Project Overview
Commodities
Practices
- Animal Production: grazing - rotational
- Crop Production: conservation tillage, cover crops, cropping systems, crop rotation, drainage systems, drought tolerance, intercropping, no-till, nutrient management, strip tillage, water management
- Education and Training: decision support system, extension, mentoring, networking, technical assistance, workshop, other
- Farm Business Management: farm succession, risk management, whole farm planning
- Natural Resources/Environment: soil stabilization
- Production Systems: holistic management, integrated crop and livestock systems
- Soil Management: soil quality/health
- Sustainable Communities: leadership development, sustainability measures
Proposal abstract:
National Wildlife Federation (NWF), in partnership with University of Minnesota Extension and Outreach, plans to increase outreach capacity of conservation professionals in Minnesota through four Grow More trainings across the state. Grow More is an in-depth outreach training that allows participants to learn and apply social science and behavior change methods to their outreach efforts. In addition to the trainings, participants will join an extended community of practice to facilitate peer learning and create long term outreach support in the state.
Outcome 1.
After attending a Grow More training, 75% of program attendees will implement at least one new messaging strategy and obtain improved confidence in outreach skills including messaging to middle adopters and reframing to reach target audiences.
Outcome 2.
Following participation in an extended community learning program, 85% of cohort participants will report implementing at least one new outreach strategy and improved confidence in outreach skills. Participants will also report an increased sense of community and job satisfaction due to participation in the program.
Funding and capacity limitations are affecting farmer and rancher access to trusted technical assistance. Outreach professionals trained in natural resources need innovative messaging tools to close the gap and reach producers who have been reluctant to adopt conservation practices. Formal education in communications is often not provided to outreach professionals in their job training, leading to ineffective outreach messaging. Since 2019, NWF's Grow More training has demonstrated significant improvements in confidence and capacity of conservation professionals for soil health and sustainable agriculture messaging.
Project objectives from proposal:
Four Grow More Trainings: 60 total participants
An average of 15 participants will attend each Grow More training, for a total of at least 60 outreach professionals from Minnesota and surrounding states. Outreach professionals from various organization will be invited to participate in these trainings. These organizations include university extension staff, Natural Resource Conservation Service professionals, Pheasants Forever biologists, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and private consultants.
Two Grow More Cohorts: 20 total participants
An average of 10 participants, selected from the Grow More training, will take part in each Grow More Cohort, for a total of 20 outreach professionals.
Grow More Cohort Curriculum
At the completion of this project, the piloted Grow More Cohort curriculum will be finalized into a formal curriculum for future NWF cohort programs. This curriculum will be used in future programs alongside Grow More trainings for continued social science learning and networking around the country. Curriculum will consist of proposed cohort meeting agendas, group activities, exercise worksheets, and discussion prompts. Refresher pages and quick reference guides will also be developed for cohort participants.
Independent Cohort Best Practices Final Report
In collaboration with the University of Minnesota, NWF will write a final report that provides guidance and suggestions for setting up long-term, self-sustaining communities of practice. The report will be used to encourage and inform peer networking efforts among other conservation professionals in the region. This report will also serve in the development of future Grow More Cohorts. Guidance on how to start a cohort, how to manage a message group to build community, and how to use the Grow More cohort curriculum will be described so other Grow More training attendees can build their own communities of practice in their respective states.