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INVESTIGATOR: Bullock, F. D.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY
3500 JOHN A. MERRITT BLVD
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE 37209

ENHANCING FOOD SECURITY, COMMUNITY AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY FOR BEGINNING FARMERS ,RANCHERS AND RETURNING VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN TENNESSEE

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Tennessee State University (TSU) proposes a new partnership agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture - The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to provide services through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). The overall goal of proposed project is to provide education, outreach, training and technical assistance to Tennessee's beginning and limited-resource farmers and ranchers to enhance the sustainability of beginning farmers and ranchers through education, training, mentoring and outreach programs that enhance self-employment in farming, ranching and forestry opportunities.The number of small farms in the Tennessee continues to decline. According to the U.S. Census data, the number of farms in Tennessee in 2002, 2007 and 2012 declined from 87,587 in 2002; 79,280 in 2007; to 68,050 in 2012. Tennessee is ranked 11th in the nation for total number of farms, according to the 2012 USDA census data. In 2011, 70% of farms in Tennessee were small farms with annual sales of less than $10,000, according to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. The number of African-American farm operators in Tennessee were in 212 1,324 with total farm acreage of 107,819 acres, which is a slight increase from 2007. More than 743 farmers identified themselves as Hispanic; American Indian/Native in Tennessee operated 689 farms; Asians operated 164 farms; and Native Hawaiians operated 27 farms in the Tennessee region according to 2012 USDA Census data. The number of Women farmers in 2012 was 28,813 from all the ethnic/race groups listed above.Small farmers and producers of all races, nationalities, and both gender and military service status are facing challenges in developing and enhancing economic cash flows, stimulating stagnated farm income, increasing returns on investment through rural business development, building and protecting assets, developing an attractive product for marketing, enhancing education on environmental and conservation stewardship, and practicing risk management. Because of the changing structure of agriculture and the competitive financial system, socially and financially disadvantaged producers Tennessee are having a difficult time thriving in this economy. Because of the current farming environment in Tennessee, the geographical focus of this project is Tennessee. Target GroupsThe target group is farmers and ranchers who have not operated a farm or ranch for not more than 10 years. These small farmers must fall into at least one of the following categories. The percentages indicate the amount of program funds made available to the group:Limited-Resources and Socially Disadvantage beginning farmers orranchers ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 35%Other eligible farm workers desiring to become farmers or ranchers ----- 30%Beginning farmers or ranchers who are military veterans-- ---------------- 35%

OBJECTIVES: The overall goal of proposed project is to provide education, outreach, training and technical assistance to Tennessee's beginning and limited-resource farmers and ranchers to enhance the sustainability of beginning farmers and ranchers through education, training, mentoring and outreach programs that enhance self-employment in farming, ranching and forestry opportunities.The number of small farms in the Tennessee continues to decline. According to the U.S. Census data, the number of farms in Tennessee in 2002, 2007 and 2012 declined from 87,587 in 2002; 79,280 in 2007; to 68,050 in 2012. Tennessee is ranked 11th in the nation for total number of farms, according to the 2012 USDA census data. In 2011, 70% of farms in Tennessee were small farms with annual sales of less than $10,000, according to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. The number of African-American farm operators in Tennessee were in 212 1,324 with total farm acreage of 107,819 acres, which is a slight increase from 2007. More than 743 farmers identified themselves as Hispanic; American Indian/Native in Tennessee operated 689 farms; Asians operated 164 farms; and Native Hawaiians operated 27 farms in the Tennessee region according to 2012 USDA Census data. The number of Women farmers in 2012 was 28,813 from all the ethnic/race groups listed above.Small farmers and producers of all races, nationalities, and both gender and military service status are facing challenges in developing and enhancing economic cash flows, stimulating stagnated farm income, increasing returns on investment through rural business development, building and protecting assets, developing an attractive product for marketing, enhancing education on environmental and conservation stewardship, and practicing risk management. Because of the changing structure of agriculture and the competitive financial system, socially and financially disadvantaged producers Tennessee are having a difficult time thriving in this economy. Because of the current farming environment in Tennessee, the geographical focus of this project is Tennessee.

APPROACH: Farmers have preferences for learning techniques and a comprehensive program of agricultural education should develop instructional delivery strategies that focus on these capabilities. For instance, small farmer success in Tennessee is often attributed to information from other successful farmers, neighbors, and the Extension service.Learning from the experts is part of the all-important data gathering stage of a farmer's learning process. Socialization is important for support, learning from one another, and for giving back in the form of mentoring. Accordingly, education should involve relevant/localized teaching; it should connect farmers and experts; it should involve knowledgeable agriculture agents and specialists; it should honor family values; it should demonstrate care and respect for farmers, their goals, and their lifestyle; and it should provide readily available information, sequential experiences, and variety in teaching.A key strategy to be implemented from the model is that of mentorship. New farmers will be more successful if they refrain from going at the new venture alone. Through peer learning and helping new farmers connect with the various farmer associations/organizations in Tennessee, isolation will problematic. The website for the project will also provide an element of socialization as it will connect farmers through venues such as Facebook and Twitter as well as provide farmer podcasts, discussion boards, and profiles.The majority of farms in Tennessee are small farms and limited-resources farmers manage many of those operations. Many limited-resources farms experience negative returns to farming, and these businesses have a low debt to asset ratio. Most limited-resources farms fail to diversify, as the majority of them are beef operations (Mishra, El-Osta, & Steele, 2002), especially in Tennessee - a state ranked 9th in the number of beef cows farmed. Many small farmers, including limited- resources farms, do not implement proven risk management strategies such as diversification (Newberry & Stiglitz , 1981), cropping intensity (Pearse, 1966), crop insurance, and record-keeping (Mishta, El-Osta, & Steele, 2002) that lead to higher chances of profitability.Successful marketing is essential for farm survival, and small farmers struggle to compete with traditional markets because of their size. Direct marketing outlets such as roadside markets and u-pick operations have been met with some success, but many farmers still find a lack of bargaining power for higher prices (Gebremedhin & Christy, 1996), even for farm fresh and home-grown healthy products. Limited-resources farmers need the same information as others seeking to enter or diversify the farm, but they also need assistance with gaining access to relevant information. This project will seek out limited-resources new farmers and make sure they have the technology and resources necessary to make sound entry, selection, and retention decisions.Evidence that Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Involved in Planning ActivitiesTennessee State University conducted small workshops assisting farmers and ranchers in the Jackson, Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee areas. Feedback was gathered from them in over a 13 county area. Approximately 120 people were served. Members from this group responded that more training and assistance was needed in business related areas, general livestock farming, and alternative farming concepts such as organic farming. This feedback was instrumental in conceptualizing the program and activities selected for this project. The Cooperative Extension Program at Tennessee State University has an extensive history in addressing, serving and providing assistance through training and education to small growers and producers in the state.

PROGRESS: 2016/09 TO 2019/08
Target Audience:In the final year of the project target audience,12.7% stated that their land was minority-owned, 14.3% were socially Disadvantaged farmers, 30.2% Mid-sized Farm Operators and 38.1% classified themselves in other categories.Of those that were non-farmers included: family farms, hobby farmers, home gardeners, community gardeners, retirees, veterans organizational leaders (church), community leaders, educators, home owners, extension agents, extension specialist, culinary student, and a dreamer. Although, these attendees were interested in agriculture, they had no land, farm, were still working and getting help in securing land. In terms of their farm size by income, the target audience were very small farm operators with income less than $10,000 (42.9%) were small with incomes between $10,000 and $29,999 (7.9%) were medium sized farms with income $30,000 to $74,999 (6.3%) and larger than $75,000 (1.6%). Interms of gender and race,27% white females, 33% white males, 20% black females, less than 1% Asian/other and 19% unidentified. All of these were categorized as small farms. Among total target audience 33.3 % were veterans, in which 33% served in the US Army, 30% in the US Airforce, 1% in the US Navy and 14% in AmeriCorps. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?? Several workshops, seminars, Expo and conferences were designed to meet the specific goals of this project NIFA conference commercial kitchen workshop Monthly Third Tuesday Workshop (TTW) Sept - Wild Edibles walk, food safety Oct - Pig farmer backyard poultry, goat herd mgmt.. Feb. - pruning, hoop house April- Livestock May- Farmequipments June - Marketing, branding; build your own website, diversify August - Small Farm Expo Region oriented programs were organized to achieved the major goals Memphis, TN: Financing, Entrepreneurship, & Business Training Workshop TSU farm: Urban Gardening techniques TSU farm: Greenhouse design, construction, and growing Clarksville, TN: Farm Basics, Financing, Entrepreneurship, & Business Training Workshop New Farmer Academy, East & West startups More than 340 people joined the Third Tuesday Workdhops emailing list and 700 people joined the overall emailing list of TSU to get informed regarding the newletter outlests and workshops and expo. Tennessee Woman in Agriculture (TWAG) - Set up a student organization and chose a president, Braxton Simpson, who continues to work diligently to write the constitution for the continued development of this new student organization. Extension agent nominatedone outstanding small farmer from hiscounty for each of the four categories, namely, Best Management Practices, Alterative Enterprises, Innovative Marketing and Most Improved Beginning Small Farmer to compete for the "Small Farmer of the Year" award. One nominee has been chosen as the winner from each category, and an overall winner will be awarded as the "Tennessee Small Farmer of the Year."The award recipients presented at the Tennessee State University College of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Program's "Small Farm Expo and Awards Luncheon," to be held at the TSU Agricultural Research and Education Center in Nashville, Tennessee. They work closely with TSU and Extension agents to disseminate the experties and skills to this communities. The TSU team made the interview videos of each participants and shared through different channels to the respective stakeholders. When asked whether or not they used the internet to sell what they produce, few, 19% of the participants stated they use the internet in operating their farms and gardens. Majority 75% responded said that they do not use internet on their farms and garden operations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Medium of Communications Word-of-Mouth Extension Agents TSU Website Third Tuesday Page Social Media Email from TSU We hosted the annual Project Director's Meeting for NIFA at the Hilton Garden Inn, a part of the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Grant (approximately 100 directors from around the U.S.). The New Farmer Academy (NFA) in Nashville, graduated 38 students in 2017 and has another 44 attending this year. In 2018, we expanded the NFA to Memphis (30 students), and Morgan County (30 students). Statistically, 80% of our students are 1st generation farmers, 10% U.S. veterans and in Memphis alone, 66% are minority. All the workshops educational materials were published and shared on TSU Extension website and handouts were distributed to participants. Most of the people who attended the workshop got the information about the workshop from Extension Agent (28.6%), Word-of-Mouth (20.6%), TSU Website (17.5%), Social Media (4.8%), TTWWebpage (4.8%) and Email (3%). A total of 25.4% of the participants learned about the workshop from other sources such as email from TSU Extension, Extension agent, Speaker, Face book, Master Gardener mentor, workshop announcement, Flyer and Cooperative member. 84% (168out of 200respondents) and 88% (176of 200) of respondents indicated an excellent satisfaction with the location and conference room facility, respectively. The response to length of talks was 52% for excellent, 40% for good and 8% fair. For hand-outs, 42% had excellent satisfaction, 46% good, and 13%fair. This shows that we need some improvements on the length of talks; there was a suggestion to increase the talks to 20 minutes, or to increase the length of the workshop by a day or half-day to allow presenters enough time to talk about their project outputs. On hand-outs, there was a suggestion for presenters to set up an exhibition of their work. There was also another suggestion to include people who are currently successful in coordinating funded State and Regional SCRI and SARE grants. 70% (140) of respondents strongly agreed, 26% (52) agreed, and 4% (8) were neutral about the usefulness of the brainstorming session to determining the future direction of the group. Overall, 96% (192) at least agreed the session was useful. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

IMPACT: 2016/09 TO 2019/08
What was accomplished under these goals? Project team along with extension agents and expert group worked on many educational and extension outreach program. Several training program, workshops, seminars and small farm expo. Through these tools, team reached out to the mentioned target audience and achieved the project objectives. Better communication and interaction between 1890 and 1862 institutions; especially interested in enhancing educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in IPM at 1890 institutions Improved collaboration among practitioners and institutions within the state, and among states across the region Stronger collaborative partnership between research scientists and extension personnel to foster more involvement of extension personnel in applied research More vigorous dialogue between stakeholders and research/extension personnel to better define and address stakeholders' (small farmers) needs, greater focus on small farm needs Coordinate more farmer to farmer IPM demonstrations, trainings, field days, especially to new fruit and vegetable producers More networking via information sharing, website delivery (blogs, social media etc...), even with tropical regions More coordination between conventional and organic practices More on farm research in multiple states investigating similar problems that would benefit the producers in the Southern region. Train Extension agents in research-based crop-specific IPM programs. Comprehensive high quality training programs in sustainable vegetable crop production practices utilizing inputs that can be derived from on-farm biological resources and marketing strategies for commodities produced. More industry support for small farm research Beginning in July 2018, the annual Small Farm Expo had nearly 300 in attendance, showcased the research farm and government agencies. Farmers from around the state, and Ag. Agents networked, and learned how TSU and various government agencies support agriculture in TN. Group of scientists from TSU exhibit their modern scientific approach from sustainable farming to use of drones and animal husbandry. More than 9 tour were available for the participants. participants gained direct marketing knowledge/skills to increase sales revenue, reduce costs, prevent losses, increase payroll or make one-time capital purchases. farm families evaluated new farm enterprises and value added activities. participants increased their knowledge of Commercial Kitchen Use and Guidelines. fruit and vegetable producers increased their knowledge of good agricultural practices (GAPs) to improve food safety and enhance marketing opportunities. 75% would recommend the workshop to others 100% plan to use the knowledge gained at the workshop 92% think the time allotted was appropriate 33% say they learned some new knowledge 67% say they learned a lot of new knowledge Only 1 person claimed to have very little knowledge prior to the workshop 50% say they had a little knowledge prior to the workshop 42% say they knew some before the workshop No one claimed to have a lot of knowledge prior to the workshop More than 700 people joined the contact list of TSU small farm program. More than 300 people attended the small farm Expo, 2018 only. Nearly 42.9% indicated they were interested in learning how to use the Internet to market their products, 47.6% were not interested in using internet at this time, while 10% did not respond to the question. However, these non-internet users (47.6%) said although they would like to use internet in their farm and garden operations, they had limited access to internet in their area or community. Nearly 42.9% indicated they were interested in learning how to use the Internet to market their products, 47.6% were not interested in using internet at this time, while 10% did not respond to the question. Target audience has been exposed to cutting edge technologies and financial education for sustainable farming. They learnt the marketing techniques and use of social media and internet to promote their products and businesses. Along with Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) and other profit and non-profit organization, the project team disseminated many crucial information to the stakeholders to meet the overall goal of this project.

PUBLICATIONS (not previously reported): 2016/09 TO 2019/08
No publications reported this period.

PROGRESS: 2017/09/01 TO 2018/08/31
Target Audience:Beginning small farmers, minorities, veterans and ranchers Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Topics were: Wetlands/conservation, Sorghum as a biofuel crop, Greenhouse opportunities, Organic production, organic certification workshops, Management of livestock (Dexter cattle and meat goats), Raising Chickens for profit, and access/education of state and federal program support for farmers, Pruning, Seed germination techniques, Equipment demos, Marketing strategies, mushrooms, herbs, and exotic vegetable production, Wild edibles, food safety, Backyard Poultry, Pig/swine management, Meat Goat herd management. Fact sheets were written and disseminated to our listserv. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have established a listserv of over 300, which is used to distribute fact sheets and evaluation results. We have conducted multiple workshops in central TN, New Farmer Academy in each region, and used website and emails to distribute fact sheets and educational materials What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Coordinate internships, mentors/ mentees. Provide professional business education/training in several TN counties; continue to advance the New Farmer Academy in the state; 2019 Small Farm Expo with enhanced marketing and opportunities for new farmers; continue to provide workshops throughout the state. We will take videos of upcoming new farmers (1 per month) and highlight them on our website.

IMPACT: 2017/09/01 TO 2018/08/31
What was accomplished under these goals? Commercial Workshop in Montgomery County; Monthly workshops on the farm - 102 people served; New Farmer Academy established in the Western and Eastern regions of the state and continued in the central region, with 78 student farmers; Small Farm Expo - 134 new attendees in the audience with youth program; Established a new student group called Tiger Women in Agriculture (TWAG), connected with NWIAA, the national group; Spring workshop on new crop for farmers, 154 small farmers from around the state; Research on pigeon pea crops for impact on Johnson Grass, Sent small farm award recipients to the 2018 SSAWG Conference, plus 18 additional small farmers and entrepreneurs in agriculture. Provided 10 scholarships to new farmers in East Tennessee to attend the New Farmer Academy.

PUBLICATIONS: 2017/09/01 TO 2018/08/31
No publications reported this period.

PROGRESS: 2016/09/01 TO 2017/08/31
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Joined list serve with operation stand down and TSU?s ROTC groups to reach out to veterans.How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Yes, county director list serve.What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Work closely with Advisory Committee; Expand into Western region; Partner with existing farms to establish field days & demonstration; Coordinate with/ Dr. Nandwani for organic education; Coordinate internships, mentors/ mentees.

IMPACT: 2016/09/01 TO 2017/08/31
What was accomplished under these goals? Workshops in Shelby county & Montgomery county; Advisory Council established; Monthly workshops at TSU farm; New Farmer Academy ? 40 participants; 2017 Small Farm Expo scheduled for July 20 in central region.

PUBLICATIONS: 2016/09/01 TO 2017/08/31
No publications reported this period.