Cultivating Farm Viability in Northwest Washington: A Train-the-Trainer Model for Supporting Limited-Resource Producers

Commodities

Practices

• Education and Training: mentoring
• Farm Business Management: whole farm planning
• Sustainable Communities: local and regional food systems

First-generation farms often struggle to access business-support services, conservation programs, and responsive technical assistance. Whatcom County-an agricultural powerhouse-recently lost both of its farm-business
support programs. No local entity helps producers navigate the long, complex conservation programs essential to viability. Conservation Districts are well positioned to fill this gap but lack shared curriculum and training models. This project will create, test, and distribute a replicable framework that improves outcomes for limited-resource producers and increases adoption of conservation practices.

Phase 1 - Build & Pilot (Year 1): WCD and partners will formalize and package a modular Farm Viability curriculum while continuing intensive support for five businesses engaged through a recent USDA NRCS pilot. Insights from work with 35 limited-resource producers will be translated into clear, practical training materials.

Phase 2 - Cohort Launch (Mid-project): WCD will run an application-based, six-month producer cohort to deliver
and refine the curriculum with a broader group of first-generation farms.

Phase 3 - District Rollout (Final 6 months): WCD will convene a learning group of Washington Conservation Districts and business-support partners to prepare for statewide adoption. All materials and preparations will be completed during the grant, culminating in a statewide gathering at the June 2028 WADE conference (just after project close).

Throughout the project, WCD will collaborate with Western Washington University's Small Business Development Center, Viva Farms, and others to adapt elements of the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) model and build a practical professional-development pathway for agricultural educators. Core topics will include farm
efficiency, land access, soil health practices, and pathways to public and market-based funding.

By the end of the project, WCD will publish an open-source toolkit-including curriculum, templates, workflows, and case studies-and establish a train-the-trainer model that equips Conservation Districts statewide to deliver effective, community-led farm-viability support.

The objective of this project is to increase the knowledge, skills, and technical capacity of conservation district staff and allied agricultural educators to deliver responsive, conservation-aligned farm-viability support to first-generation and limited-resource farmers. The project will pursue the following specific and measurable objectives:

Establish a replicable professional-development model for ongoing educator learning.
By the end of the project, participating conservation district and partner staff will demonstrate increased ability to deliver and adapt the curriculum for local contexts. A cohort of at least 10 Conservation Districts that choose to explore or adopt the model will participate in a six-month virtual learning group, meeting regularly to prepare for statewide implementation after the grant period.

Build shared regional capacity through common assessment tools.
At least 10 agricultural educators will adopt or pilot components of the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) Business Health Assessment (BHA) as a shared intake and tracking tool, enabling consistent evaluation of farm-viability needs across counties.

Increase educators' understanding of foundational farm-viability concepts.
At least 20 conservation district and partner professionals will demonstrate improved knowledge of business design, farm structure, recordkeeping systems, labor management, and efficiency practices, as measured through pre- and post-assessments aligned with the ALBA BHA.

Strengthen educators' capacity to integrate conservation and business planning.
A minimum of 15 agricultural professionals will increase their ability to connect producers with USDA NRCS, REAP, and Washington State Department of Agriculture programs by identifying eligibility barriers and explaining how conservation practices influence profitability and long-term viability.

Improve educators' skills in working with first-generation and limited-resource farmers.
At least 15 participants will report increased confidence and competence in providing technical assistance to first-generation farmers, as measured through reflective evaluations and scenario-based assessments.

Collectively, these objectives build durable professional capacity that supports stronger conservation outcomes and improved farm-business viability across the region.