Cheshire Labor and Infrastructure Needs Assessment

Cheshire Labor and Infrastructure Needs Assessment

Summary

The Farm Needs Assessment is a collaborative project between the Cheshire County Conservation District and UNH Cooperative Extension, Land for Good, Antioch University New England, First Course and two local farmers, Tracie Smith of Tracie’s Community Farm and Erin Bickford of Abenaki Springs Farm. For this project, Cheshire County Conservation District hired a Project Coordinator, Sarah Sullivan, in early September 2010.

There are three major parts to this project. The first is gathering information from farmers about their labor and infrastructure needs. We have already started this process with a successful focus group on October 6, 2010. We had 18 farmers from 7 different farm types and 9 different Cheshire County towns. The next phase of this segment is 30-40 in depth farmer interviews, which were started in late November 2010. We have completed 5 pilot interviews and 8 regular interviews, all in person. The interviews will continue until the end of January 2011.

The second piece of this project is research about sustainable labor systems, and what a sustainable labor systems looks like in Cheshire County. This research includes reviewing work from other regions that have looked at this topic, as well as determining what steps need to be taken to create a sustainable labor system in Cheshire County. In addition, Land For Good will be creating an evaluation of suitable properties for meeting labor and infrastructure needs in Cheshire County.

The third piece is compiling and analyzing all of the information that is gathered. This information will be presented in a written report as well as at a Community Forum to be held in early April 2011. The goal is to provide information that is useful to a wide range of stakeholders, as well as provide an educational opportunity for communities in Cheshire County.

Objectives/Performance Targets

1- Host farmer focus group to gather information on infrastructure and labor needs

Focus group took place October 6, 2010
18 farmer present
7 farm types represented
9 towns in Cheshire County represented

2- Create interview guide from information gathered at focus group

Worked with class at Antioch University to create an interview guide
Solicited input from grant partners and other local organizations to ensure the information would be helpful to a wide range of stakeholders
Conducted 5 pilot interviews and revised interview guide

3- Conduct farmer interviews to gather data on infrastructure and labor needs

Interview started December 1, 2010
As of December 9, 2010 8 interviews have been completed (in addition to 5 pilot interviews)
3 more interview scheduled before December 17, 2010
7 towns in Cheshire County represented to date in interviews
9 different farm types represented to date in interviews

4- Conduct research on sustainable labor system in Cheshire County

First draft of labor research written

5- Host community forum in April

Community forum scheduled for April 5, 2011 6pm-8pm at Herberton Hall, Keene, NH

Accomplishments/Milestones

So far, all events and activities have happened on time, and as expected. The response from everyone interacting with the project has been very positive. The focus group for infrastructure needs was very successful. Our objective was to get 10-15 farmers, and we got 18 farmers so we were above our expectation. We wanted to get a wide variety of farmers at the event, and we had 7 farm types represented as well as 9 towns in Cheshire County. In addition, we had close to 20 agricultural service providers present so that they could hear first hand from farmers about their concerns. Everyone present felt that it was a very successful event, and many people asked if we could host a similar event in the near future.

We worked with a class at Antioch University to create the interview guide and to conduct the pilot interviews. We sent the pilot interview guide to project partners, CCCD board members as well as local organizations interested in the project outcomes. Everyone had an opportunity to comment on the guide and add suggestions. The overall feeling is that it is a very thorough guide that will be useful to a wide range of stakeholders. The 5 pilot interviews went well and we asked for feedback from the farmers on the process. Many felt that the interview allowed them to speak on issues that were very relevant to their farm and allowed them to go in sufficient depth.

After the pilot interviews we worked to refine the interview guide and started our regular interviews. We sent letters and emails to farmers the week of November 15, 2010. We had 10 farmers respond to say that they would like to participate and have already conducted 8 of those interviews since December 1, 2010. There are an additional 3 interviews currently scheduled before December 15, 2010. The response from the interviews has been positive. The farmers we have spoken with seem happy that they have the opportunity to speak about their challenges, but also their successes. All are eager to see the final report and many are planning to attend the community forum in April 2011.

The research for the sustainable labor document has been going well. Using data from the census and other government statistics we have created a rough draft that contains information about the current labor situation in the US, with specific information regarding New Hampshire and Cheshire County. In addition we have reviewed two other documents that detail work done towards defining a sustainable labor system in other areas. At this point, we are working on innovative recommendations for creating a more sustainable labor system in Cheshire County. Part of this information will come from the farmer interviews, as their perspectives are very valuable in this area.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

The primary audience for this research is farmers in Cheshire County, as well as agricultural service providers in the region. The response from farmers has overall been quite positive. Many farmers worked hard to fit the October focus group into their busy schedules, and quite a few said that they were glad they took the time to come. Not only did it offer an opportunity for the farmers to speak on issues very important to their farming operation, but it also gave them an opportunity to interact with other farmers as well as service providers. We provided lunch after the focus group and many farmers and service providers stayed for an hour or longer after the focus group to talk with each other.

The response from the agricultural service providers has also been very positive. We had close to 20 service providers present at the focus group and many said that it was a very valuable experience for them to listen to farmers for two hours. One outcome was that a representative from the New Hampshire Farm Service Agency has encouraged us to plan another event for farmers and service providers this winter. Many of the same people were engaged through the interview guide planning process, offering suggestions or ways to improve the guide.

Another group that has responded positively is the students in the class at Antioch University. While they were not mentioned as a target audience in the grant, they were very involved throughout the fall. They helped plan the focus group and were present at the event. As well, they helped with the interview guide process and conducted the 5 pilot interviews. The project coordinator went to their class several times throughout the fall and each time they students were very excited about the project and eager to hear the outcomes.

Collaborators: