October 26 through 4PM on October 27. The training was held at this time and location to coordinate with the Montana State University (MSU) Extension Annual Conference, which concluded the morning October 26. The training was promoted among Extension educators/agents throughout the West by professional colleagues of members of the project team, although most of the participants were from Montana due to their attendance in the annual conference and associated proximity. In total there were 13 Extension educators/agents who completed the training, including those from Arizona (1), Guam (1), Idaho (1), Montana (8), and Nebraska (2, one of whom had recently transferred from Hawaii. Also note that the other participant from Nebraska paid for their own travel). There were also a couple of last-minute cancellations by expected participants.
- All presentation slide sets were obtained from experts and members of the project team and uploaded onto the program website prior to the training. Instructions for logging into the website were developed by the website developers and provided to the program participants in advance of the training by Dr. Hatzenbuehler over email.
- Details regarding the learning outcomes are described in the “Learning Outcomes” section.
- The main learning outcomes were obtained from the post in-person training program evaluation survey that was developed in consultation with the program evaluator, Dr. Nav Ghimire, constructed in Qualtrics, and then distributed by email to the 13 participants.
- Post-training survey data showed that knowledge increases from before to after the training for the 11 covered topics ranged from 1 to 1.9 on a 5-point scale. The lowest increase in knowledge (1 point) was for “basics of successful communication”, for which participants had the highest level of knowledge before the training (3.1). The highest increase in knowledge (1.9 points) was for “preparing for a negotiation”.
Objective 2: Increase the use of interpersonal communication and negotiation skills and techniques among members of the western US agricultural community by building and enhancing their capacity to facilitate and engage in fruitful negotiations, which will likely lead to better business and personal relationships, and improved quality-of-life. Emphasis will be placed specifically on using negotiation best practices to reduce general business risk and improve environmental sustainability of western farm and ranch operations.
Activities conducted and ongoing efforts to achieve objective 2 as of January 31, 2023:
- Consultations with expert on interpersonal education regarding specific topics was completed in fall 2022
- Several professionals in the Western agricultural community were approached in fall 2022 as potential contributors to curricula and/or webinar/recorded presentations, including a chief negotiator for the Southern Idaho Potato Cooperative (https://www.potatopro.com/companies/southern-idaho-potato-cooperative-sipco). Discussions are ongoing with other prospective contributors.
From January 1 – December 31, 2023:
- The principal activities toward achieving objective 2 were the expansion of the curriculum described in the “Education” section and implementing the in-person training for Extension educators/agents under objective 1. The aim for the train-the-trainer design of this program is for educators to use the provided curriculum to implement negotiation-specific programs and/or incorporate the material into their existing programs. Such a model was described and emphasized at the in-person training implemented in October 2023.
Objective 3: Improve the awareness among agricultural business and policy stakeholders and members of the public on the importance of negotiation-related knowledge and skills that improve communication and relationships for enhanced quality of life throughout the western agricultural community.
Activities conducted and ongoing efforts to achieve objective 3 as of January 31, 2023:
- Discussions have taken place between the Principal Investigator and editors of several popular press outlets, including Idaho Ag Proud and Potato Grower, regarding the potential to include articles pertaining to negotiations in agriculture and aligned topics. Several opportunities for article submission are available in each year of the program. At least one article will be contributed to one of these outlets during 2023.
From January 1 – December 31, 2023:
Hatzenbuehler is in active discussion with the editor of Idaho Ag Proud. While an article on negotiations was not published in 2023, one is scheduled for publication in October 2024. This is timed such that agricultural producers can read the article as they end harvest and prepare for the off-season in which many producer group meetings occur. The University of Idaho College of Agricultural & Life Sciences has a resident media communications writer, and Hatzenbuehler plan to contact them to develop a story that promotes the existing materials on the Negotiations in Agriculture website hosted by the Western Extension Committee (https://negotiation.farmmanagement.org/) and describe this program and the program website (https://agnegotiate.org/) during 2024.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Learning Outcomes
Project Outcomes
From July 1 – December 31, 2022:
There are no learning outcomes to report as of January 31, 2023. The project team will report learning outcomes among Extension educators/agents after the in-person training for Educators/Agents scheduled for fall 2023 and learning outcomes among members of the communities of the trained Educators/Agents who implement trainings on negotiation-related topics in 2024 and 2025.
From January 1 – December 31, 2023:
- The main learning outcomes were obtained from the post in-person training program evaluation survey that was developed in consultation with the program evaluator, Dr. Nav Ghimire, constructed in Qualtrics, and then distributed by email to the 13 participants.
- Post-training survey data showed that knowledge increases from before to after the training for the 11 covered topics ranged from 1 to 1.9 on a 5-point scale. The lowest increase in knowledge (1 point) was for “basics of successful communication”, for which participants had the highest level of knowledge before the training (3.1). The highest increase in knowledge (1.9 points) was for “preparing for a negotiation”.
From July 1 – December 31, 2022:
There are signs of expanded collaborations among the project team members, researchers, Extension colleagues, and members of the Western agricultural community as part of the efforts undertaken under this project.
From January 1 – December 31, 2023:
There are no project outcomes to report as of January 31, 2024, since a main program activity (in-person train-the-trainer program) was just implemented in October 2023. However, there were several comments for the post-program evaluation survey that described how the training knowledge obtained by participating Extension educators/agents will be used by the in their programming. Thus, the prospects for achieving project outcomes of having negotiation-related curricula disseminated and/or encompassed into other programs look promising.