Progress report for WUT21-001
Project Information
The Utah Professional Development Program (PDP) provides resources and training to agricultural professionals and producers that promote the goals of Western SARE. The program is guided by an Advisory Committee of seven members (as of March 2022). The Committee urges the Utah PDP to seek answers to the state’s challenges, such as being the 9th most densely urban and the 2nd most arid state in the nation, in a way that protects natural resources and human safety, and enhances the quality of life for our producers. Specific topics recommended by the committee include improving local production and distribution of food (as affected/evidenced by COVID-19), building soil health practices, increasing adoption of integrated pest management (IPM), and improving sustainable grazing.
Three objectives will target the overall goals for the Utah PDP in 2021-24 to increase local production and distribution of food (as affected/evidenced by COVID-19), build soil health practices, increase adoption of integrated pest management (IPM), and improve sustainable grazing.
- Increase knowledge and skills of nine Utah Extension agricultural professionals and up to 300 producers through the award of approximately three mini-grants each year for travel or event-hosting (offered spring and fall of each year), measured by reporting and follow-up surveys of award recipients. (“Travel/Event Hosting Awards”)
- Facilitate adoption of sustainable agricultural practices of 900 professionals and producers through the support of four conferences and workshops offered in spring, summer, and fall of each year, as measured by retrospective surveys after each event. (“Support of Conferences/Workshops”)
- Increase knowledge and skills of up to 120 agricultural professionals and 500 producers in integrated pest management through on-going presentations and delivery of publications and guides, conducted throughout the duration of the award, and measured by paper or online surveys. (“General Outreach”)
Because Utah is the 9th most densely urban, and the 2nd driest state in the nation, the Utah PDP Advisory Committee recognizes that this program must address these challenges to protect natural resources and human safety while enhancing the quality of life for our producers, particularly within specialty crops (13,600 acres valued at $33 million) and forage and rangelands (710,000 acres). Training efforts and travel awards are based on past crop surveys (conducted by our partner, the Utah IPM Program), past conference pre- and post-surveys, and input from the PDP Advisory Committee.
The Utah PDP primarily reaches the livestock, forage, and specialty crop industries, particularly on small farms. For 2021-24, the program will direct resources to the following activities each year: four conferences/workshops, training in IPM, access to publications, and mini-grant awards. Delivery of resources will be structured as needed based on whether the COVID-19 restrictions are in place (virtual or live). Two conferences supported by the program are long-standing events, and include the Urban and Small Farms Conference (reaching over 200 producers and professionals) and the Utah-Arizona Annual Range and Livestock Conference (reaching over 180). Support of additional workshops are new events for the Utah PDP, and mini-grant awards for projects, professional travel, or event hosting will continue as they have in the past.
Advisors
Education
The Utah PDP emphasizes multiple modes of education, including face-to-face, written and online, and self-exploratory. The content for the workshops and conferences range from beginner to intermediate and consist of indoor presentations and where appropriate, hands-on activities or outdoor farm visits. The trainings also include complementary written materials and publications for attendees to review. The written and online training involves production and delivery of crop management guides and a subscription email service of seasonal, pertinent content. The self-exploratory education occurs through travel and event hosting scholarships, where agricultural producers attend or host professional development workshops to further their understanding of sustainable agriculture, and pass the information on to their constituents.
Education & Outreach Initiatives
Increase knowledge and skills of nine Utah Extension agricultural professionals and up to 300 producers through the award of approximately three mini-grants each year for travel, event-hosting, or projects (offered spring and fall of each year), measured by reporting and follow-up surveys of award recipients.
In 2023, the Utah WSARE PDP awarded two event-hosting scholarships, one new project award, and one project continuation award. The event-hosting awards were given to two USU extension agents to host a High School Range Camp and Teacher’s Range Camp. The High School Range Camp had 27 participants, and is a partnership between the Utah Society for Range Management and USU Extension that provided opportunities for leadership, education, professional networking, and hands-on learning. Topics and activities spanned 5 days and included plant collecting and pressing, soil 101, field ecology, wildlife interactions, rangeland restoration, tours of restoration research, wild horse management, shrub encroachment, and sage grouse restoration. Students learned proper note-taking, took quizzes, and each presented on a topic of their choice.
The 3-day Teacher Range Camp was developed to help high school agriculture teachers learn more about range management and to help them develop curriculum for their classes. Topics given to the 30 attendees included rangeland restoration, plant identification and collection, soils, ecology, and grazing management.
The new project award was to establish an Urban Youth Livestock program at the USU Bastian Agricultural Center with the goal of providing a unique opportunity for inner-city youth to raise livestock as part of a 4-H or FFA program that would otherwise not have an opportunity. The program purchased animals for the 40 youth participants, and provided club meetings to educate youth on how to properly feed, care for, groom, train, and prepare their animals for show. The ultimate goal was to raise the animals to a marketable weight and to participate in the Salt Lake County Junior Livestock Show.
The continuing project award was to monitor soil moisture at the previously-established integrated pest management vegetable demonstration farm. In 2023, 12, 150-foot rows of various vegetable crops were planted. IPM demonstrations included soil moisture monitoring, intercropping for onion thrips, weed management options (wheel hoeing, plastic mulch, fabric mulch, and straw), fine-mesh insect exclusion netting, in-ground bait traps for earwigs and cutworms, colored mulches for virus suppression, and pollinator and beneficial habitats. Results were posted 32 times to our Instagram and Facebook pages, and 6 videos were created on the farm itself, using straw mulch, using plastic mulch, leaf-feeding beetles, cabbage looper management, and grasshopper control. In August 2023, the program hosted on-site tour of the demonstration farm in which 34 individuals attended.
For the High School Range Camp, students were surveyed about their knowledge before and after the camp. We found that there was an 80% increase in knowledge of noxious weed management, a 655% increase in overall knowledge of rangeland management, and a 92% increase in plant identification. A longer-term outcome is that 50% of attendees decided to pursue a degree in natural resource management as a result of their camp experience.
For the Teacher Camp, 100% of attendees improved their knowledge on all topics, with the greatest improvement being a 65% improvement in ecological science. Most teachers intended to pass on the information, where 85% will incorporate information into their own classes, 35% will mentor other teachers, 95% will encourage students to attend a range camp, and 22% will host their own workshops for students.
The Urban Youth Livestock program was very successful. It gained the attention of Fox News, and the FFA Chapters recognized the special significance of the program. Participants were asked whether the program affected their life skills, with much improvements. All attendees learned about responsibility, leadership skills, working in a team, communication skills, and goal-setting, while 75% learned about the importance of a strong work ethic, 75% learned about livestock as a career, and 85% learned the importance of animals in society. The program will continue with other funding, and returning youth will be able to mentor a new set of participants.
For the IPM vegetable farm, participants of the tour were highly satisfied, where 63% improved their knowledge of identifying insect pests and beneficials, 52% intend to incorporate row covers at their own sites, 53% intend to use trap cropping or companion planting, and 89% learned that weed management is important with vegetable production. Additionally, an undergraduate student that attended the tour was so inspired that they volunteered to help in farm management and with two of the videos. And finally, a peer-reviewed paper was published in Outcomes & Impacts Quarterly, “Surveying and Evaluating Pests and Beneficial Insects in Utah's Vegetable Production”.
Facilitate adoption of sustainable agricultural practices of 900 professionals and producers through the support of four conferences and workshops offered in spring, summer, and fall of each year, as measured by retrospective surveys after each event.
The UT/AZ Annual Range and Livestock Workshop is an event that the WSARE PDP program has been involved with for many years. It brings together ranchers, land management agency personnel, representatives from federal and state agencies, state farm bureaus, conservation districts, and businesses serving the livestock industry. In 2023, the Utah WSARE PDP sponsored the conference proceedings (which included one page dedicated to Western SARE) for the 45th annual workshop and tour, held in southern Utah in March. Topics included range analysis, estate planning, drought and fire planning, partnering with public agencies, trichomaniasis, beef quality assurance and certification, and funding opportunities (including through Western SARE).
The Sustainable Grazing Institute is a workshop for Utah livestock producers who want to increase sustainable forage production, animal performance, and net income through improved grazing management. The 5th annual workshop was held in June 2023 as a 3-day hands-on workshop where participants learned the science of grazing in the classroom and made management decisions designing pastures for grazing livestock. Topics included grass growth, designing grazing cells, economics of grazing, and sustainable grazing methods.
At the range and livestock workshop, 211 Utah producers and 60 Utah agricultural professionals were in attendance representing approximately 4,400 cattle managed. On average, the quality of the workshop was scored as “excellent” and producers reported on average, a 45% increase in knowledge of all topics. In addition, 69% of producers intend to adopt at least one new practice and 54% of ag professionals say their advice to their clientele will improve.
The Sustainable Grazing Institute was attended by 32 livestock producers and 8 agricultural professionals. In a follow-up survey, participants’ responses included: 79% gained new skills and 77% will apply something new to their farm or ranch.
Increase knowledge and skills of up to 120 agricultural professionals and 500 producers in integrated pest management through on-going presentations and delivery of publications and guides, conducted throughout the duration of the award, and measured by paper or online surveys.
We held two sustainable agriculture events in 2023. A workshop for refugee farmers in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee was held in Salt Lake City in late spring 2023. An agritourism workshop was held in March, and each attendee received a packet of how-to materials and learned about diversification, product and service options, producing and marketing value-added foods, accessing and serving tourists, and economic feasibility.
The refugee farmer workshop was attended by 20 farmers representing five different languages (with a translator for each). Topics were kept very simple, from composting to recognizing insect damage and safe use of pesticides. Evaluations were difficult due to the language barriers, but attendees asked many questions (through translators) and requested a workshop for 2024.
The 1-day agritourism workshop was held in Orem, UT and attended by 34 farmers, who mostly (94%) felt the workshop was helpful. In a follow-up survey sent 4 months later, 38% of farmers noted that they had incorporated an idea from the workshop into their business, and 16% felt that this had improved their profits.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Learning Outcomes
Project Outcomes
Face of SARE
For promotion of Western SARE grants and services, the State Coordinator has so far reached approximately 120 agricultural professionals and producers through two workshops, 1 grower meeting, and 1 farm field day in 2023. The audiences included producers of tree fruits, vegetables, and nursery stock. The coordinator has also promoted WSARE grants in emails to community mailing lists, the Utah Pests Facebook page, and through a quarterly newsletter delivered to over 15,300 individuals in Utah.