Kansas NRCS Organic Training Program

Kansas NRCS Organic Training Program

Summary

In 2010, the Kansas Rural Center in partnership with the Kansas NRCS State Office, Kansas State University, Kansas Organic Producers and others, undertook organizing six training sessions on organic farming systems and certification. The training included classroom activities (and materials) and farm tours to be conducted in 2010 and 2011. The purpose was to educate State NRCS personnel to enhance the implementation of the USDA NRCS Organic Initiative of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. A secondary audience was Kansas State University researchers, faculty, and county extension agents so they could provide outreach on organic farming and certification to their clientele to enhance farmer knowledge of the USDA organic programs and organic farming systems.In Year one, 2010, KRC held three trainings with 112 participants from aorund the state.

In year two, 2011, three trainings of a day and a half each were held over a three-week period in September 2011. A total of 98 people attended (not including the farmers and other presenters). 93 were NRCS staff with the balance being Extension and other resource professionals. Twelve organic farmers from organic grain and livestock producers farming several hundred acres to an organic market hoophouse farmer participated in the panel discussions and three farm tours. An additional partner from KSU’s Integrated Pest Management Program provided preliminary results from a survey of organic producers in Kansas conducted in the spring of 2011. The survey covered organic farmer practices for pest control, and research and information needs. (KSU IPM also provided funds for a couple of out of state presenters.)

The trainings provided NRCS staff, Extension and other resource professionals basic information on organic farming systems. Attendees gained confidence in assisting farmers with organic transition questions and the new USDA EQIP Organic Initiative program. They also developed an understanding of organic farming practices and the certification process, and how standard conservation practices can help organic farms, and began to understand how organic farming practices can benefit conservation goals.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Below are the objectives as listed in the work plan. Accomplishments or updates for each of these are described below in the Accomplishments /Milestones section.

A. KRC will organize six workshops (3 per year). In year one (2010), three regional workshops will target NRCS staff reaching 90 participants. Workshop format will include classroom presentations, farmer panels, training materials, and a tour of an area organic farm. In Year two, 2011, three more workshops will be held focusing more on recruiting Extension personnel to attend.

B. Three organic farm tours will be held each year in conjunction with the training workshops.

C. KRC will develop and compile a training notebook, updating it on an ongoing basis during the two years of the project. The notebook will include information on organic farming basics, organic certification process, the organic system plan, crop rotation planning guide, and a list of miscellaneous resources.

D. KRC will develop and maintain a base network of organic farmers as teachers, mentors and resources who may become official technical service providers (TSPs) for NRCS, or serve as independent mentors and teachers.

E. KRC will provide presentations to Extension and other resource professionals on organic farming and the EQIP Organic Initiatives Program so they can promote the program and help farmers enroll.

F. KRC will update its crop rotation planning guide and collaborate with KSU to update and revise its Organic Certification Bulletin for distribution.

Accomplishments/Milestones

Objective A. (KRC will organize three workshops) and B. (KRC will conduct three organic farm tours…).
KRC organized and conducted three training workshops across Kansas in September 2011. KRC met with NRCS state office staff to review the evaluations from the 2010 trainings and discuss the agenda and locations for the 2011 trainings in early spring.
This joint planning team finalized the training agenda, format, and locations through e-mail communications and telephone calls through the spring and summer.

Like the 2010 workshops, each training session covered one and a half days, with day one in a classroom setting with presenters in the morning, and a farmer panel in the afternoon, followed by an NRCS session on the nuts and bolts of the EQIP Organic Initiative implementation. Day two was a half –day farm tour hosted by an area organic farmer, with the group adjourning for travel home at noon.

The training agenda included presentations on the following:

Getting Started: The Basics of Organic Agriculture- by Dr. Rhonda Janke, Kansas State University. (This session covered the history and background of organic farming, resource conserving aspects of organic production, and provided an overview of research findings. Presented at two of the 3 trainings.)

Transition Strategies for Organic Crop and Livestock Production- Ed Reznicek, Kansas Organic Producers and Kansas Rural Center, and organic farmer. (This session gave an overview of crop rotations, fertility, weed control, insect and disease prevention and treatment, and livestock practices. Presented at all three trainings)

Organic Certification Basics- Ib Hagsten, Independent organic certification inspector and one of a few NRCS Technical Service Providers on organic nationwide. (Hagsten covered basics of organic certification, and the organic system plan, and the inspectors’s role. Presented at all three trainings)

Organic Producers Survey Results- Frannie Miller, KSU Integrated Pest Management Program Coordinator. Miller presented preliminary results of a spring survey of organic producers in Kansas on pest management practices, knowledge, and research needs. Presented at all three trainings.

High Tunnels or Hoophouses: Construction, Production, and Management-
Dan Nagengast, hoophouse farmer and co-author of the “Hoophouse Handbook”
in Smith Center; Bill Hanlon, former director of Flint Hills Technical College’s Sustainable Living Center, and experienced hoophouse builder in Emporia, Ks., and
Dr. Carey Rivard, KSU Horticultural Department, and director of the KSU Olathe Horticultural Research Center, home to KSU’s hoophouse research. These sessions covered basics of hoophouse construction, production and management. Rivard presented only at the advanced training session in Sabetha.

Organic Farming Research Findings and Conservation Benefits- Dr. Kathleen Delate, Iowa State University. Dr. Delate covered the research she has been doing on organic crop rotations and impact on yields, etc. as well as provided an overview of research nationwide. She presented only at the advanced training session in Sabetha, Ks.

EQIP Organic Provision Technical Overview- Corey Nelson and Lyle Frees, State NRCS Office. A nuts and bolts review of the administrative and implementation for the EQIP program was done by Kansas NRCS State Office staff.

Farmer Panel on Transition Strategies- Twelve farmers participated in three panels offering short summary descriptions of their operations, and answering questions
from the audience for at least 90 minutes per workshop. In all but one of the panels, the farmer whose farm would be toured the next day was present and could set the scene for the tour. These panels were rated the highest of the day’s presentations in the evaluations.

Farm Tour- Day Two featured a three- hour tour of an area certified organic farm.

The three trainings were held in three different agronomic regions of the state (north central, northeast, and south central) with 98 attending, including two local Extension agents, one technical college representative, and two other resource professionals from a non-profit. The majority were NRCS staff. Of the 32 attending the advanced training, the majority had attended the basics training in 2010. The Kansas NRCS State Conservationist made the trainings mandatory for his staff with the intention of having someone from each county trained. In year one the District Conservationists were asked to attend, and in year two the technical staff were allowed to attend. The State NRCS Office provided travel, lodging and meal support for their staff to attend, no small commitment in these budget-cutting days.

Although KRC staff and the KCSAAC Coordinator provided KSU Extension information on the trainings numerous times, issued direct invitation to counties surrounding the location of the trainings, and offered travel scholarships to attend, only two local extension agents attended one of the trainings. We will offer more on this in the Impacts and Contributions section.

KRC also accepted some funding assistance from KSU’s IPM Progrm which had some grant funds to direct toward organic. These funds were used to provide for travel and stipends for our Independent Organic Certification Inspector (who was requested after Year One’s trainings) and Dr. Delate from Iowa State University (also part of a request after Year one that we have an advanced training and include more on organic research being done.) KRC’s original budget did not include enough funds, or so we thought, for these, so the offer of assistance was accepted.

C. KRC will develop and compile a training notebook, updating thee on an ongoing basis during the two years of the project. The notebook will include information on organic farming basics, organic certification process, the organic system plan, crop rotation planning guide, and a list of miscellaneous resources.
A training notebook with materials on organic certification, organic farming methods and resources was provided to each participant. NRCS provided actual physical notebooks for some, but made the information available on their resource sharing website for all Kansas NRCS. KRC had notebooks available for any Extension or other personnel who signed up for the training. Notebook materials available included the power point presentations of all presenters, farmer profiles, and other resources. For these other materials, KRC relied primarily on materials already available from a wide variety of resources, such as sample Organic System Plans from certifying agencies, a bulletin on the organic certification process from ATTRA, lists of organic certifying entities operating in Kansas and links to the USDA nationwide list, and miscellaneous publications.

D. KRC will develop and maintain a base network of organic farmers as teachers, mentors and resources who may become official technical service providers (Taps) for NRCS, or serve as independent mentors and teachers.
KRC worked with an additional twelve organic farmers in 2011, recruiting them for the panel presentations and farm tour hosts. We also discussed technical service provider (TSP) needs in Kansas and other educational needs with them. No one was interested in becoming a TSP. This is not an isolated Kansas issue, but is a nationwide problem. The process to become a TSP, while not hard, is cumbersome for many organic farmers, and the reimbursement for acting as a TSP to help an organic farmer with his OSP is not enough to entice many takers. The organic farmers did identify a need for a farmer mentor or farmer network to help each other with practical questions, and KRC maintains contact with these producers. But such an endeavor needs seed money to get it up and running. KRC is pursuing potential funds from other sources.

E. KRC will provide presentations to Extension and other resource professionals on organic farming and the EQIP Organic Initiatives Program so they can promote the program and help farmers enroll.
KRC presented information about the trainings to Extension personnel via both personal invitations to the agents in surrounding counties to the trainings and announcing it in their weekly e-newsletter distributed to all agents across the state more than once prior to the trainings. Travel Scholarships were also offered, but there were only a couple of takers.
Presentations to Extension professionals did not take place due to lack of opportunity and interest.

F. KRC will update its crop rotation planning guide and collaborate with KSU to update and revise its Organic Certification Bulletin for distribution.
KRC revised the crop rotation planning forms from its crop rotation planning guide, and used those extensively in the trainings. We did not update the entire guide. KRC and KSU began discussing the update for KSU’s Organic Certification Bulletin, but ran into time and budgetary constraints and did not accomplish the revision. With other updated publications available (i.e. ATTRA), this was not a priority for KSU re-publication. We may pursue it under the KS SARE program or Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

Unlike in many other states with similar organic training opportunities, the Kansas State NRCS Conservationist required his staff to attend at least one of the trainings. The trainings were offered in 2010 to District Conservationists (DC) and in 2011 to technical staff or DC’s unable to attend in year one.. While they might be required to attend, their active participation could not be mandated. The majority of those attending were engaged and actively participated, asking questions and engaging in related side conversations during breaks and during the farm tour. Questions focused on more detailed certification questions, weed control, cover crops, livestock and non-chemical pasture management, and marketing and organic prices.

While we tried to engage County Extension Agents and other faculty and Extension personnel at KSU, we were not successful. The land grant operates differently than NRCS who has a mandate to implement programs. At Extension, no one from above required them to participate. Responding to our inquiries, some Extension agents claimed that they felt the trainings were geared to NRCS only. The agenda and list of presentations shows that the topics covered –except for the NRCS technical review at the end of the day—were basic and beneficial to anyone interested in organic farming and certification, and not solely for implementation of the EQIP program. But the perception that the trainings were primarily for NRCS and their EQIP program implementation played a major part in Extension not attending. Other Extension personnel claimed the timing was poor; their involvement in the Kansas state fair in mid-September interfered with attending any of our September trainings. (But NRCS had argued that September was the best time for them.) Other Extension agents told us that until they have clientele coming in their doors requesting the information on organic farming, they don’t have reason to attend the trainings. (But some farmers say if you can’t answer our questions, why ask you?) For a few campus faculty, who we had hoped to draw to the advanced training in Sabetha in Northeast Kansas, the NC SARE staff scheduled a visit to the Manhattan campus the same day as our training. We might have been able to get a few to attend part of the training, but they opted to stay in Manhattan to learn more about NC SARE grant programs where they could fit the program more easily into their regular schedules. We did have two Extension agents from north central Kansas who are heavily involved in horticultural production, crop alternatives, and local food issues attend the advanced trainings and give it high marks.

Those NRCS staff who attended the trainings came away feeling they had gained knowledge to help them better provide technical information to farmers. Training evaluations asked participants to rank their knowledge before and after the training, and to rate presentations for usefulness and to list additional information needs.
Only 64 of the 98 attendees returned the evaluations (and not everyone answered all of the questions), but all ranked their before and after knowledge. Two of the trainings provided basic level information, and the third designed as an advanced course with more in-depth presentations; most of these participants had attended the 2010 basic course.
Before the basic trainings, eight claimed no knowledge prior to the training, 23 claimed to be beginners and 5 claimed to be knowledgeable. After the training, 13 said they considered themselves beginners and 21 now claimed to be knowledgeable and felt they could provide technical information to clients.

At the advanced course, 14 claimed to be beginners with 12 claiming knowledge of the subject. After the training only three still humbly claimed to be beginners while 21 claimed knowledge. So the majority of the participants felt they had gained some knowledge of organic farming and certification.

The most common responses to the question of how the programs had contributed to their professional development was that the program provided them educational information for programs, and new knowledge and technical mastery, and would help them engage with new people and opportunities. When asked how they would share the information with their producer audience, the most responses were to “answer client questions (89%), bring new information to regular programming (36%) and develop new contacts and partners (25%).

The evaluations and discussions after the trainings indicated that the participants considered the farmer panels of Q and A and the farm tours to be the most useful parts of the trainings. Three presentations also earned high marks from at least 78% of the 64 returned surveys: Transition Strategies for Organic Cropland Livestock Production and Certification (Ed Reznicek), Organic Certification Basics (Ib Hagsten), and the High Tunnels 101 (Dan Nagengast, Bill Hanlon and Carey Rivard each presenting at one training).

The benefits of listening to working organic farmers describe their operations and the challenges they faced in transition and the challenges they still face, and why they farm organically helped the participants understand organic farming. Then seeing
seeing the system in the field during the following day’s farm tour was critically important to the NRCS staff. When asked about further information needs, several asked for more time in the field viewing actual systems.

Eighty-two percent said they would recommend this training to others. Although this was the last of the trainings KRC had scheduled for Kansas under the NC SARE grant, seventy percent said they would attend another training. Additional training needs identified are for more detailed or specific information on crop rotations, cover crops, non-chemical livestock and pasture management, and more on organic crop rotations and irrigation for western Kansas’s drier climate. Clearer information on how existing conservation practice standards can be used for an organic farm is critical to the NRCS staff as they work with organic farmers. But this is more a function of NRCS revising some of their standards to accommodate special needs of organic farmers.

In 2009, the first year of the EQIP program, the NRCS EQIP Organic Initiative had 16 contracts in Kansas; by the end of 2010, there were 54 contracts; and 2011 had 49 contracts. Less information in the news about the 2011 sign up may have contributed to the slight decline. Also some speculate that high crop prices in conventional production may have made organic certification less appealing to producers at this time, and an increase in cash rental prices for cropland also may have altered interest in tackling any transitions to organic in 2011. KRC continues to explore how we can provide further outreach to the organic producers and transitioning organic producers to increase use of the EQIP program.

Collaborators: