Item No. 1 of 1

INVESTIGATOR: Frazier, M.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
GROW FOOD
11768 WESTAR LN #C
BURLINGTON, WASHINGTON 98233

SKAGIT COUNTY BEGINNING FARMER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The Beginning Farmer Development Program Skagit County at its core, establishes a formalnetwork of key local partners, and leverages the experience and mission driven strengths toimprove the sustainability of Skagit County Agriculture. The partners and collaborators for BFDPSkagit are: Viva Farms, Skagit Valley College, WSU Extension Skagit County, NorthwestAgriculture Business Center, Economic Development Association of Skagit County, WashingtonSustainable Food and Farming Network, Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland, Future Farmers ofAmerica, North Coast Credit Union, Northwest Farm Credit Services, and Skagit Land Trust. Thegoal of this project is to increase the number of sustainable beginning, socially disadvantaged andlimited resource farmers by establishing coordinated community partnerships to train, educate,mentor and provide technical assistance. This goal will be achieved through five objectives. 1.Increase formal partnerships of local organizations including community based organizations(CBOs), state cooperative extension services (SCESs), and school based agricultural educationalorganizations (SAEOs). 2. Increase access to, and coordination and effectiveness of farm andpoultry production and risk management education and training. 3. Increase access to, andcoordination and effectiveness of business and financial training specific to farming enterprises. 4.Increase access to land by identifying available farmland for lease or sale, and improving thecoordination and effectiveness of land transfer strategies and resources. 5. Increase access to, andcoordination and effectiveness of mentorship, apprenticeship, and internship programs.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of BFDP Skagit County is to increase the number of sustainable beginning, socially disadvantaged and limited resource farmers by establishing coordinated community partnerships to train, educate, mentor and provide technical assistance. This goal will be achieved through five objectives. 1. Increase formal partnerships of local organizations including community based organizations (CBOs), state cooperative extension services (SCESs), and school based agricultural educational organizations (SAEOs). 2. Increase access to, and coordination and effectiveness of farm and poultry production and risk management education and training. 3. Increase access to, and coordination and effectiveness of business and financial training specific to farming enterprises. 4. Increase access to land by identifying available farmland for lease or sale, and improving the coordination and effectiveness of land transfer strategies and resources. 5. Increase access to, and coordination and effectiveness of mentorship, apprenticeship, and internship programs.Our project is innovative and creates formal partnerships of key local county organizations with the proven strengths, experience and capacity to effectively address the six key barriers to success for beginning, socially disadvantaged, and limited resource farmers. These six key barriers are the lack of access to: an effective local network of agricultural and business partners, production and business training, financial training, land, and structured opportunities to learn from experienced farmers. In addition, the ongoing partnership between Viva Farms and Skagit Valley College makes land based and accredited curriculum available to both English and Spanish speakers. Finally, applying enough resources, to a concentrated local effort, over a short timeframe, should provide significant results for local beginning farmers.

APPROACH: Our approach is to create an effective network of Skagit County agricultural and business personnel and organizations, leveraging strengths, and providing resources and referrals to beginning farmers. With this network in place, beginning farmers can enter at any point, and be directed into BFDP Skagit to meet their education or business needs. Resources will include bilingual access to group and 1:1 production classroom and field training, business and financial training, marketing and diversification classes and TA, land access to include an interactive online database that links available land to beginning farmers, and farmer to farmer development. Beginning farmers have diverse needs, and research and evaluation suggest that hands on, 1:1 and peer to peer training is most effective. Activities will primarily be provided at Viva Farms and Skagit Valley College. Workshops will be held at area conference rooms, and additional outreach to School buyers be at local schools. Participants will be recruited through all network partners and collaborators, on site, and through coordinated bilingual marketing and outreach via print, radio, social media marketing, and outreach at schools, county fair, and agricultural conferences and events. Additionally, work of mouth outreach will occur though exceptional service and results to participants, and our many key community partners. Novel ideas include: bilingual, accredited 3 quarter land based practicum that touches extensive core competencies and micro certificate upon completion; locally managed interactive web database that connects beginning farmers to available land. Potential pitfalls include: shortfalls in our coordination of collaborative efforts; and participant recruitment, especially with Spanish speaking participants. We will overcome these challenges by: Bimonthly project meetings keeping current on activities, outputs, and outcomes and staying close to ongoing evaluation criteria; and using Skagit County's tight nit agricultural, and community development partners to saturate the market of potential participants. The project, partnerships and collaborations will be sustained by creating effective systems and processes to ensure outputs and outcomes, and incorporating activities into existing organizational programs with identified funding.A process will be in place for participatory, formative, and summative project evaluation to build an effective partnership between members of the education and participants and create a high quality program. Participant skills and knowledge will be tested by survey upon entrance to the program. The survey will measure familiarity and experience with business terminology and concepts, software and other tools, husbandry, finance/ bookkeeping, familiarity and experience with all aspects of row-cropping, including seed starting, greenhouse management, field preparation, irrigation, soil amendments, harvest and post-harvest, and marketing. Results will inform the weight placed on the topics offered during the program and the most effective delivery method for each participant. Participants will be asked to provide guidance to the education team on methods of evaluation that they feel would yield results most relevant to shaping the program. Participants will complete a program feedback survey at the midpoint and end of each program year; adjustments will be made based on comments (unmet needs, redundant topics, etc.). At the end of each year, participants will review, evaluate and adjust their business plans, report their findings and action plans, evaluate the program and their progress, through quantitative and qualitative survey. Upon exiting the program, participants will complete a final survey to evaluate their own progress, and program effectiveness. The survey will measure success of delivery methods, instructor/ participant communication and responsiveness, confidence gained in business and husbandry, and level of satisfaction in order to improve the program and the likelihood of project replicability (outcomes).Education team members will collect data by online and in-class survey, one-on-one interviews and mentors' observations to assess program effectiveness and make adjustments to maximize participants' business success, potential multiplier effect of the training, and maintain/ improve the program post-funding. Data will be gathered from each participant before, during and after the 3-year funding period. In addition to participant feedback, data collected will include acreage farmed, numbers of beginning and Hispanic farmer participants and longevity in the program, and gross revenue, at the beginning and end of each year and the project period to evaluate project impact (outputs). Sociological data (age, gender, household size) will be collected to create a better picture of factors impacting business development, and the program's success in overcoming potential social barriers.

PROGRESS: 2016/08 TO 2019/07
Target Audience: Skagit County, located in Northwest Washington, is a geographically and culturally diverse community with a mix of extensive rural areas, four small cities, and a number of small towns and communities. In 2014, 17.8% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino. [1] Mount Vernon, the largest city in Skagit County, has the highest Hispanic population with 54.7% of children within the Mount Vernon School District identifying as Hispanic in the 2014-2015 school year.[2] Skagit County has some of the most productive soil in the world. Local farmers produce $300 million annually in over 90 different commercial food crops. [3] The industry is 2nd in the Puget Sound Region, and 10th in the state based on crop value.The average size of farms is 99 acres with 943 under $100,000, 57 between $100,000 and $499,000, and 74 above $500,000 in sales. [4] Unfortunately, 38% of Skagit Valley farmland has been lost since 1940 shrinking from 150,000 to 93,000 today. [4] As of 2012, the average age of a farmer in Washington was 58. In the next 20 years, 70% of all Washington State farmers are expected to retire. [4] American Farmland Trust designated the region the fifth most threatened agricultural region in the nation. The number of farms in Skagit County have decreased 12% from 2007 to 2012. [4] The number of farms in Washington State decreased from 39,284 in 2007, to 37,249 in 2012, a loss of 5.2%. [4] In order to replace retiring farmers, Washington, and specifically Skagit County, needs well-trained beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers. Fortunately, there is a demographic that has the potential to engage the next generation in agriculture: beginning, socially disadvantaged, and limited resource farmers and farm workers. However, these producers must overcome significant barriers to become successful farm owners and operators. Prior research by WSU researchers shows that small- scale and socially disadvantaged producers are typically underserved by standard research and extension models. [5] Numbers of immigrant farmers in Washington have been steadily increasing, Latino principal operators in Washington increased from 1,643 to 1,874 between 2007 and 2012, an increase of 14%. Latino operated farms now account for 5% of all Washington farms, up from 4.2% in 2007, and generate over $367 million in farm sales. [4] In 2012, Latino operated farms accounted for 1% of Washington's production acreage. Latinos account for a disproportionately small number of farm owners, considering they provide 83% of all US agricultural labor. [6] Washington has one of the largest farmworker populations in the country, with an estimated 619,699 farmworkers and dependents in Washington. Most of these farmworkers are Latino or from Mexican indigenous groups such as Mixteco and Zapoteco. [7] Two-thirds are estimated to be "settled" rather than migrant. Latino-owned farms are clustered in regions with large numbers of farmworkers, such as the orchard (Central) and berry (Northwest) regions. In Skagit County located in the Northwest, there are 7,000 Latino farm workers, of which at least 60% are Mexican indigenous (vs. 23% statewide), and an estimated 61% are now year-round residents and would have the stability needed to become principal operators of farms. [8] However, farm workers face significant financial barriers to farm ownership. A 2008 survey of farm workers in WA found the average annual income for a family of four is $17,596 [9]. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Through the Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAge) curriculum, the following 16 training opportunities were offered: ENVAG 101 Agroecology: An Ecological Approach to Agriculture: Survey of agroecology, a multi-disciplinary field that applies ecological principles to the analysis and management of agriculture systems. Explore ways to create abundance and reduce external inputs by enhancing nutrient cycling, energy flow, and beneficial interactions. Included field trips. 40 students. ENVAG 103 Horticulture Plant Science: The structure, function, classification, and ecology of vascular plants are explored in this introductory botany course, with an emphasis on cultivated and native plants of the Pacific Northwest. 41 students. ENVAG 104 Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture: Introduction to sustainable agriculture including career opportunities. Covers farm to table principles and how different cultures interact with food. Includes student success skills. 23 students. ENVAG 106 Soil Science and Conservation: Study of soils as living ecosystems, including their physical, chemical, and biological properties. Nutrient cycling, fertility management, soil building, and site diagnosis and classification are also examined. Special emphasis is given to soil origins in the Pacific Northwest. Field trips are an integral part of this course. 33 students. ENVAG 199 Internship in Sustainable Agriculture: Supervised work experience in the field. The internship will augment the classroom learning by applying skills and knowledge learned in an agriculture-related enterprise. Students will be mentored by business professionals who are experienced practitioners in the field and practice the work skills required to be successful in their chosen field. In partnership with the instructor and the mentor, learning objectives will be determined by the student internship/work experience placement. Includes a weekly seminar. 6 students. ENVAG 224 Mixed Orchard Production: Tree fruit and nut, berry, vine, and uncommon fruit production for orchards, focusing on cultivar selection, cultural requirements, propagation methods, management techniques, harvesting practices, and biodiverse orchard design. 8 students. ENVAG 227 Greenhouse Crop Production: Covers greenhouse management from planning, greenhouse type selection, crop selection, and harvest. Understand laws pertaining to zoning, pesticide use, and post-harvest handling. Students produce a greenhouse management plan. 30 students. ENVAG 228 Row Crop Production: Fundamentals of row crop production in the Pacific Northwest. Covers site and equipment evaluation, crop scheduling and rotation, fertility and irrigation management, and insect and disease control, as well as crop specific and market considerations for seasonal production. 8 students. ENVAG 270 Sustainable Small Farming and Ranching: Explore small farm models and entrepreneurship, and conceive of and draft a whole farm management plan. Learn to assess site conditions and user needs and manage small farm facilities and equipment, natural resources, plants and animals, and cropping systems and practices. Field trips are an integral part of this course. 15 students. ENVAG 271 Agricultural Entrepreneurship & Business Planning: Explore small farm models and entrepreneurship and conceive of and draft a whole farm business plan. Gain practical knowledge and skills in agricultural business development, market research, and record keeping and finances in the context of farm and ranch production strategies. 14 students. ENVAG 297 RESEARCH/SUSTAIN AG: Independent research projects. 6 students. ENVAG 298 PRACTICUM/SUSTAINABLE AG: Independent research projects. 7 students. ENVAG 197 Research in Sustainable Agriculture: Develop and execute a small agricultural research project in sustainable agriculture in cooperation with a faculty or external research advisor. Conduct primary and secondary research to develop the proposed project. Research will be concluded with a written report outlining results and conclusions. 2 students. ENVAG 198 Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture: Practicum provides students with an opportunity to integrate knowledge acquired through past coursework. This experience will clarify and broaden a students' career goals, and assist students in discovering, developing, and refining their necessary competencies and skills for their proposed career path. The practicum experience is at a designated farm. Note: ENVAG 198is the practicum course taught at Viva Farms. Students can enroll through SVC for college credit, or they may take it directly through Viva Farms and not college credit. The number reported by SVC is the number enrolled for college credit. Actual participant numbers are higher, as reported by Viva Farms. 3 students. ENVAG 199 Farm Internship:Supervised work experience in the field. The internship will augment the classroom learning by applying skills and knowledge learned in an agriculture-related enterprise. Students will be mentored by business professionals who are experienced practitioners in the field and practice the work skills required to be successful in their chosen field. In partnership with the instructor and the mentor, learning objectives will be determined by the students' internship/work experience placement. Includes a weekly seminar. 1 student. ENVAG 224 Mixed Orchard Production: Covers year-round orchard biology and management from orchard design to planting, grafting, pruning, and thinning. Includes disease and herbivory management of pome fruit, stone fruit, and berry fruit productions. 6 students. ENVAG 228 Row Crop Production: Covers how to schedule, manage, and produce specialty crops in the Pacific Northwest throughout the year; includes crop soil fertility and pollination needs. 6 students. ENVAG 231 Post-Harvest/Market Operation: Covers postharvest and marketing of sustainable agriculture products for direct, food hub, and traditional markets. Understand the legal requirements for handling, sanitation, packaging, and storage of products including postharvest processing. 6 students. Through the Viva Farms Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture, the following 31 courses were offered: Organic Principles (18 students), Intro to OG Principles & Crop Planning (26 students), Soil Science (29), Crop planning 1 (18), Crop Planning 2 (18), Seed Propagation/ Greenhouse Mgmt (26), Tillage & Bed Prep (29), Transplanting & Direct Seeding 1 (29), Transplanting & Direct Seeding 2 (13), Review of Concepts (34), Irrigation Systems (34), Fall Planning & Field Maintenance (24), Integrated Pest Management (13), Managing Weeds & Cultivation (29), Selecting & Using Cover Crops (18), Fertility Management (29), Fertility Management: hand tool techniques & mechanical (13), Pre-Harvest (29), Harvest (29), Post-harvest (37), Food Safety (29), Financial Statements Part 1, Basic Business Plans (18), Accessing Financing and Credit (10), Insurance & Taxes (5), Financial Statements Part Two, Intro to Quickbooks (13), Marketing- wholesale (18), Marketing- direct sale (18), Organic record-keeping (18), Financial record-keeping (18), Seeds: Production, Variety Trials and Industry (16), Pesticide & Worker safety Use reports (18). Through our partnership with WSU and their Cultivating Success Program, 44 students completed 3 course including Intro to Business Planning, Enterprise Budgets and Cash Flow. 28 producers received hands-on poultry processing training from NABC. 73 received basic computer skills training, 20 completed a website development Wix workshop and 55 completed marketing training with NABC. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?All Viva Farms programs were promoted through various means, including press release, social media, radio interviews, farm tours for various groups, and presentations throughout the community. When appropriate, some of the items below are also listed in the "meetings" section. Date Organization/ Event Event Type # Attendees Location 08/02/16 Fidalgo Island Rotary Presentation Anacortes, WA 08/08/16 Pacific Lutheran Univ - Marketing Class Tour 20 Mount Vernon, WA 09/01/16 Anacortes Noon Kiwanis Presentation Anacortes, WA 09/08/16 AAUW - Anacortes Presentation Anacortes, WA 10/06/16 Skagit Valley College Class Tour 15 Mount Vernon, WA 10/06/16 Cultivating Success Class Tour Tour 20 Mount Vernon, WA 10/11/16 Farm Worker Tour of Viva Farms Tour 12 Mount Vernon, WA 10/12/16 Evergreen College Tour Tour 30 Mount Vernon, WA 10/13/16 NABC Board Meeting Meeting Mount Vernon, WA 10/19/16 Alyssa Jumars, Methow Conservancy Tour 1 Mount Vernon, WA 11/11/16 Iowa Young Agricultural Professionals Tour Tour 5 Mount Vernon, WA 12/13/16 Tilth Farmworks & Cloud Mountain Tour Tour 15 Mount Vernon, WA 01/14/17 Univ of WA Farm Group Tour Tour 30 Mount Vernon, WA 01/17/17 Anacortes PEO Presentation Anacortes, WA 01/25/17 Everett-Port Gardner Rotary Meeting Everett, WA 01/27/17 Skagit Food Co-op, 4% Friday Tabling Tabling Mount Vernon, WA 01/31/17 Anacortes Soroptimists Meeting Anacortes, WA 02/04/17 Radio Interview - KEXP Seattle Interview Seattle, WA 02/23/17 Skagit Valley College Class Tour Tour 14 Mount Vernon, WA 02/24/17 Cory Ertel - Shell Tour 1 03/01/17 Matt Gill - Tesoro Tour 1 03/02/17 Shuresh Ghimire - WSU Tour 1 Mount Vernon, WA 03/03/17 Western WA Univ Class Tour Tour 8 Mount Vernon, WA 04/03/17 Anacortes Newcomers Club Meeting Anacortes, WA 04/06/17 Kiwanis Club of Skagit County Meeting Mount Vernon, WA 04/07/17 Rotary Club of Burlington Meeting Burlington, WA 04/19/17 Mike Lufkin, King County Agriculture Tour Seattle, WA 04/19/17 Delegation from Myanmar (Parliament/Ministry of Ag) Tour 20 Mount Vernon, WA 05/04/17 Radio Interview - KSVR Interview Mount Vernon, WA 05/05/17 Andy Fisher - Big Hunger Tour 05/06/17 EDASC Schmooze Fair Tabling Burlington, WA 05/15/17 Mount Vernon Noon Kiwanis Tour Mount Vernon, WA 05/16/17 MVHS Farm-to-Table class Tour Mount Vernon, WA 05/25/17 7th Grade Class from Northwest School Tour 30 Mount Vernon, WA 05/25/17 Patagonia-Seattle store Tabling Seattle, WA 06/06/17 Jefferson Elementary School 2nd Grade Classes Tour 50 Mount Vernon, WA 06/08/17 Organic Farm School Tour 10 Mount Vernon, WA 06/13/17 Grand Central Bakery Tour 2 Mount Vernon, WA 07/08/17 Tilth Alliance Donation 9 07/10/17 WVS - Gina Tour 07/18/17 Au Sable Institute, Ron Voss Tour 13 Mount Vernon, WA 06/19/17 La Conner Rotary Meeting La Conner, WA 07/19/17 Burlington-Edison School District Tour 40 Mount Vernon, WA 07/21/17 Redfish School of Change Tour 20 Mount Vernon, WA 10/19/17 NWFCS, WSU, WA Tractor, Jefferson Ele Tour Mount Vernon, WA 08/04/17 WWU-- Agroecology Course Tour 14 Mount Vernon, WA 08/22/17 Farm-to-School Tour 5 Mount Vernon, WA 08/25/17 North Cascades Institute Tour 12 Mount Vernon, WA 09/22/17 Molly Moons kitchen managers Tour 15 Mount Vernon, WA 09/26/17 Explorations Academy Tour 20 Mount Vernon, WA 10/06/17 Evergreen Class Tour 55 Mount Vernon, WA 10/19/17 NWFCS, WSU, WA Tractor, Jefferson Ele Tour 100 Mount Vernon, WA 10/19/17 SVC Agroecology Class Tour 8 Mount Vernon, WA 10/19/17 Patagonia Enviro Coordinator/District Mgr Tour 2 Mount Vernon, WA 11/17/17 Iowa Corn Group Tour 20 Mount Vernon, WA 03/13/18 University of Kentucky Tour 10 Mount Vernon, WA 03/28/18 Cloud Mountain Intern Tour Tour 10 Mount Vernon, WA 06/05/18 Jefferson Elementary Tour 90 Mount Vernon, WA 04/17/18 ICRS Elementary Tour 30 Mount Vernon, WA 05/10/18 NWFCS/SPF Student Field Trip Tour 75 Mount Vernon, WA 05/11/18 WWU Huxley Students Tour Mount Vernon, WA 06/01/18 SVC Sustainable Food Systems Class Tour 15 Mount Vernon, WA 06/14/18 Organic Farm School Tour 11 Mount Vernon, WA 07/02/18 Seattle Culinary Academy Tour 20 Mount Vernon, WA 07/09/18 Seattle Culinary Academy Tour 20 Mount Vernon, WA 08/03/18 WWU Gigi Berardi Group Tour 18 Mount Vernon, WA 08/08/18 Sterling Meadows Group Tour 15 Mount Vernon, WA 08/23/18 North Cascades Institute Tour 12 Mount Vernon, WA 09/25/18 WSU Clallam/Jefferson Tour 7 Mount Vernon, WA 11/08/18 NABC and Viva Farms attended the Focus on Farming conference Presentation 81 Monroe, WA 12/12/18 La Conner High School AP Classes Tour 30 Mount Vernon, WA 2/191/19 Farm to Table Conference Presentation 180 Bellingham, WA 04/05/19 WorkSource Tour 30 Mount Vernon, WA 04/26/19 Sustainable Food Systems Class Tour 15 Mount Vernon, WA 05/09/19 Northwest Yeshiva High School Tour 23 Mount Vernon, WA 05/10/19 WWU Agroecology Class Tour 30 Mount Vernon, WA 05/15/19 The Evergreen State College Tour 25 Mount Vernon, WA 05/24/19 Dr. Cornelius Adewale Tour 1 Mount Vernon, WA 06/04/19 Jefferson Elementary School Tour 104 Mount Vernon, WA 06/04/19 Plazas Comunitarias Farmworker Tour Tour 11 Mount Vernon, WA 06/07/19 Skagit Valley College: Kristine Duncan's Class Tour 30 Mount Vernon, WA 06/10/19 Regional Farm to School Gathering Presentation 125 Mount Vernon, WA 07/15/19 Sustainable Connections Chef Tour Tour 16 Mount Vernon, WA 07/12/19 Inland Northwest Grains Conference, WSU Presentation 150 Pullman, WAand Moscow, ID 07/24/19 Mount Vernon Migrant Youth Summer School Tour Mount Vernon, WA Highlights from our information sharing are that Steve Crider, Viva Farms Farm to School lead presented a capstone reviewof his farm to school "Grain in the Garden" workat the WSU Food Systems-led "Inland Northwest Artisan Grain Conference" in Pullman, WA and Moscow, ID, onJuly 12, 2019to 150 attendees.Viva Farms' alsoorganized and hosted ourfive county "Regional Farm to School Gathering" on June 10th, 2019 in partnership withWSDA Farm to School program, Whatcom Farm to School, WSU Extension-Snohomish Co., and Common Threads Farm.Event site was the WSU - Northwest Extension& Research Center (NREC), Mount Vernon, WA. Over 100 attendees from 8 counties attended, free of charge, for a day-long event that included presentations, panel discussions, break out sessions and table top exhibits. Viva Farms also created a website resource for the attendees and wider WA farm to school community @ http://farmtoschoolskagit.org/. Viva farmers (Boldy Grown Farm:https://youtu.be/nKnrtxK9COs, The Crows Farm:https://youtu.be/-eLgZVpu0sE, and Cabrera Farms:https://youtu.be/LUGJu7cDTuY) were featured in three Harvest of the month videos created in partnership witht he Concrete Farm to School program and the following media articleswere published about our events/ programs: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/agriculture/incubator-trains-immigrants-t o-be-skagit-valleys-next-family-farmers/ https://www.goskagit.com/news/local news/work-being-done-to-help-beginning-farm ers-expand/article 514a8353-11c7-537f-a8a3-3ad76a4b69db.html https://www.goskagit.com/viva-farms-keeps-growing/image fded1201-6675-5dd7-a8df -7d3a6bcbc55b.html https://www.goskagit.com/viva-farms-expands-onto-land-it-bought-in/article 7b3b 2731-d5de-514f-ba7d-bb81faa71185.html?fbclid=IwAR0faWct ysQ96aZ1TcOAN-ISAf-5gPx ns0aqAZSMNrXKxPX80E7iVvXxR4 https://www.goskagit.com/news/local news/project-helps-make-kids-lifelong-healt hy-eaters/article 1dbbe90c-274e-5915-bdba-c7501264a050.html?fbclid=IwAR1oCOPn3j LHSmrms4L dOrg7iTnjW6y5GWXoJWp0oI2RLhRPhQCfYUENJ0 https://www.knkx.org/post/special-report-knkx-connects-skagit-valley-highlighti ng-industry-agriculture-and-identity?fbclid=IwAR2XgBGZFnDFvQnxHbeYKZ4wU4k VG0WM aowJkD mzEfDyhTm6qZFT2fRSg https://www.goskagit.com/growskagit/viva-farms-opens-new-markets-after-building -washing-and-packing/article 5b40c000-8261-588d-9a33-3d4d0ed7a5aa.html What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

IMPACT: 2016/08 TO 2019/07
What was accomplished under these goals? VF successfully achieved our 5 objectives: to 1) increase formal partnerships of local organizations including community-based organizations (CBOs), state cooperative extension services, & school based agricultural educational organizations; 2) increase access to, & coordination & effectiveness of farm & poultry production & risk management education & training;3) to increase access to, & coordination & effectiveness of mentorship, apprenticeship, & internship programs; 4) increase access to, & coordination & effectiveness of business & financial training specific to farming enterprises; 5) increase access to land by identifying available farmland for lease or sale, & 6) improve the coordination & effectiveness of land transfer strategies & resources. VF partnered with 6 CBOs including Skagit Valley College (SVC), Washington State University Skagit County Extension (WSU), Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC), Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County (EDASC), Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland (SPF) as follows. VF collaborated with WSDA to optimize existing resources & materials available for Farm to School (F2S) Programs, as well as to provide trainings & make connections between schools & farmers. WSDA staff traveled to Skagit Co to offer 7 F2S workshops throughout the grant including a Regional Farm to School Gathering with over 100 attendees from 8 counties. Support also included procurement & outreach for Taste of Washington Day for 6 school districts & numerous individual relationship-building efforts. Toward goal 2, VF partnered with SVC to deliver the Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAge) program of 18 classes to 42 unique students for 695 hrs of learning and 7 internships. VF taught our bilingual, land-based Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture (PSA) through delivery of 79 classes to 29 unique students for a total of 876 learning hours. The classes included all stages of OG production, financial & business planning & 112 hrs/student of hands-on field learning. 99% of students reported gaining knowledge or gaining significant knowledge as a result of the PSA. For goal 3, 6 bilingual business & financial planning classes were offered through WSU's Cultivating Success program, 8 through the PSA & NABC provided over 300 participants with business planning education. NABC delivered hands on poultry processing training to 28 producers & provided poultry processing equipment to 295 unique users over the course of the grant. Toward goal 4, VF provided access to land, equipment, infrastructure, markets & capital through our Farm Business Incubator program. At the beginning of the grant in 2016, VF had leased 22.25 acres of the potential 24 farmable acres, making the program almost "full". In 2017, VF purchased an additional 45-acre property close to our original site, & took over operation of a 10-acre parcel of land in King Co. In the 2019 season, 61.25 acres were leased in Skagit Co & 6.25 in King Co, for a total of 67.5 acres leased to SD&B farmers representing an increase of 45.25 acres, over a 300%! At the beginning of the grant, VF provided access to equipment including implements for tillage, cultivation & specialized equipment & hand tools, including seeders, hoes & soil testing equipment. In 2018, VF purchased an additional 85HP tractor to accommodate more farmers & more acreage as well as a 3-bottom plow & various cultivators. In 2019, VF purchased a 130HP tractor & a new set of scale-appropriate implements (disk, tiller, culti-packer). Prior to the grant, key infrastructure available to farmers included a cooler, a basic wash-pack area, one greenhouse for propagating seeds & an irrigation system installed at our home site, as well as limited dry storage. In early 2017, VF constructed a 1700 sq ft packing house building, more than quadrupling the size of covered area in which to wash & pack produce for market, & included adequate floor drainage & concrete for facilitating the efficient movement of product vital to securing GAPs certification. In 2018, VF installed a well, pump & irrigation system to provide water to individual parcels on our new property. An additional greenhouse was retrofitted with exhaust fans & louvers to more than double greenhouse space, moving from 18 to 39 tables. In 2019, a 3rd greenhouse was constructed increasing table space further from 39 to 55. Also, a second 525sqft cooler was built & is in the process of having the refrigeration installed doubling our capacity to provide access to cold storage for SD&B farmers within the incubator program. By providing capital-intensive infrastructure, farmers have been able to spend their money on operating costs & building assets of their own. VF has provided access to capital both directly through the Farmer Reserve Fund & through TA for outside funding. The Farmer Reserve fund is a partnership with North Coast Credit Union whereby VF maintains a balance of money in a special account that incubators farmers can use as collateral to borrow against. Throughout the grant project, 3 farms utilized the Farmer Reserve Fund & were able to borrow over $36K in business lines of credit. Secondly, VF & grant partners' staff were able to provide TA to farmers to apply for outside financing, securing over $120K in grants or loans to invest in their businesses. VF has provided access to markets for incubating farmers through direct purchase of produce & through TA for farmers to conduct their own independent sales. During Y1, VF purchased $143K from farmers & during Y3 of the grant period, VF purchased $250K, an increase of 75%.During the same period, the number of independent sales made by incubating farmers, with TA of VF staff, also increased substantially from $95K to $433K by the end of the 2018 growing season (the most recent data available). VF assisted farmers with organic & GAPS including offering workshops, filling out organic system plans & applications, communications with the certifier, assistance with record-keeping systems, accompaniment & interpretation services for inspections & issue resolution. No farms were independently certified at the beginning of the grant. By Y3, 6 farms renewed their own independent certification & 2 farms received certification for the first time & in the 2019 season, over 43 acres are independently certified by 8 incubating farm businesses, of which 5 are operated by Latino farmers. After developing a food safety plan, standard operating procedures & conducting trainings with incubating farmers, VF was audited & received GAPs certification in August of 2017.GAPs certification was renewed in 2018 & will be renewed for the 2019 season after the end of the grant. To further increase farmer access to land, we partnered with SPF to conduct an aerial /a GIS analysis of potential available land which was completed in Q2 of 2018 resulting in identifying 4,169 parcels of 21,384 potentially farmable acres. VF partnered with PCC Farmland Trust to leverage their interactive web database "Farm to Farmer" that offers a website where both farmers & landowners can connect about land opportunities & receive personalized assistance from experienced staff to make successful matches. PCC trained 2 VF staff to be on the ground coordinators as well as on the software. Informational mailers about the program were sent out to 267 landowners in Skagit & a press release went out via social media & PCC's monthly newsletter (~7,700 subscribers). Overall, the project was a huge success, with 71 participants being helped to prepare to start farming, 31 starting farming & 900 improving farming success.

PUBLICATIONS (not previously reported): 2016/08 TO 2019/07
1. Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: https://farmtofarmer.org/
2. Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: http://farmtoschoolskagit.org

PROGRESS: 2016/08/01 TO 2017/07/31
Target Audience:Participants in the Beginning Farmer Development Program-Skagit County include beginning farmers, Latino farm workers, and limited resource farmers. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Beginning Farmer Development Program - Skagit County provided multiple and diverse training activities for our target audience. Viva Farms Incubator Program - 2016 The 2016 season for the land-based incubator program was well underway when the BFRDP project started on August 1. Due to a combination of available equipment, experience, and training, 2016 saw the greater adoption of theuse of plastic mulch for weed control. There was also more uniformity and standardization of crop spacing systems to work with our growing equipment set. With 12 farm businesses signed on as incubator farmers, Viva Farms was fully leased for the first time ever. Eventhough this was fewer farmers than 2015, individual farm businesses growing their land base and production led to higher yields. There is a trend toward farmers focusing in on certain crops, perhaps less diversity within individual farm businesses and more specialization and economies of scale. Greater use of cover crops from 2015 into 2016 had positive effects on production, both in the improved trapping of fertility and also in soil structure and higher amounts of organic matter, as demonstrated by soil samples. Incubator Program - 2017 After being fully leased in 2016, in April 2017 Viva Farms gained access to an additional 45 acres within a mile of our original location. The property was not ready for row crops for the 2017 season for a variety of reasons. However, we do have one new incubator raising pigs on the new property, bringing our incubator participants to 13 farm businesses for 2017. As with the practicum, since the reporting period closed on July 31, we do not have end-of-year metrics or evaluations available at this time. They will be included in the second annual report. Viva Farms Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture: August 1, 2016 - November 30, 2016 At the beginning of the project on August 1, 2016, the Viva Farms Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture was midway through the second quarter. During August, the students completed four 2-hour class sessions, in addition to their required time working in the practicum plot. Students are expected to work an average 4 hours/week in the 1/2 acre practicum field, but during summer those hours may be especially high. The fall quarter began in late September, and the students completed eleven more 2-hour classroom sesssions. The requirement for fieldwork continued, but tapered to none by the end of the practicum in November. Classroom sessions necessarily moved indoors. Althoughfive students started the practicum program in the spring quarter, onlythree continued through the end of the fall quarter. Two of the graduating students applied to be incubator farmers at Viva Farms in 2017 and were accepted into the program. Viva Farms Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture: April 4, 2017 - July 31, 2017 The Spring Quarter started on April 4, and students jumped right in planting seeds in the greenhouse and learning the steps for preparing the field for planting.With an initial enrollment of about 14, the number of students has varied throughout the farming season. This year, students were offered the option of enrolling at SVC for credit, or simply signing upwith Viva Farms. This change was implemented because many students - especially Latino farm workers - were encountering barriers to enrollment at SVC. Since the reporting period ended on July 31, we have not yet collected any metrics or student feedback about the 2017 practicum. More details will be reported in the second annual report. Farm-to-School 2017 Spring Farm-to-School Workshop Viva Farms collaborated with WSDA and Concrete F2S program to plan and facilitate (with Viva as lead) a workshop for Food Service Directors and Kitchen/Cafeteria staff to gain knowledge about Farm-to-School, specifically food procurement, knife-handling skills, and preparing for Taste of Washington or Harvest of the Month. Skagit Valley College (SVC) SAgE (Sustainable Agriculture Education) Program Winter Quarter: January 1, 2017 - March 17, 2017 ENVAG 106 Soil Science and Conservation: 8 students ENVAG 199 Internship in Sustainable Agriculture: 1 student ENVAG 227 Greenhouse Crop Production: 8 students ENVAG 271 Agricultural Entrepreneurship & Business Planning: 6 students Spring Quarter: April 4, 2017 - June 16, 2017 ENVAG 197 Research in Sustainable Agriculture: 2 students ENVAG 198 Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture: 3 students ENVAG 199 Farm Internship: 1 student ENVAG 224 Mixed Orchard Production: 6 students ENVAG 228 Row Crop Production: 6 students ENVAG 231 Post-Harvest/Market Operation: 6 students Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC) Event: Value Added Producers GrantBoot Camp: 17 participants Date: 11/1/2016 Event: Value Added Producers Grant BootCamp: 11 Date: 1-10-17 Event: Access to Capital: 26 participants Date: 1-24-17 Event: Business Feasibility Workshop: 11 participants Date: 1-31-17 Event: Getting Your Products Into the Market: 17 participants Date: 2-7-17 Event: Write Your Business Plan: 10 participants Date: 2-14-17 Event: Latino Economic Development: 74 participants Date: March 16-17, 2017 Event: Hands-On Poultry Processing workshop; 14 participants Date: July 12, 2017 Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County (EDASC) Event: WSU Agritourism Seminar, Spokane, WA Date: 10/6/2016 - Attended by Andrew Miller of EDASC - Professional Development Event: Putting your Business Plan to Work seminar; 12 participants Date: Mar 4, 2017 Event: Skagit Agri-Tourism Development Seminar, 24 participants Date: 7/24/2017 Location: Skagit Valley College, Mount Vernon, WA How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

IMPACT: 2016/08/01 TO 2017/07/31
What was accomplished under these goals? During the first year of the Beginning Farmer Development Program-Skagit County, our project team provided opportunities for aspiring farmers to acquire training and learn the skills necessary to successfully operate a farm business. These opportunities include classroom training, hands-on in-field training, one-on-one technical assistance and business consultation, and targeted workshops. Beginning farmers were provided access to land, equipment, water and infrastructure at the Viva Farms Incubator, where theywere able to begin a farm business with minimal financial risk and continue to receive training, technical assistance, and marketing assistance. A new cohort of aspiring farmers entered the Viva Farms practicum program, a land-basedtraining program in partnership with Skagit Valley College (SVC). Other students enrolled in other programs in the Sustainable Agriculture Education(SAgE) program at SVC.Current or aspiring small-scale poultry farmers were provided access to mobile poultry processing and trained in poultry processing by Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC). Farmers participated in business development workshops with our partners at the Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County (EDASC), who also performed work within the community and state aimed at improving business opportunties for beginning farmers in Skagit County. With funds from this grant, our partners at Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland (SPF) began a project to survey farmable land throughout Skagit County, with the aim of developing a database of where a beginning farmer might find suitable land to lease for farming. In partnership with the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), Viva Farms began developing partnerships with local school districts for a Farm to School program, which will ulitmately help provide more markets for beginning farmers and access to healthy local food for children in our community.

PUBLICATIONS: 2016/08/01 TO 2017/07/31
No publications reported this period.