Project Overview
Commodities
Practices
- Animal Production: manure management, rangeland/pasture management
- Crop Production: conservation tillage, cover crops, cropping systems, drought tolerance, no-till, nutrient management, organic fertilizers, water management
- Education and Training: decision support system, extension, farmer to farmer, networking, technical assistance, workshop
- Farm Business Management: risk management
- Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, grass waterways
- Production Systems: agroecosystems, integrated crop and livestock systems
- Soil Management: organic matter, soil microbiology, soil physics, soil quality/health
- Sustainable Communities: leadership development
Proposal abstract:
A multi-agency team of extension and natural resource professionals with a shared goal of increasing adoption of land management practices that improve resilience of agricultural systems will expand content of the existing “Interactive Nutrient Management Decision-making Exercise” to augment the comprehensive value of this tool for motivating implementation of practices that enhance natural resource protection. The project team will develop new curriculum content and exercises that encompass climate risk assessment, connections between soil quality and water quality, and resources for implementing research-based soil and water conservation practices. Regional training events will use the train-the-trainer model to prepare at least 85 educators, specialists, and farmer advisors to confidently deliver this training to agricultural stakeholders in their network and improve understanding of, appreciation for, and desire to implement practices that improve agricultural land resilience and natural resources. In addition to training the community of agricultural educators and advisors in Nebraska and the North Central Region to deliver the experiential learning curriculum, project team members will support up to four participants in their first delivery of the curriculum to assess the impacts of our training program and inform necessary revisions to the training.
Project objectives from proposal:
AN “INTERACTIVE LAND MANAGEMENT DECISION-MAKING EXERCISE” ENHANCED WITH NEW CONTENT that includes principles of climate risk, land resilience, soil health, water quality, and conservation practices, along with guidance on securing funding for practice implementation.
ONE PILOT TRAINING EVENT AND THREE FULL TRAINING EVENTS conducted in Nebraska will generate data to determine the change in awareness and knowledge among team members and training participants about topics delivered in curriculum.
85 EXTENSION EDUCATORS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS from Nebraska and peer institutions are expected to have the necessary tools and confidence to deliver the curriculum as local hosts.
PARTICIPANT CONVERSATIONS will provide peer support and shared learning opportunities for the 85 participants of the professional development trainings.
INPUT FROM PARTNERING FARMERS will provide perspectives of trusted experts who have implemented soil conservation practices and can speak to their experiences, which is expected to greatly influence quality of the curriculum, training delivery, and participant acceptance of information presented in the trainings. Recorded comments from farmers will contribute to media outputs (e.g., videos, articles, printed content, etc.) that promote sustainable agricultural practices.
“INTERACTIVE LAND MANAGEMENT DECISION-MAKING EXERCISE” TEACHING KITS (n=15) will be distributed to participants who commit to hosting a local training. The curriculum will continue to be distributed in Nebraska and regionally through the North Central Regional Water Network via the Soil Health Nexus and through the eXtension Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Community.
FOUR TRAININGS DELIVERED BY TRAININGPARTICIPANTS (“trained trainers”) at their local level within the performance period of this project with support from project team members will provide data to assess the effectiveness of the primary training in developing confidence and abilities among participants to deliver the training independently.
EVALUATION DATA collected during project planning meetings, curriculum development activities, professional development events, and subsequent delivery of the curriculum by “trained trainers” will provide data to assess effectiveness of the planning, development, and delivery mechanisms.
OUTREACH CONTENT developed from observations during trainings, participant discussions, farmer partner testimonials, and new curriculum content will be disseminated through existing social media, print, video, and similar outlets managed by the Schmidt Lab at UNL that are recognized nationally for providing high-quality, translatable, and valuable outreach content to support nutrient management and water quality programming.
WEBINARS AND IN-PERSON PRESENTATIONS by project participants will promote the value and accessibility of the “Interactive Land Management Decision-making Exercise” as an effective experiential learning tool for teaching principles encompassed by the curriculum.