Small Acreage Success: Connecting Natural Resource Professionals with a Non-Traditional Audience

Small Acreage Success: Connecting Natural Resource Professionals with a Non-Traditional Audience

Summary

After the loss of the SDSU Extension Small Acreage Field Specialist SARE, Host Acreage owners’ knowledge and skills, as well as their confidence in sharing their knowledge with peers, allowed them to operate independently, providing programming and advice to other small acreage owners.  This reflects the value of the ‘teach, coach, mentor” approach to developing leaders among small acreage owners.  True impacts of the programming on the Host Sites can be seen through increased economical and environmental benefits.  Outreach to small goat operations resulted in the completion of a SARE funded producer grant examining the acceptability of goat meat locally.  In addition, a new SARE Partnership grant to work to develop regionally adapted meat goat genotypes was also submitted.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Short-term outcomes of this project will be 1) improved management and sustainability of 3 small acreages, 2) increased knowledge and skills of 150 small acreage owners regarding weed identification and control, appropriate stocking rates, manure management, soil/water quality and finances; and 3) 150 small acreage owners will have increased awareness of the technical assistance available to them for sustainable natural resource management information. A one-day workshop will be held on each Host Acreage in each of the three years of this project. In Year 1, participants (we anticipate approximately 20 at each site in Year 1) will be introduced to the Host Acreage where their workshop is being held, including the issues, goals, and management strategies identified by the owners with the help of the SAT. Kit Distribution: Kits contain plant ID and pasture management and monitoring tools, as well as technical resource information Newsletters: We will send electronic newsletters to the Electronic Contact List featuring such topics as “small acreage of the month”, “have you seen this weed?” and “new fencing strategies”, every 3 months. Teach/Coach/Mentor: We will utilize the Teach/Coach/Mentor education philosophy adapted by Patterson et. al (2003). In this method, sustainable natural resource principles and skills will be taught by the SAT to the Host Acreage owners and workshop participants in Year 1; advertising in country print media, direct phone calls and emails, flyers, and radio advertising were the most effective methods, and that Saturdays are the best available day of the week for reaching the small acreage audience.Progress of Host Acreages in meeting their objectives will be evaluated through several different land monitoring techniques (e.g. photo-monitoring, forage availability measurements, species frequency, etc.) through the 4 years of participation in the program

Accomplishments/Milestones

Outreach to small acreage operators continued in the absence of the original project director.  It included more diverse audiences and impacted audences statewide.

Training recieved throughout the project period by real estate agents who interact with prospective small acreage purchasers should have long term benefits.  Disclosure accountability should enhance the quality of information, particularly with regard to natural resource management, accessed by prospective buyers

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

Local food producers received training:
• February 28, 2014 Farmers Market Workshop, Rapid City. Topics included harvesting and storage for optimal quality, food safety, and updates on a new pest that is threatening mid- to late-season production of small fruit and soft fruited vegetables. Most produce at farmers markets comes from small acreages.
• Field Day – Stewart’s Aronia Acres, Wagner, SD. Small farm growing aronia, haskap, and other shrub fruit. Aug 8 2014
• Individual consultation with beginning grape growers on small acreages (throughout growing season).
• Local Foods Conference Nov 2013, Rapid City Broad range of topics for growers and consumers
Presentations
• Food Safety for Growers presentation – Aberdeen, March 2014
• High/Low Tunnels for Homeowners – Rapid City, March 2014
• Soil Biology – Yankton, Sept 2014 Master Gardener Continuing Education

Small acreage livestock producers were trained:
• Met with small acreage members to work on Best management practices of small ruminants
• Demonstrated Optical Fiber Diameter Analysis technology for wool fiber characteristics.
• Demonstrated Loin Muscle Depth data collection using ultra sound technology to small ruminant producers

Small beef producers were:
     contacted at the Black Hills Stock Show
     trained in the use of the “quick test” to detect nitrate toxicity
     provided access to SDSU Extension Beef Best Practices Manual

Rangeland monitoring plans for a small acreage were established as a project of a SDSU undergraduate range class

Outreach meetings were held on several Reservations to serve Native American small acreage establishments
     Rosebud meeting had about 20
     Pine Ridge meeting had 8
     Cheyenne River over 20 including demonstration tour at Bad Warriors Soiled Hands Society meeting.

• Meetings were convened on Pine Ridge, Rosebud and Cheyenne River reservations, bringing successful small acreage producers together with interested landowners. Topics included meat and dairy goat husbandry, chickens, vineyards and other cash crops, and overall ecological stewardship.

• Four participants participated in national and regional meetings on small scale food production, small enterprise development, food sovereignty and high tunnel vegetable production.

Collaborators: