Item No. 1 of 1

INVESTIGATOR: Willich, M.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
THE KOHALA CENTER
PO BOX 437462
KAMUELA, HAWAII 96743

BEGINNING FARMER-RANCHER TRAINING PROGRAM: HAWAII ISLAND

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: TKC developed this project based on years of feedback received by ourRural and Cooperative Business Development Program staff, and our Farmer Training Programstaff, from beginning farmers/ranchers on Hawaii Island, as well as demonstrated demand for ourcurrent Farmer Training Program and requests to serve geographic areas that do not have accessto farmer training programs. Our clients, partners, and collaborators - including local farmers,ranchers, food distributors, processors, agricultural cooperatives, Hawaii FarmersUnion United,Hawaii Farm Bureau, and the University of Hawaii - have consistently reported that new farmersand ranchers desire training in the areas of both agricultural production and small businessmanagement. Each year, The Kohala Center receives inquiries from dozens of aspiring farmers,seeking guidance in everything from production to business planning to agricultural loans.In 2012, we launched our Farmer Training Program to meet the need for practical agriculturaltraining opportunities on Hawaii Island. Through our experience and feedback from participants,we have learned that providing a combination of classroom and hands-on training is the mostdesired combination. However, we have consistently received requests from farmers, ranchers,and collaborators to expand our program to other areas of the island, in order to provideopportunities for beginning producers in Kona, Kohala, and Kau that would otherwise have totravel 50-100 miles to participate in our program. In our current Farmer Training Program, bothclassroom training and field instruction are located primarily in Hamakua in the northeasterncoast of Hawaii Island. To reach more students, in 2015 we piloted a mentorship program thatpaired students with experienced farmers around the island. However, feedback from participantsindicated that regional pairings were insufficient - they also desired classroom training closer totheir homes enhanced with distance learningopportunities. In order to meet the demand forfarmer training island-wide, The Kohala Center's proposed BFRDP will expand our reach andserve aspiring and beginning farmers and ranchers across the island by offering virtual learningopportunities, classroom courses at rotating locations around the Hawaii Island, and fieldinstruction opportunities at demonstration sites circling the islandincluding Hamakua, NorthKohala (northeastern coast), Kona (southwestern coast), and Kau (southern coast). Classroomand virtual courses will be provided by The Kohala Center's Rural and Cooperative BusinessDevelopment Services (RCBDS) program and various project partners, including GoFarmHawaii (a program of the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Agribusiness Incubator Program(UH-AIP)) and a number of agribusiness industry leaders from around Hawaii.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of the proposed project is to help beginning farmers launch or expand farming and ranching enterprises on Hawaii Island in order to increase local food production and support viable primary and secondary agricultural livelihoods for socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers.Objectives:Train beginning farmers and ranchers, with a particular focus on training socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers, through participation in a year-long training program on agricultural production and business management and development.Facilitate access to resources required to launch a commercial farm, including farm leases, funding, affordable production inputs, and access to processing facilities.Expand The Kohala Center's online database of resources and innovative strategies to overcome challenges facing beginning farmers in Hawaii County and share these resources with program participants and farmer/ranchers statewide.

APPROACH: All program participants will participate in a survey that will create a baseline assessment of their needs, knowledge, and agricultural production practices and current farming-ranching level (e.g., acreage, income); graduates will also take the same assessment post-program to monitor progress towards program outcomes, and be contacted annually and surveyed for up to 5 years post-graduation via email or phone (see Appendix for an example survey used it the TKC Program 2501 Mentoring Initiative). Participants will be required to present business plans to TKC staff at the end of their course year.

PROGRESS: 2016/08 TO 2019/08
Target Audience:This project's target audience included Asian and Pacific Islanders as well as limited resource producers. In the final project year, our farmer training program's demographics consisted of30% non-caucasian individuals including Native Hawaiians and Asians, and 52% socially disadvantaged/limited resource producers. 61% of participants were female and a total of 70% had access to farm land. Changes/Problems:Our partner site in Kona experienced the challenge that about 50% of the people who sign up for the public workshops do not show up on the actual workshop day. The project partner has been using Eventbrite in order to being able to track workshop participants and reduce the administrative time spent answering registration phone calls and emails. They found that people would sign up and the class would appear to be full, blocking further registrations. "No-show" registrants have then actually taken a spot away from someone else. For example, the grafting workshop was capped at 50 participants because of limited supplies and materials, only 25 people showed up. This means that they could have opened up spots if people had notified them that they did not intend to show up. No shows decrease a workshop's cost effectiveness. The partner is considering for future projects the following strategies to increase the efficiency of their workshops: 1. Start charging a nominal fee of $10.00 for registration prepaid (no payment on the day of the workshop) so that the participants feel invested in showing up. 2. Developing a policy that blocks the registration to future workshops of anyone who does not show up to a workshop they have registered for (without notification). What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In addition to the 18-session (120 hrs) beginning farmer program, including 45 hours of classroom instruction, 45 hours of on-farm instruction, and 30 hours of farm visits, the project has provided eightpublic lectures/workshops at Ma'ona Community Garden in Kona: Soil health(Oct. 27, 2018) with Dr. Melanie Willich, Director of Applied 'Aina-based Agriculture at TKC. Lecture about the traditional Hawaiian Kona field system, soil development, functions, and fertility management practices. A total of 7 people attended. Beginning Gardening(Feb. 2, 2019) with Una Greenaway, co-sponsored by the Hawaii Farmers Union United, Hawaii Department of Agriculture, Baker Creek Seeds and the Department of Health. If the federal government shut down had continued past the end of February 2019, March SNAP (food stamps) benefits would not have been issued. This would have had a profound impact on the food security of our families. There was a program (circa 2012-2014) that encouraged SNAP recipients to start gardens; food-producing plants and seeds can be purchased with SNAP benefits. However, not many people are aware of this benefit. For more information about the SNAP garden initiative visit: https://www.snapgardens.org/. We made basic growing information available for our community in an effort to increase our collective capacity to grow food. This workshop included a free, healthy cooking from the garden demonstration for lunch. Ma'ona Community Garden provides free garden space to SNAP recipients. A total of 16 people attended. Hoop house(June 8, 2019) with Greg Garris, owner of 'Aina Ku Hina farm. Hands-on workshop lead participants through the basics of building a versatile, low-cost hoop house. A hoop house is a series of large hoops or bows-made of metal, plastic pipe or wood. They can be used as green houses, sheds, nurseries, animal pens/shelters, and more. A total of 12 people attended. Grafting and plant propagation(Jun. 15, 2019) with Ken Love, Executive Director of the Hawai'i Tropical Fruit Growers Association. Co-sponsored by the Hawai'i Tropical Fruit Growers. Hands-on, fully interactive grafting and plant propagation learning session. Both grafting and air layering were covered. A total of 25 people attended. Soil health(July 13, 2019) with Dr. Melanie Willich, Director of Applied 'Aina-based Agriculture at TKC. Lecture about the traditional Kona field system, soil development, functions, and fertility management practices. A total of 14 people attended. Food safety and GAP(Aug. 3, 2019) with Dr. Luisa Castro, Hawai'i Department of Agriculture. A total of 11 people attended. Tatura trellis construction(Aug. 14, 2019) with Ken Love, Executive Director of the Hawai'i Tropical Fruit Growers Association. A total of 12 people attended. Little Fire Ant(Sep. 28, 2019) with Franny Brewer, Big Island Invasive Species Committee. A total of 17 people attended. Technical assistance was providedto 14 individuals/businesses. Of the 14 individuals/businesses, 10 were participants in the current farmer training program and 4 were graduates from previous cohorts: Alexandra Haban: on-farm visit and consulting Parrish Canon: multiple meetings on clarifying agricultural production questions and business planning Pickens Kehrer: TKC demonstration farm internship, business planning Patty Machado: TKC demonstration farm internship, seed exchange Rachelle House: on-farm visit and consulting Sarah Freeman: soil analysis interpretation and consulting Meg Roberts: soil analysis interpretation and consulting Leah Gibbs: meeting on soil management and plant nutrition information/resources, business planning David Gibbs: meeting on soil management and plant nutrition information/resources, business planning Jim Crum: meeting on website design Max Bowman ('Ano'ano Farms): recordkeeping support, continued administration and performance monitoring of award from private foundation to purchase equipment to support operational expansion Ho'ola Farms: Assistance with application for funding to USDA NIFA Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans to collaborate with GoFarm Hawai'i to engage veterans in agricultural education in Hawaii County Angela Fa'anunu (Kaivao Farms): provided Kaivao Farms with a dossier of agritourism operation referrals to support completion of a project funded in part by USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program Brandon Lee (Kaunamano Farm): technical assistance for animal welfare certification How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We participated in several island- and statewide events to inform about our farmer training program, including 'Aina Fest in Hawi (https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2019/08/30/entertainment/10th-annual-aina-fest -sept-7-pays-tribute-to-resilience-culture-and-community/), Hawai'i Island Community Food Summit in Hilo (https://hifoodalliance.org/2019foodsummit/), and Hawai'i Agriculture Conference in Honolulu (https://www.hiagconference.org/). All lecture and workshop presentations were shared with the farmer training participants after each session. In addition, beginning farmer resources are shared on our websites (https://kohalacenter.org/farmertrainingandhttps://kohalacenter.org/farmertrain ing/bfresources). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

IMPACT: 2016/08 TO 2019/08
What was accomplished under these goals? We continued the revised farmer training program structure from 2018 for our third cohort (November 2018 to August 2019) and provided again 18 bimonthly sessions (120 hr) including 45 hours of classroom instruction, 45 hours of on-farm workshops, and 30 hours of farm visits. For graduation, participants were required again to complete additional 68 hours with BFRDP-supported workshops at our partner site in Kona, Ma'ona Community Garden, other agriculture-related workshops island-wide, online education (including GoFarm Hawai'i video materials), and/or "student-select" assignments (e.g. farm internship, business planning, recording work performed at their own developing farms). None of the regular 18-session beginning farmer training program was open to the public in the final project year. Instead we hosted an additional public workshop at TKC's demonstration farm: Grow your own La'au Lapa'au with Sweetie Osorio, Hui Malama Ola Na 'Oiwi. A total of 8 people attended.A total of seven farms and ranches have been visited throughout the cohort, including Ulu Mau Puanui, Kamuela; Hawai'i Institute of Pacific Agriculture, Kapa'au; 'Ano'ano Farms, Kamuela; Hawai'i Island Goat Dairy, Ahualoa; Kaunamano Farm, Hakalau; Hamakua Chocolate Farm, Papaikou; Alexandra Haban's farm, Mountain View (Fern Acres). Across the three cohorts, a total of 61 individuals started the program and 49 of those participants completed it. A total of 23 public additional island wide public lectures and workshops attracted 447 community members. Technical assistance including business planning, agricultural production, and farm financing was provided by TKC's Rural Cooperative Business Development Services (RCBDS) team to 45 individuals and businesses.

PUBLICATIONS (not previously reported): 2016/08 TO 2019/08
No publications reported this period.

PROGRESS: 2016/08/15 TO 2017/08/14
Target Audience:The project has four overlapping target areas of service on Hawaii Island, including North Kohala, Hamakua, Ka'u, and Kona. Conducted outreach and program marketing via press release, newspaper, website, social media, community and The Kohala Center (TKC) events, and personal staff outreach to relevant organizations and agencies (including the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, the program's/project's partner sites in Kona and Ka'u, and local Veteran organizations including Ho'ola Farms. During this reporting period (2017 cohort), 24 participants for the Beginning Farmer-Rancher Development Program were recruited island-wide with the following distribution: 42% (10) live in the Hilo district, 21% (5) live in the Puna district, 13% (3) live in the Hamakua district, 8% (2) live in the Kohala district, 8% (2) in the Kona district, and 8% (2) in Honolulu County. Of the 24 students, a total of 16 (67%) fulfilled a minimum of 80% of the 188 hr program. An overview of the 16 graduates found that: 50% (8) of the participants were females and 69% (11) of the participants were socially disadvantaged (non-Caucasian). A total of 25% (4) of the participants were between 25 and 35 years old, another 25% (4) were between 36 and 45 years old, 31% (5) were between 46 and 55 years old, and 19% (3) were 56 years and older. A total of 75% (12) had intentions of market farming at some scale; 13% (2) had a business plan, 25% (4) were currently farming, and 88% (14) owned or leased agricultural land. Of these 88%, 38% (6) had 1-10 acres, 31% (5) had more than 10 acres, and 6% (1) had 0.5 acres. Of the 25% that were currently farming, one individual was a Kamehameha Schools-Mahi'ai Match-up winners (Kaivao Farm), one individual worked as agricultural manager/supervisor at Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility in Kailua (O'ahu), and one individual worked at Ho'ola Farms in Papa'ikou. In addition to the program's participants, 15 public lectures/workshops (7 in Hamakua, 5 in Kona, 3 in Ka'u) attracted 435interested people including community members, (beginning) farmers, and agricultural professionals. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In addition to the 20-session (105 h) beginning farmer program, including 39 hr of classroom instruction, 30 hr of on-farm instruction, and 36 hr of farm visits, the project has provided: 5 BFRDP-supported lectures/workshops at Ma'ona Community Garden in Kona: Ulu (breadfruit) talk (Apr. 22, 2017) with Dr. Noa Lincoln, UH CTAHR, Hawai'i 'Ulu Producers Cooperative, and Mala Kalu'ulu. A total of 19people attended. Papa Ku'i 'Ai and Pohaku Ku'i 'Ai (poi pounding) workshop (May 27 and 28, 2017) with Shane Keahi Tomas. A total of 36people attended. Fruit tree grafting workshop (Jun. 17, 2017) with Ken Love, Hawai'i Fruit Growers Association. A total of 50 people attended. Aquaponics talk (Jul. 8, 2017) with Liesel Santimer, Waiea Aquaponics. A total of 12people attended. Hoop house building (Aug. 19, 2017) with Chantal Chung, Extension Agent with the UH Sea Grant College (UH-SGC) Program and supervisor at Ma'ona Community Garden. A total of 41people attended. 3 BFRDP-supported lectures/workshops at Earth Matters Farm in Ka'u: Soil and composting methods (Feb. 26, 2017) talk with Dr. Melanie Willich, The Kohala Center. A total of 27 people attended. Starting a home production system (Jul. 30, 2017) workshop with Greg Smith, President of the Hawai'i Farmers Union United, Ka'u Chapter, and owner of Earth Matters Farm. A total of 33 people attended. Starting a small-scale composting system (Aug. 13, 2017) workshop with Kyle Studer, owner of Southside Farming Company in Ka'u. A total of 32 people attended. 1 BFRDP-supported lecture at Earth Matters Farm at North Hawai'i Education and Research Center (NHERC): Conservation tillage (Sep. 12, 2017) talk with Dr. Ted Kornecki, USDA-ARS National Soil Dynamics Lab Research Unit, Auburn, AL, Dave Elliott, O'ahu Resource Conservation and Development Council, and Jayme Barton, Hawai'i Agriculture Research Center (HARC). A total of 19 people attended. Note about this workshop: Made possible through collaborative efforts of Jayme Barton and Melanie Willich. HARC covered Dr. Kornecki's travel and lodging costs and The Kohala Center covered the cost of room rental at NHERC. This is a particularly successful example of relationship building, low cost program implementation, and high quality agricultural outreach provision. Dr. Kornecki expressed his joy and gratitude of having been able to present his work on roller-crimper technology applicable for small-scale operations on Hawai'i Island, which is highly relevant for Hawai'i's beginning farmers. The workshop also attracted agricultural professionals, including the Dean of UH Hilo's College of Agriculture, Forestry & Natural Resource Management, the NRCS Acting Assistant Director for Soil Science & Natural Resource Assessment/Pacific Island Area, the NRCS State Biologist/Environmental Compliance Liaison (BFRDP participant), 2 NRCS Soil Conservationists representing the Districts of Waiakea, Puna, Ka'u, Hamakua, and Mauna Kea, and the farm coaches of GoFarm Hawai'i Island and Kaua'i. Technical assistance to 16 individuals/businesses. Of the 16 people, 3 were participants in the farmer training program. An additional 13 producers received technical assistance. Farmer training program participants who received technical assistance: Alexandra Haban: on-farm apprenticeship with Max Bowman, 'Ano'ano Farms Angela Fa'anunu - Kaivao Farm: grant application and research design Anthony Makahanaloa: on-farm apprenticeship with Chantal Chung, Ma'ona Community Garden Producers who received technical assistance (as of Nov. 9, 2017): Akaka Acres: farm development planning, financial capitalization assistance 'Ano'ano Farms: loan application and financial capitalization, land acquisition Big Island Produce: farm labor housing professional networking Double Spirals on Tap: grant writing for value-added products Hawai'i Island Meat Cooperative: financial/accounting training, financial capitalization assistance Hawai'i Island 'Ulu Cooperative: grant writing and financial capitalization assistance for member farms Hawaii Seed Growers Network: grant writing and project design Kealakekua Bay Farm Management: grant writing and wholesale marketing Koru Organics: grant assistance for alternative energy, NRCS referral for high tunnel system Sage Farms: website development, financial/accounting training, farm succession assistance Spicy Ninja Hot Sauce: financial/accounting training, financial capitalization assistance The Vanillerie: grant writing for value-added products Whittle Farms: financial/accounting training Provided technical assistance to inmates at Kulani Correctional Facility attending the vocational training in Sustainable Food Production that is financed through the Hawai'iState Department of Public Safety and implemented through Hawai'i Community College: grant writing and financial capitalization strategies, including microloan programs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Preliminary results from the 2017-18 BFRDP session have been shared with (1) the County of Hawai'i for use in understanding the landscape of beginning farmers and technical assistance programs available for island farmers; (2) GoFarm Hawai'i (GFH), for use in further developing their farmer training program on Hawai'i Island and across the state; and (3) the University of Hawai'i's Geography Department to support continued evaluation work for TKC and GFH's farmer training programs. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?TKC will continue to network with organizations engaged in technical assistance and training for farmers and food producers to identify best practices, recommend and share clients to better serve their needs, design more responsive farmer and rancher training programs and workshops, and build support statewide for the next generation of farmers and ranchers. TKC and GoFarm Hawai'i launched the Hawai'i Farmer Trainers Network in 2015 and has gathered in 2016 and 2017 to discuss best practices in farmer/rancher education and encourage networking among groups. The network consists of over 20 farmer training initiatives and is currently focused on sharing curriculum, evaluation plans, and instructors; providing follow-up assistance to farmer training program graduates, including increasing access to land and capital.

IMPACT: 2016/08/15 TO 2017/08/14
What was accomplished under these goals? Developed a 20-session (105 hr) beginning farmer program, including 39 hr of classroom instruction, 30 hr of on-farm instruction, and 36 hr of farm visits. The training program period spanned seven months (February to September 2017). Sessions were held twice a month (every other Saturday) from 9 am to 4 pm. Classroom sessions were held at the North Hawai'i Education and Research Center. For graduation, participants were required to complete an additional 83 hr with BFRDP-supported workshops at the two partner sites (Earth Matters Farm, Ka'u, and Ma'ona Community Garden, Kona), other agriculture-related workshops island-wide, online education (including GoFarm Hawai'i video materials), and/or a "student-select" assignments (e.g. farm internship, business planning). The total program comprises of 188 hr. Program syllabus attached. Six sessions were open to the public. Cover cropping in Hawai'i talk (Mar. 18, 2017) with Dr.'s Ted Radovich and Koon Hui Wang, UH CTAHR, and Amy Koch and Jill Ficke-Beaton, USDA-NRCS. Following the morning classroom lectures by Dr. Radovich, Amy Koch, and Jill Ficke-Beaton, farm instruction was performed by Dr.'s Koon Hui Wang and Melanie Willich, TKC, and Amy Koch. A total of 40 people attended. Accessing local markets talk (Apr. 15, 2017) with Jim Cain, King Lau Lau Poi. A total of 33 people attended. Business planning and financing #1 talk (Apr. 29, 2017) with Diana Duff, FarmWorks. A total of 35 people attended. Business planning and financing #2 talk (Jul. 22, 2017) with Diana Duff, FarmWorks. A total of 16 people attended. Food safety, organic certification, and fair trade talk (Jun. 10, 2017) with Maile Woodhall, TKC. A total of 26 people attended. Cooperatives and farm capitalization talk (Jun. 24, 2017) with Teresa Young and Hanna Bree, TKC, and Linda Tow and Lester Ueda, USDA-FSA. A total of 16 people attended. Ten sessions were held at The Kohala Center's Demonstration Farm to conduct on-farm instruction. Topics included soil sampling, aquaponic production, cover cropping & mulching, composting, agroforestry system planting, beekeeping, seed production, and agricultural machinery. Two CTAHR researchers were flown from O'ahu (Dr.'s Ted Radovich and Koon Hui Wang) to provide instruction in cover cropping and crop rotation/integrated pest management, respectively. A total of twelve farms have been visited, including Kohala Institute Farms, Kapa'au; Mauna Kea Tea, Ahualoa; Ahualoa Hogs, Ahualoa; Hawai'i Island Goat Dairy, Ahualoa; Hamakua Mushroom Company, Laupahoehoe; Hawai'i Vanilla Company, Pa'auilo; Kaunamano Farm, Hakalau; Adaptations Inc., Honaunau; Kane Plantation, Honaunau; Southside Farming Company, Pahala; Kuahiwi Ranch, Na'ulehu; 'Ano'ano Farms, Kamuela.

PUBLICATIONS: 2016/08/15 TO 2017/08/14
No publications reported this period.