Increasing returns from farm woodlots with owner-operated processing of timber

Increasing returns from farm woodlots with owner-operated processing of timber

Summary

By adding value to their timber through the use of portable sawmills, farmers can potentially realize a significantly higher return on their wood. The project manager will identify and recruit farmers who operate portable sawmills for demonstrations and workshops aimed at extension and other agricultural professionals, and will also develop operational and financial information for educators to use with farmers. Follow-up surveys will determine if farmers are adopting the practice.

This project will educate extension and other forestry/farm educators about value-added methods of processing on-farm woodlot timber into more valuable and profitable wood products. Workshops will be the primary method of educational delivery. This can be an effective way of improving the household income of farmers/woodlot owners in the state and region. The 1997 Census of Agriculture showed that 41% of West Virginia farmland was in woodland (1.4 million acres) with an average woodlot size of 81 acres.

Timber stand improvement is more practical with the increased income levels on smaller sized tracts. Regular utilization of woodlot timber for higher value products over longer periods of time promotes sustainable forestry and farming. Farmers will see this as a desirable and viable alternative to lower priced, high volume commodity sales that may be realized once or twice in a lifetime. Thirty professional educators who attended one of the initial workshops will then conduct educational programs throughout the state, especially in their respective counties. Ten of these educational programs will be in the form of workshops, of which, three will be on-farm workshops with actual equipment demonstrations to farmers/woodlot owners. A third-year survey will be conducted to determine how many farmer / woodlot owner participants plan to or have incorporated these value-added strategies into their operations.

The workshops for the professional advisors and the farmers/woodlot owners themselves will cover value-added timber processing as an integrated system with forest and land management. Subjects covered will include: tree species and their uses, harvesting timber (low-impact methods, West Virginia Logging Sediment Control Act, Best Management Practices, and safety), timber management, log grading and scaling, log processing (sawing for grade), lumber grading, lumber care and drying, lumber marketing and business considerations. It is important for attendees to see value-added processing by on-farm machines as an integrated process beginning with forest management and continuing through product use and marketing.

Workshops that include actual demonstrations of value-added timber processing equipment; focusing primarily on the portable sawmill, will be used to engage and keep the interest the professional educators and farmers/woodlot owners. These on-farm workshops will demonstrate logs actually being sawed into high value lumber by the farmer/owner. It is key to have enthusiastic and successful farmers/owners demonstrating their processing operation. In turn, the educators will hold workshops, send out newsletters, write newspaper articles, or inform clients at meetings about this value-added opportunity for their woodlots.

Objectives/Performance Targets

1. 30 extension and other farm and forestry educators will conduct educational programs on owner operated processing for value-added opportunities of timber.

   Of the 30 educational programs, 10 will involve workshops for farmers/woodlot owners.

   Of the 10 workshops presented by educators, 3 will incorporate on-farm demonstrations.

   100 farmers / woodlot owners who are recipients of value-added timber educational programs will add or plan to add value as a result of this program.

Accomplishments/Milestones

1. Due to a delay in grant funding, the project was started several months later than anticipated. Progress is being made on the milestones.

   Develop curriculum and fact sheets with key project individuals (9/2003). The curriculum development is underway. Curriculum has been discussed by involved parties and the outline made. The fact sheet is 50% complete and under development.

   Select three farmers/woodlot owner sites for professional educator demonstrations (9/2003). Preliminary selection of sites and portable sawmill operators is underway. The site and operator for the first workshop has been selected.

   Attend workshop (extension agents and other farm/forestry professionals) on value-added processing of woodlot timber (6/2004). Three workshops for professionals will be presented. This milestone will most likely take all of 2004. This is to be attained by the end of 2004.

   Initiate and conduct educational programs (extension agents and other farm/forestry professionals) for clients on value-added processing opportunities through workshops, newsletters, farmer/woodlot owner meetings, newspaper articles, etc. (3/2005). This should begin in 2005 and take until year-end.

   Conduct workshops for clients on value-added timber processing (3/2005). This is expected to begin in 2005 and be complete by year-end.

   Conduct on-farm/woodlot demonstrations of value-added timber processing equipment and systems (3/2005). These are the demonstration workshops the trained professionals will facilitate/present. These should be complete at year-end 2005.

   Survey and report on the number of farmers / woodlot owners who add value or plan to add value as a result of this project (3/2006). Due to the late start on this project, the survey and evaluation of outcomes may take until year-end 2006.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

Interest is high among the extension and forestry professionals that will be involved in the training. Although the initial workshops for professionals have not been held yet, potential attendees have expressed great excitement about the opportunity to add value to farm woodlots.