Southwest Marketing Network: Expanding Markets for Small-Scale Alternative and Minority Farmers and Ranchers

Southwest Marketing Network: Expanding Markets for Small-Scale Alternative and Minority Farmers and Ranchers

Summary

The Southwest Marketing Network is a four-state (NM, CO, AZ, UT and Tribal communities) collaborative of farmers, ranchers, and service providers. Through this project we are providing producers several ways to access training and conferences through “distance learning” tools. This project is increasing producer knowledge, awareness, attitudes, and skills by providing connections with other producers and buyers, technical and financial assistance, marketing and business skills, and peer examples to help them increase their profitability. The information is shared through hands-on trainings in the field and conference workshops that are also professionally videoed for producers who cannot participate directly.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Our goal is to positively affect at least 500 producers (see information below) with specific tools over the two-year period that they can and/or will use to increase their production, marketing opportunities, and income. As a result, during the first year more that 150 producers have received information and training and approximately 150 service providers.

Out of our goals we want to create four in-the-field hands-on trainings that are also distance trainings. Of this we have done two trainings and have created one distance learning tool that has been provided to more than 300 producers and service providers out of at least 500 over two years.

We have created an eight-hour distance learning tool with marketing, production, and business management tools that has been disseminated to 247 participants at the SWMN 2005 conference (from the 2004 conference presentations and workshops). Specific learning sessions were video taped as well as keynote presentations and a PowerPoint presentation that is currently being finalized and will be disseminated at the March 2006 SWMN conference to participants and will be made available to anyone who wishes to receive the learning tools.

Accomplishments/Milestones

Our goal over the two-year project is to provide producers with information and educational tools in a variety of ways through hands-on on peer training, conference workshops, scholarships to attend workshops that normally they wouldn’t be able to, and distance learning tools through videos and Internet videoing.
Goal over two years:
Goal: At least 500 underserved producers will actively participate in a training, presentation or conference events that will add to or improve on their marketing and business management skills, and will increase their access to information.
Goal: An additional 400 producers will access the “distance learning” tools during the two-year period.
Accomplishments: In the first year close to 300 producers, service providers, and rural community members actively participated in trainings, presentations, conference events and received distance learning tools of which more than half were producers. These archived learning tools will continue to be available to producers long beyond the grant time.
Goal: Through our SWMN quarterly newsletter and website at least 3,000 underserved producers and organizations, educators and extension agents who serve them will be notified of the hands-on workshops, distance learning trainings and conferences.
Accomplishments: Close to 3,200 underserved producers and organizations, educators and extension agents who serve them have received the quarterly newsletter and the website has received over 27,000 visits for specific information.
As a result of the conference workshops, hands-on “season extension” workshop, and distance learning tools provided the following has been accomplished and individuals served:

More than 65 producers participated in a conference workshop on “season extension” which resulted in the request to have a hands-on greenhouse building experience by the Natwani Coalition on the Hopi Nations. Approximately 15 people participated.

A second hands-on workshop was held at the Alcalde Agriculture Science Center where 27 people participated in building a cost effective cold-frame greenhouse.

The Alcalde Agriculture Science Center cold-frame Greenhouse building as filmed by New Mexico State University and put into a simple easy to use and understand step-by-step video. The video has been made available in both VHS and CD and has been disseminated to more than 270 producers and service providers in the four-state region.

At the 2005 Southwest Marketing Network Conference in Albuquerque, NM:

247 registrants received the cold-frame greenhouse video and specific business, marketing and productions sessions (including keynote presentations) videoed at the 2004 Southwest Marketing Network conference in a form that was usable by them;
73 participants received scholarships for registration, meals, two-nights shared accommodations so that they could participate.
Of the 247 participants there were:
Women – 121
Men – 126
Farmers, ranchers, producers – 118
Other independent business – 21
Education, nonprofit, extension – 78
Government, other than edu – 30
Farmers and ranchers are generally 48% of the attendees.
Of the 247 participants the ethnicity included:
White, non-Hispanic – 157
Native American – 40
African American – 25
Hispanic – 24
Asian American – 1
Minorities represented 36% of the attendees.
Though the SWMN Conference is a four-state and Tribal community endeavor, the conference attracted producers from 17 states:
32% from NM, 20% from AZ, 17% from OK, 16% from CO, 4% from UT, and 11% form other western states.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

As a result of the conference workshops, hands-on “season extension” workshop, and distance learning tools provided the following impacts and outcomes have been observed:

More than 150 producers have actively participated in trainings, presentations and conference workshops in the first year.

During the hands-on trainings all 42 participants learned at least two successful and innovative marketing approaches employed by farmers in the region. These included varieties of plants that can be grown in cold-frame/season extension greenhouses and where to sell them – local farmers’ markets, schools, stores, restaurants, and Community supported agriculture projects.

All of these producers learned how to access at least two new resources within the region to help them reinforce and practice what they have learned. All participants received the two videos (cold-frame building and SWMN conference videos) as well as a farm direct marketing book from the University of Arizona, specific information provided by the Alcalde Agriculture Science Center during hands-on trainings, the SWMN newsletters and website information.

129 serve providers – non-profit organizations, Cooperative Extension and Department of agriculture agents and other government and non-government service providers are now active in the SWMN (goal was 10).

In the second year of the project we will assess what practices producers have employed as a result of the information they have received from the SWMN through this project and what the economic and social impacts have been.

One thing we have found challenging has been to provide the hands-on workshops on an internet video and to get farmers to want to drive to a location where they can access the video. To overcome this challenge we have been more aggressive in getting the videos of the workshops out to the intended audience, and we will be providing a workshop on how Cooperative Extension Service providers and others can more effectively offer this service to farmers and ranchers. The workshop is scheduled for the SWMN 2006 conference.

Photos and Videos:
We are sending:
Photos of the December2, 2004 Alcalde Agriculture Science Center “Cold-Frame Greenhouse Building Workshop”

Educational video of the December2, 2004 Alcalde Agriculture Science Center “Cold-Frame Greenhouse Building Workshop”

Educational video set of the 2004 Southwest Marketing Network Conference Selected Education Workshop sessions

Collaborators: