Strengthening Midwest Vegetable Grower Networks Through Collaborative Professional Development

Commodities

• Vegetables: artichokes, asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucurbits, eggplant, garlic, greens (leafy), greens (lettuces), leeks, lentils, okra, onions, parsnips, peas (culinary), peppers, radishes (culinary), rutabagas, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, taro, tomatoes, turnips, other

Practices

• Education and Training: farmer to farmer, networking, technical assistance, workshop
• Production Systems: organic agriculture, transitioning to organic
• Sustainable Communities: leadership development, local and regional food systems, partnerships, quality of life, social networks

The Midwest Vegetable Growers Network (MVEG) seeks to expand professional development opportunities for agricultural educators serving diversified vegetable producers across eight Midwest states. This project builds on MVEG's established collaborative framework, which currently connects over 200 technical assistance (TA) providers and farmers through working groups, peer learning, and coordinated resource delivery-creating unique train-the-trainer infrastructure that amplifies impact across the region's $2.6 billion vegetable production sector.

Through this grant, MVEG will: 1) enhance TA provider capacity in farmer-centered teaching methods through an in-person skill-building convening; 2) facilitate cross-state knowledge exchange on priority topics-including production, health, labor and marketing-by supporting TA providers and farmer educators in delivering trainings and attending conferences outside their home states; 3) strengthen farmer-to-farmer and farmer-to-TA learning through compensated farmer participation as hosts, speakers, and advisors; and 4) maintain robust network coordination through FairShare's Network Manager position.

Activities include hosting 1 TA skill-building convening, 4 on-farm field days and workshops annually (8 total) addressing priority topics, facilitating 6 grower-to-grower webinars annually (12 total) on topics identified through farmer needs assessments, providing travel stipends for TA and farmer educators to deliver trainings, compensating 5 farmers to serve on MVEG's Farmer Outreach Committee, and supporting representation at regional conferences.

By investing in the professional development capacity of agricultural educators-and connecting them across organizational and geographic boundaries-this project transforms fragmented, single-organization programming into a collaborative regional system that efficiently delivers farmer-centered education, eliminates duplication, and builds the responsive capacity essential for addressing rapidly evolving challenges across 7,000+ Midwest vegetable farmers.

Network Activities (TA Provider and Educator professional development and knowledge sharing):

• 8 quarterly network-wide meetings (virtual), 25-30 participants each
• ~24 working group meetings (adaptive frequency), 6-12 participants each
• 16 facilitation team meetings, 5-6 participants each
• 1 in-person TA skill-building convening, 25-30 participants

TA Provider Engagement:

• 80 currently engaged MVEG TA provider members
• 20 new TA providers recruited through partnerships and conference presentations

• Total: 100 distinct TA providers engaged

Farmer-Educator Engagement:

• 5 Farmer Outreach Committee members serving throughout project
• 6-8 farm hosts for field days
• 15-20 farmer guest speakers at webinars and conferences

• Total: 26-33 distinct farmer-educators engaged

All educators will have access to educational materials developed as part of this proposal, in order to make regional replication more feasible. This includes: presentation materials, speaker notes (when available), field day/workshop checklists, outreach/promotional language and collateral, and registration and evaluation forms.

Farmer-Facing Education Activities:

• 8 on-farm field days/workshops, 20-25 participants each (160-200 total attendees)
• 12 grower-to-grower webinars, 15-20 live participants each (180-240 total attendees, plus additional views of recordings)
• 4 conference engagements with 8+ sessions delivered, reaching an estimated 240-400 additional farmers and TA providers

Total direct participation: 400-600 distinct farmers receiving education (with an anticipated 90% indicating knowledge gained). An additional 7,000+ farmers are reached through partner networks and MVEG communications and will receive products and insights developed from this proposal: webinar recordings, presentation materials, and supplemental field day/workshop resources.