2004 Professional Development Projects

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One of Kentucky's long-term goals for sustainable agriculture growth is to assist farmers in adding value to farm products, including fruits and vegetables. Kentucky legislature passed a farmer-driven bill that allows farmers to process value-added products from the home kitchen instead of having to build an expensive certified kitchen. In order to sell low-acid and acidified food products, farmers must attend a Home-based Microprocessor Workshop.

1. The Value-Added Microprocessor Project has three main objectives: Train Kentucky Cooperative Extension Agents, Health Inspectors, Area Food Manufacturing Inspectors, Department of Agriculture personnel, and Farm Mentors the technical knowledge and skills needed to provide Home-based Microprocessor Workshops to Kentucky farmers;
2. Establish a Better Process Control School at the University of Kentucky Value-Added Processing Incubator; and
3. Establish specialized value-added courses to provide additional agricultural sustainability.

As a result of this project training and offerings, farmers will produce safe value-added products that increase economic returns, strengthen the community farm-to-table link, and save valuable natural resources. As Kentucky agriculture moves from a commodity driven to a product driven state, it is imperative that Cooperative Extension Agents be offered research-based information to address the complex issues of value-added food product development and marketing.

Sandra Bastin
University of Kentucky
242-A Scovell Hall
Lexington, KY 40506-0064
Ph: (859) 257-7791
sbastin@uky.edu

• Good involvement of farmers.
• Strong collaboration of diverse partners.
  Seems to be a very cost-effective program if 484 people are trained.
• This proposal addresses a need in the South and has a lot of potential throughout the South.
• Clear behavior-based objectives that describe the changes in knowledge, attitudes, skills, and actions of the trainees.
• Coherent evaluation plan.

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A training program is currently being initiated that could have a significant impact on beef producers in the state of Mississippi and the Southern Region. This project will provide the training in sustainable beef production necessary to develop local training teams consisting of Extension Service Livestock/ Forage Area Agents, Natural Resource and Conservation Service County personnel, and local veterinarians. These training efforts will increase the knowledge base of local training teams regarding beef production in an integrated resource management approach emphasizing optimizing beef production, marketing, financial management, and environmental stewardship, while simultaneously enhancing wildlife habitat.

Profitability is and always has been a major challenge for beef producers, and profit opportunities exist for producers who understand and implement cost-effective production and marketing practices. To remain sustainable in beef production in the near future, it will be essential for producers to embrace an integrated resource management approach to production and expense management while also maintaining and enhancing environmental resources. Trainers and producers will work together in this effort to improve beef production sustainability in Mississippi.

Charles Flowers
Mississippi State University Extension Service
P.O. Box 9815
Mississippi State, MS 39762
Ph: (662) 325-2852
wflowers@ads.msstate.edu

• Strong collaboration of a variety of groups to include bankers and veterinarians.
• The participation and leadership of MSU's extension leader and Beef Cattle Specialist is a very important endorsement of the project.
• Relevant to agricultural issues in the South.
• Uses a systems approach that considers broad impacts beyond the farm boundary.

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 Marketing continues to be the weak link in farm profitability. Direct marketing offers an alternative to the "economy of scale" farming model.The farmer, however, making the transition from selling into conventional, traditional market outlets at wholesale, often below the cost of production prices to retail sometimes encounters a steep learning curve.

Cooperative Extension Agents have traditionally supplied the knowledge and expertise necessary to support and enhance farm production, but have not generally had the training in marketing techniques, especially those associated with selling directly to the consumers. This training program will give Extension agents and farmers a range of direct and retail marketing information and tools which will allow them to reduce or eliminate the start up problems encounterd by new and transitional direct marketers. The program will target Extension Agents, the Women and Agriculture Network, and Kentucky State (l890) Third Thursdays educational program participants.

Betty King
University of Kentucky
Community and Leadership Development Dept.
500 WP Garrigus Building
Lexington, KY 40546
Ph: (859) 257-3403
bking@uky.edu

• Strong educational resources--case studies, DVDs and a web site to share information.
• Links to SSARE 'Third Thursdays', which involves many collaborators, including Women in Ag.
• Excellent use of a variety of state and federal agencies, as well as non-government organizations.
• Topic is very important to the southern region and across the nation, especially important to small-scale farmers.
• Provided a realistic timeline and cost-effective budget.
• Linked to previously funded SARE projects.

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The Regional Goat Project with six collaborative states will provide professional training on sustainable goat production and marketing systems including forages, environmental aspects, economics, marketing, climae concerns, parasite and disease control, breeds and bredding, and outreach concerns for non-traditional producers and consumers.

Multi-disciplinary expertise and educations materials will be shared across state lines. Two facilitated regional conferences will be held with professional and farmer participnts from each collaborative state, and other interested states to review, expand, adopt, and develop goat production and marketing educational materials and to develop and strengthen new multi-disciplinary, multi-state initiatives and educational teams. Kentucky State University, University of Kentucky, Fort Valley State University, Tennessee State University, Langston University, Florida A&M University are collaborators.

Marion Simon
Kentucky State University
400 East Main Street
Frankfort, KY 40601
Ph: (502) 597-6437
msimon@gwmail.kysu.edu

•  This proposal has strong farmer participation-there is a plan to include farmers in the planning, delivery, and evaluation.
• Strong collaboration and networking-several states involved, diverse group.
• Strong behavioral objectives.
• Linkages to a previously funded SARE project--5 other SARE projects listed in this grant that have been funded on this topic.
• Strength--building a library and sharing materials, plans to provide materials for a low literary audience.

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 NCAT (a national nonprofit with a strong sustainable agriculture program) will organize 2 training conferences in two locations within the southern region to meet the following objectives: 1) enhance the skills of educators and farmer-trainers who work with clients and peers on using livestock to manage natural resources 2) provide producers with help they need to utilize and sustain their natural resources 3) provide producers the opportunity of teaching educators what they learned as they applied SARE funded tools to their own farms 4) help 1890s universities disseminate research results to more educators and farmers in the Southern region. Heifer International Ranch and Learning Center in Perryville, Arkansas and the Middle Tennessee Experiment Station and Profitability Center in Spring Hill, Tennessee are committed as training sites and partners. Conferences will build on training activities and materials developed through previous SARE projects relating to beef, dairy and small ruminant sustainability. Target areas for skill-building of trainees are

1. transitioning to organic livestock production
2. fine tuning grazing management and
3. assessment and management of natural resources on farms where livestock are produced on a major amount of the farm acreage.

Project funds include a scholarship fund for up to 130 educators to be trained. Participants include and will be identified by: PDP Coordinators, CES agents and specialists, USDA-NRCS field personnel, 1890 university staff, Heifer International field coordinators, and farmer-leaders.

Evaluation activities include: usefulness of past SARE deliverables by trainees and farmers (who will be using tools on-farm as part of conference prep) and followup with educators on adoption of skills.

Ann Wells
NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Program
P.O. Box 3657
Fayetteville, AR 72702
Ph: (479) 442-9824
annw@ncat.org

• Strong farmer participation. Thirty producers will be involved by either being on the advisory panel, attending, and teaching at the workshops, and working with educators on their farming operations.
• A list of diverse groups are involved.
• The areas of: small ruminants, grass-fed beef production, pasture-based dairy production, and transitioning to organic, fits the southern agriculture issues.
• The broad impacts beyond the farm boundary are covered by tying it to sustaining the natural resources. Critical for all who live in the south.
• Leverage other inputs, multiply outputs, and sustain outcomes in the future-good use of information that has been developed, up-dating and fine-tuning it and presenting it.
• Strength, plan to sustain outcomes in the future-after the training, they will personally help the attendees with the training materials, video-tape farmer activities and share it with other farmers, develop list-serv discussions, conduct conference calls and personal visits.
• Strength-The educational methodology provides a detailed explanation of how, when, where, and the whys of the total educational and training efforts. Not only the details of the two conferences are discussed, the rational for each location, expected accomplishments for all the activities, as well as follow-up and materials for the follow-up is covered.

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