Project Overview
Commodities
Practices
Proposal abstract:
The Kansas SARE Professional Development Program for 2025-2026 will promote increased knowledge of sustainable agriculture practices by focusing on four priority initiatives – Paths to Sustainability with Farm Labor; Generational Transfer in Agriculture; Soil Water, Climate; and Sustainable Agricultural Systems. These initiatives will be used to prioritize programs during the two-year grant cycle.
Project objectives from proposal:
Kansas Initiative 1: Paths to Sustainability with Farm Labor
For this North Central Region SARE initiative Kansas SARE will send a team of ag professionals to a regional training on farm labor to be held in 2025 at a Midwest location to be determined. KS SARE funds will be used to provide travel support to team members who attend the training. Following the training event, the team will convene to further discuss and plan how to provide professional development on a relevant labor topic for Kansas. We will also stay in communication with other states in the region working on this, including participating in further information exchange facilitated through the NCR-SARE PDP program. Before the end of the two-year funding cycle, we will implement one or more Kansas-based professional development programs related to farm labor for educators and farmers in Kansas. State SARE funds will be used to partially or fully cover the cost of delivering this professional development program in our state.
Expected Outcomes:
- 7 Ag Professionals increase their knowledge of farm labor issues by attending a regional SARE training (Year 1)
- 1 mini grant for a farm labor workshop (Year 2)
Activities:
- Recruit team members for NCR-SARE regional training.
- Award travel scholarships for Regional Ag Labor Train-the-Trainer workshop
- Award mini grant for farm labor-focused educational program in 2026
- Cooperate with other NCR states on regional educational opportunities
Evaluation: Post-event evaluations will be collected to determine change in knowledge and intended actions based on new information.
Monitor social media analytics (i.e. likes, shares, and retweets) for sponsored programs
Collect 6-12 month follow-up evaluations after sponsored travel and programs to determine short and intermediate outcomes.
Kansas Initiative 2: Generational Transfer in Agriculture
Includes professional development activities that will expand capacity in the areas of providing meaningful assistance to beginning farmers, generational transition and transfer; and succession planning - especially as the activities relate to transitioning to more sustainable land use practices. This initiative is carried over from 2023-2024 as it is still an issue in Kansas and may have overlap with Kansas Initiative 1: Paths to Sustainability with Farm Labor.
Expected Outcomes:
- 15 Extension and allied ag professionals increase their knowledge about different types of transition and transfer of agricultural land in Kansas
- 10 Extension and allied ag professionals increase their knowledge about working with beginning farmers who are veterans
- 10 Extension and allied ag professionals increase their knowledge of barriers to generational farming experienced by people of color
- 1 mini grant focusing on land transfer/transition and/or succession planning
Activities:
- Support the K-State Extension Office of Farm Transition (Kansitions Program) and Farm Financial Analyst Programs in the Department of Ag Economics, with educational programming about farmland access, generational transfer, generational transition, succession planning, and land link programming
- Assist the Farmer Veteran Coalition of Kansas (FVC-KS) and Servicemember Agricultural Vocational Education (S.A.V.E.) farm on programming focusing on the unique needs of veterans and transitioning soldiers who want to start farming
- Cooperate with Kansas Black Farmers Association, New Roots for Refugees, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, the Kickapoo Nation, Sac and Fox Tribe, and the Iowa Tribes of Kansas and Nebraska on educational programming about barriers encountered by people of color when beginning or transitioning to farming.
- Cooperate with the the K-State Extension Growing Growers Apprenticeship Program as it expands statewide. The program provides formal training combined with opportunities for would-be farmers to apprentice with host farms. A new USDA grant will facilitate expansion of the program and allow for education about SARE programs.
Evaluation: Post-event evaluations will be collected to determine change in knowledge and intended actions based on new information.
Monitor social media analytics (i.e. likes and retweets) for sponsored programs
Collect 6-12 month follow-up evaluations after scholarship travel and programs to determine short and intermediate outcomes.
Kansas Initiative 3: Soil, Water, Climate
This initiative focuses on learning opportunities to help protect Kansas soil health, water resources, and air quality.
Expected Outcomes:
- 25 Extension professionals complete River Friendly Farms (RFF) training
- 12 Extension professionals conduct RFF producers in their county/district
- 2 mini grants awarded for soil health, water quality/quantity, or climate education programs
Activities:
- Partner with the Kansas Rural Center and K-State Watershed Specialists to update the River Friendly Farms training manual.
- Co-Sponsor a Train-the-Trainer workshop for Extension and other ag professionals to roll out the revised River Friendly Farms Notebook.
- Award travel scholarships to Extension agents to attend River Friendly Farms training and/or other workshops, field days, farm tours, and on-farm demonstrations focused on soil, water, and/or climate topics.
Evaluation: Post-event evaluations will be collected to determine change in knowledge and intended actions based on new information.
Collect number of local RFF trainings and number of producers who complete River Friendly Farms plans.
Collect 6-12 month follow-up evaluations after sponsored travel and programs to determine short and intermediate outcomes.
Kansas Initiative 4: Sustainable Agricultural Systems
This initiative encompasses activities related to inclusive agricultural systems. Included in the scope of this initiative are aspects of social justice in the food system and alternative production models (urban, suburban, and rural) which is carried over from the 2023-2024 Plan of Work.
Expected Outcomes:
- 15 Extension and allied ag professionals increase their knowledge about integrating crops and livestock
- 15 Extension and allied ag professionals increase their knowledge about urban, suburban, and peri urban production systems by attending the Urban Food Systems Symposium in 2026
- 1 mini grant focusing on urban ag production
- 1 mini grant for programming focusing on production systems, such as integrating crops and livestock
Activities:
- Award travel scholarships to support training on systems approaches to solving agricultural problems.
- Award travel scholarships to support increasing knowledge about non-traditional production systems
- Award mini grants to encourage development of new educational opportunities focusing on non-traditional production systems.
Evaluation: Post-event evaluations will be collected to determine change in knowledge and intended actions based on new information.
Track number of Extension programs focusing on integrating crops and livestock.
Monitor social media activity (i.e. likes and retweets) for sponsored programs
Collect 6-12 month follow-up evaluations after programs and scholarship travel to determine short and intermediate outcomes.