Regenerative Land and Livestock Management for Women

View the project final report

Commodities

• Animals: bees, bovine, goats, poultry, rabbits, sheep, swine

Practices

• Animal Production: animal protection and health, grazing management
• Education and Training: demonstration, farmer to farmer, networking, workshop
• Farm Business Management: marketing management, whole farm planning
• Soil Management: soil quality/health
• Sustainable Communities: social networks, women

This project, Regenerative Land and Livestock Management for Women, nicknamed "Women, Livestock, and the Land" aimed to empower and equip women farmers who are beginning grass-based livestock enterprises to expand their knowledge and practice skills in goal setting, soil health, regenerative grazing, animal handling, health, and direct marketing. These skills are fundamental to both the success of a grass-based livestock business and the long-term health of the land.

To do this, we  incorporated educational techniques that are regularly and successfully used by NCAT:

• Created an engaging mix of classroom teaching, discussion, and hands-on training
• Provided ample time for networking within the group so that a cohort was formed and participants felt safe and supported
• Provided mechanisms for communication and support before and after the in-person training, including a private Facebook page and emails

We also incorporated successful strategies used by other organizations. For example, the Rural Women's Project (SARE ONClS-006) stated, ‘‘we have found that women enjoy learning most from their peers.’’  Similarly, SARE’s ONC16-020 details the use of learning circles, participant farm tours, and ongoing networks to build a cohort of women. Soil Sisters (ONC20-072) built a toolkit for women farmers anywhere who are interested in establishing a peer-based network, and we provided that toolkit to enable participants to build their own local networks. Finally, we used Annie's Project (www.anniesproject.org/about-us) methodology and principles throughout this project, as these proven techniques are also strategies NCAT uses routinely. These include the core values of:

• Safe harbor—where all questions or situations are welcome
• Connection and networking among farm women and speakers
• Discovery as skills practice
• Shared experiences as participants contribute their own subject matter expertise (Shultz et al., 2017)

During this project, we gathered a cohort of 80 women farmers and held meetings by Zoom from March until June, 2022, offering eight different topic sessions on Wednesdays and an additional nine on Monday evenings.  During these sessions, we met each other and had interactive classes covering species considerations, processing and marketing, and ruminant nutrition (taught by cohort members and/or NCAT staff) on Mondays.   On Wednesdays, we presented about goals, grazing management, profitability, processing and marketing.  Linda Coffey led those classes.  In May, there were three guest speakers: Dr. Ann Wells, DVM, a project mentor, taught Holistic Animal Health.  Charlotte Smith, 3 Cow Marketing, taught a class, and Sally Schoen, SCORE volunteer, presented about business planning and how SCORE can help small business owners, including farmers.   All classes were recorded and were available to watch after the session.

The entire course curriculum was housed on Teachable and included contact information for the class, a welcome letter, Zoom links for Monday sessions, and modules to lead a student through the course.  Each unit included resources to support the class, a checklist with suggested homework assignments to build learning and increase the depth of knowledge, and action steps with materials provided.  Recorded classes were posted there so that cohorts could watch later.  

In June, the cohorts enjoyed meeting each other in person and getting hands-on training in either Cookeville, TN (hosted by our partner, Tennessee Tech University, Dr. Dennis Fennewald and the team of female teachers he enlisted) or Fayetteville, AR (hosted by NCAT with help from local women farmers and agency staff).  Farm Credit and SCORE helped provide more business advice and reviewed business plans.  Each group had two days together blending classroom and farm time and lots of discussion and networking time.  

Three Zoom meetings were held after the in-person events, and each participant had the opportunity for 20 sessions by Zoom (1 to 11/2 hours each) and two full days of in-person training, in addition to the hours of class materials they were provided.  The Women, Livestock, and the Land private Facebook group has 62 members who post and comment and learn from each other.  Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and the cohort recommends we repeat the project for a new cohort and offer reunions for the 2022 cohort.  This project has been impactful and enjoyable.

Through this project, participants learned how to care for their soil, pastures, and animals so that all are healthy and productive. Participants networked with each other and with female mentors who discussed practical tips for the physical management of their farms. They learned about direct marketing and goal setting to help them meet the market demand for grass-fed beef, lamb, pork, and poultry, and to sustain a profitable farm into the future. Cohort members were inspired by each other and by experienced women farmers who assisted during the in-person training and during Zoom meetings.  Empowering women farmers in this way can help protect natural resources, provide healthy food for communities, and keep farmland in production for future generations.

The objectives of this project are:

1. Survey women farmers to ask about their needs for resources and support.
2. Provide at least 20 hours of instruction on regenerative grazing, whole farm planning, and livestock management topics to 60 women in Arkansas and Tennessee.
3. Develop and disseminate educational resources, including at least two podcasts, four videos, and two resource lists, on regenerative grazing and livestock management topics.
4. Promote and support the development of eight new women farmer networks.
5. Provide ongoing support, networking, and technical assistance to participants.
6. Evaluate this project to inform future work.

Further details:

1. Survey women farmers to ask about their needs for resources and support

Surveys were administered in several ways, including an electronic poll released to the NCAT email list and through partners’ networks, and through polls using the same questions during Zoom trainings on livestock topics.  Applicants to the program listed topics needed and throughout this project, the team was responsive to stated needs.  For example, our Monday evening meetings were designed as "Office Hours", unstructured time for questions and networking.  The cohort asked that we use the time to explore livestock species, and so we offered sessions on bees, rabbits, poultry, pastured hogs, sheep and goats, processing and marketing, and ruminant nutrition (part 1 and part 2).  NCAT remained responsive throughout the program and aimed to provide the resources and training needed by the participants.  The women in the cohort helped each other, too, and used the private Facebook group to ask and answer questions.

    2. Provide at least 20 hours of instruction on regenerative grazing, whole farm planning, and livestock management topics to 60 women in Arkansas and Tennessee.

Experienced women livestock producers, including NCAT staff, led the trainings and provided both online instruction and a two-day, in-person workshop in each state (Arkansas and Tennessee) that offered demonstration and practice time for skills related to caring for soil, pastures, and animals. Online instruction using Zoom allowed us to collect information, build trust, customize upcoming trainings, and create anticipation for the hands-on training coming later. Building trust is essential to learning (Bell and McAllister, 2012) and is especially needed before asking participants to attempt new skills in the hands-on portion of the training. We provided over 20 hours of online instruction to 80 women and two full days (8-5) of in-person instruction to 48 women from the Southern region, including cohort members from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.  For the in-person trainings, 48 cohort members and 30 teachers participated.  Most came to dinner the evening before the training, giving us 20 contact hours in-person.  We supplemented this extensive training with books provided to the cohort members, a binder holding the agenda, cohort contacts, and ATTRA publications, and NRCS grazing sticks.  We also distributed handouts from the speakers and organizations, including NRCS, Cooperative Extension, and SCORE.

We  also delivered the six-module SARE funded course, Taking Your Farm to the Next Level, offering coaching as requested by individuals to increase the business skills of the participants, leading to better financial decisions and helping farm survival.

We presented all students a baseline understanding of grazing management by providing and encouraging completion of ATTRA’s Managed Grazing Tutorial, found at https://attra.ncat.org/tutorials/.   This course features eight modules that are narrated presentations and include quizzes to check for understanding. Completing this tutorial increased their confidence prior to the in-person workshop. Not many completed the entire course, but the in-person training provided hands-on practice to cement the learning and reinforce the vital concepts covered in the Managed Grazing Tutorial.

Many other materials were provided and housed on the Teachable platform to offer a convenient way to access curated materials on the topics of goal setting, grazing management, economic and financial management, marketing, and processing.  

The two-day in-person workshops were exciting and impactful opportunities for hands-on learning, interactive discussion, customized experiences through breakouts, and networking between experienced and novice livestock producers. The programs were different at each location but offered similar material and emphasized women as teachers, hands-on practice, farm tours and plenty of time for questions and for coaching.

Graduate support was provided through additional online meetings  following the in-person trainings and through interaction and coaching via the  Facebook page and ATTRA technical assistance. Communication is ongoing as cohort members have each other's contacts as well as those of NCAT staff and mentor farmers. Project lead frequently emails the group to point to useful resources and programs, and cohort members continue to use the private Facebook group to ask and answer questions and to show each other resources and events.

    3. Develop and disseminate educational resources, including at least two podcasts, four videos, and two resource lists, on regenerative grazing and livestock management topics.

We produced at least two podcasts, four videos, and two resource lists to provide education for the participants. NCAT is very experienced at creating farmer-friendly resources, and we have many ways to provide them to our audience. We have used the ATTRA website (www.attra.ncat.org), NCAT/ATTRA YouTube channel, Voices from the Field podcast, and social media, including Facebook pages for NCAT Southeast, NCAT Gulf States, and NCAT Southwest regional offices (AR, MS, and TX). More videos have been submitted from cohort members and it is hoped that we can make a playlist showcasing the cohort farms.  Another video is in final edits and will be posted on this report soon.

    4. Promote and support the development of at least eight new women farmer networks.

We know that social support is important to success and that local support is especially helpful.  Throughout this course, women were encouraged to connect with each other.  We also provided the SARE-funded Soil Sisters Toolkit ( see https://attra.ncat.org/toolkit-helps-launch-women-farmer-networks/) to the cohort.  We asked in the final survey about the ways the cohort has connected with the other members.  Nearly all have connected with NCAT staff, with other cohort members by phone or email, and through the private Facebook group.  They especially enjoyed meeting in person.  Of the 30 who responded to the final survey, 3 reported starting local networks in their area, while 25 reported networking with other women.  We believe that each step toward more connection is valuable and that the seeds have been planted for more women farmer networks in the future.

    5. Provide ongoing support, networking, and technical assistance to participants.

NCAT hosted a private Facebook group for the participants of this project to facilitate communication and networking beyond the range of this project. NCAT specialists provided many links to information and events via email to the cohort members throughout this project, and provided contacts for NCAT staff and for the cohort members to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and connection.  NCAT technical staff are available to participants through the ATTRA helpline, 800-346-9140, and through email and Facebook pages for the Southeast and Gulf States offices. NCAT technical staff are women livestock farmers, themselves, and bring a practical and empathetic manner to the work. Participants find staff approachable and knowledgeable.

Cohort members continue to use the private Facebook group to ask and answer questions and to show each other resources and events. 

    6. Evaluate this project to inform future work.

Evaluation happened throughout this project, as we know that understanding participant needs and knowing what is working is key in offering excellent, impactful trainings. NCAT strives to be responsive and adaptable and is continuously working to improve our services to our clients. NCAT incorporated surveys after each of the trainings, online and in-person, and conducted a follow-up survey six months after the in-person trainings. Fuller details are given in the Evaluation section of this report.

NCAT’s project team used their extensive experience developing and conducting other successful training programs and their own experience as farmers to create and deliver this program.  Participants enjoyed and benefited from this program and the impact will be felt for many years.  The final survey garnered 30 responses and the participants rated the project 4.87 out of 5, with 100% stating that they would recommend this project to others.