2024-2025 MODEL STATE PROGRAM – PROGRAM ASSISTANT

Commodities

Practices

Florida activities for 2024-2025 will build upon the basic framework for the model state program. Planned activities include integrating results of SARE funded research and Extension activities, and other relevant research, and using this information as resources for educational programs. We also plan to continue to strengthen our focus on targeted training for state and county Extension faculty, representatives of non-profit organizations, representatives of state and federal government agencies, and farmer representatives. To fulfill the priorities and objectives of our program, our training funds will be used to address programs in three subject matter areas: (1) new and emerging solutions for Florida agricultural production, (2) advancing Extension capacity in sustainable agriculture, and (3) entrepreneurial innovation in sustainable agriculture.  Our expected outcomes are: (1) Extension faculty will participate in SARE in-service training programs and use this information in their own programming, (2) Extension faculty will participate in regional and national training programs in sustainable agriculture and apply the lessons learned in their own programming, (3) at least two of the statewide Extension priority teams will include information and resources about sustainable agriculture and SARE in their professional development training programs and Extension programming, (4) through SARE, Extension agents and farmers will identify opportunities for the development, outreach, and research of alternative crops and enterprises, (5) regional and local county agents will develop new collaborations with organizations, agencies, and groups working in sustainable agriculture, and (6) Extension faculty and agents will make increased use of resources to support programming in sustainable agriculture.

1. 2024 SARE Plan of Work:
   1. Outreach Objectives:
      1. Maintain existing and establish new collaborative Extension trainings and programs with faculty members and county agents at University of Florida and Florida A&M University whose work addresses sustainability in production agriculture.
      2. Extend collaboration with organizations that are active in the post-production components of food systems, particularly non-profit, state, and governmental organizations whose work fosters development of food and agriculture businesses.
      3. Support the development of Extension programs in food systems, including Regional Specialized Agents whose work includes both on-farm production and post-farm gate aspects of food system development.
      4. Expand participation of minority, women, urban, and limited resource farmers and professionals in SARE activities and programs, ensuring that these groups are well represented in the full range of SARE-funded professional development opportunities.
   2. Florida SARE Expected Outcomes:
      1. County faculty members will participate in regional and national training programs in sustainable agriculture and will apply the lessons learned in their own programs.
      2. At least two of the statewide Extension priority teams will include information and resources about sustainable agriculture and SARE in their professional development training programs and Extension programming.
      3. Extension agents and farmers will identify opportunities, such as SARE-funded Research & Education, Professional Development, and On-Farm Research projects, for the development of alternative crops and enterprises and will play key roles in outreach and research projects that focus on alternative crops and enterprises.
      4. Regional and local county agents will develop new collaborations with organizations, agencies, and groups working in sustainable agriculture, including non-profit and for-profit organizations involved in post-farm gate food processing, marketing and distribution, and policy development.
      5. State, regional, and county Extension faculty members and agents will make increased use of resources to support programming in sustainable agriculture, including fiscal resources such as Southern SARE grants.
   3. Subject Matter Topics:
      1. Sustainable Solutions for Florida Agricultural Production:

Agronomic and horticultural production systems increasingly face emerging pest threats, competition with other uses for scarce resources, and increasing international competition in traditionally high-value crops. The rapidity with which new challenges emerge requires that service providers be knowledgeable not only of technologies and strategies that are fully tested and “ready for use,” but also of the most promising solutions under development. Equally important, we need to shorten the distance between research and application, an imperative long recognized by SARE.

1. Advancing Extension Capacity in Sustainable Agriculture:

This initiative provides individualized training in specialized topics in sustainable agriculture. County and state faculty can participate in training relevant to their state and county programs that may not be a focus or an emphasis in the other Florida SARE initiatives. We allow county and state faculty to develop their own training objectives and propose venues that will provide the training they need. We also advertise training opportunities that may be of interest to Florida faculty.

1. Entrepreneurial Innovation in Sustainable Agriculture:

This initiative focuses on advancing Extension that provides support for nontraditional agricultural businesses and promotes sustainable food systems to address social and economic community issues. Healthy growing agricultural and natural resource-based businesses can contribute to local development and economic vitality if barriers to the establishment and growth of businesses are addressed.  We will facilitate workshops, strategic planning, and joint programmatic development for Extension and community partners.

1. Training Events:
   1. Sustainable Solutions for Florida Agricultural Production:
      1. What Does Social Science Have to Do with SARE?

The target audience for this training is county Extension faculty.  County Extension faculty are under increasing demand to identify sustainable solutions for rapidly changing food and agricultural systems and encourage behavioral change.  This requires Extension faculty to understand why people resist a change in behavior despite knowing that change is needed. This training gives participants an opportunity to develop a road map that addresses changes needed in the food and agricultural sector, with a focus on farmers.  Training objectives:

1. Provide Extension faculty with access to science-based evidence for models of behavior change.
2. Extension faculty will be introduced to contemporary approaches to programmatic development based on logic models, using science-based data.
3. Identify the components of a strategic logic model.

1. Advancing Extension Capacity in Sustainable Agriculture:
   1. How to Source Extramural Funding to Sustain Your Extension Program:

The target audience for this training is county Extension faculty. County Extension faculty are under increasing demand to find extramural funding for their Extension programs in Florida. Yet, most are unaware of many services provided by UF Office of Research that apply to Extension, nor do many know how to search other public data bases that identify likely sources of funding for their programs, such as the national database of foundations.  This training gives participants an opportunity to develop a strategic approach to seeking funding for new and existing Extension programming for sustainable agriculture and sustainable community food systems, drawing on both public and private sources. Training objectives:

1. Work with appropriate on-campus resources to help them identify potential funding sources for their programs.
2. Enroll in and use the grants.gov and foundation.org systems for identifying potential donors.
3. Identify the key components in a RFA.
4. Read and understand the key components in the RFA that determine eligibility and guide the applicant toward the most promising venues for funding.
5. Advanced Individualized Training:

The target audience consists of county Extension faculty who are members of a Florida Extension Professional Association. Scholarships are available to support travel to a professional development program in which the faculty person will receive training in topics relevant to sustainable agriculture. Program objectives:

1. Increase participation in trainings related to sustainable agriculture that are associated with the SSARE Program.
2. Increase participation in relevant national and regional trainings offered by other programs and organizations.
3. Enhance the ability of the participant to develop and deliver local extension programming relevant to the goals of the Florida SARE program.
4. Expand the current Extension responsibilities of the participant to include programming related to sustainable agriculture and food systems.

1. Entrepreneurial Innovation in Sustainable Agriculture:
   1. Successful Grant Writing for Extension Programming:

The target audience for this training consists of county Extension faculty, service providers, community-based organizations, and producer organizations.  The funding opportunities for community-based and producer organizations provide important resources to foster community and farm development. Successful proposal development is a learned skill. While the specific requirements for each proposal will vary depending on the goals of the donor, objectives, and proposal requirements, there are commonalities to most proposals. The objective of this program is to provide participants with an understanding of key factors that donors commonly use to evaluate proposals and how to respond to these factors.  Training objectives:

1. Write a problem statement that is responsive to the priorities of the donor.
2. Develop goals, objectives, and outcomes to address the problem statement.
3. Develop and describe objective-based activities.
4. Construct an appropriate evaluation strategy.
5. Develop an objective-based budget.

1. Revision of State Strategic Plan:

The 2024-25 Florida SARE programming continues building upon our previous years’ work. We focus on outreach and training that enhances the environmental and economic benefits of production agriculture. We develop trainings that emphasize local and regional food systems to address issues and policies that impact our food system. We adapt to the changing training needs of state and county faculty. County, regional and state Extension personnel continue to press for more training in how to develop research and outreach proposals and how to assemble and train teams to implement their projects. We will continue to expand this training to include identification of potential funding sources (public and private). County faculty want access to cutting edge research in sustainable ag to reduce the time between research and adoption. We are accommodating this need by involving county faculty in field assessments of various research projects. Through this venue, county faculty have a voice in the development of research projects and in the data generation process. We will expand our training program that integrates grower and technical advisor input into ecological and biological research to enhance research outcomes to include farmer-designed on-farm trials and stakeholder advisory panels. This program helps extension faculty strengthen the outreach and evaluation components of extension projects. One of the most useful roles we play for IFAS faculty members is to gather preliminary data regarding grower needs, barriers, and priorities. We will develop protocols for this kind of data collection and work with faculty members to facilitate the data collection. These data are often critical to the development of successful grant proposals.