Massachusetts 2013 Beginning Women Farmer Participants
HMI is excited to report on the data we have collected from our Beginning Women Farmer Training Program in Massachusetts which began in November 2012 and ran through May of 2013. This program was part of HMI’s Beginning Women Farmer Program funded by the USDA/NIFA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. 15 women were accepted into the program for the 2012-2013 program year and 13 graduated. The State Coordinator position was shared by Devon Whitney-Deal and Kristen Wilmer of Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture. Program mentor was Katie Campbell-Nelson of University of Massachusetts.
The data below demonstrates that a high level of knowledge and attitude change occurred and that the women completed or modified numerous farm plans (actual behavior change) which resulted in many benefits. 80% or more of the participants developed a whole farm goal, a financial plan, and a grazing plan.
Also of note, an extremely high percentage of participants reported increased satisfaction with aspects of farming including higher quality of life (80%), better communication (89%), improved time management (89%), increased ability to determine profit (100%), and improved ability to make complex decisions (100%).
The top ten post-session impacts realized by participants are:
- Clearer sense of what farm is managing towards (100%)
- Better ability to determine resources available for management (91%)
- Improved decision-making (82%)
- Improved understanding of your farm’s eco-system (82%)
- Improved ability to articulate goals and objectives of business to others (73%)
- Improved ability to determine appropriate management practices to remediate an environmental issue (73%)
- Changes in how you prioritize expenses (73%)
- New record keeping systems (73%)
- Improved ability to incorporate social, environmental, and financial information into land plan (73%)
- Enhanced Understanding of Your Farm Finances (64%)
Harms Family Farm Tour
There was an 86% satisfaction rating for the program mentor and a 94% satisfaction rating for the state coordinator. In 9 out of the 10 sessions 82% or more of the participants noted knowledge change. That knowledge change varied depending on content of sessions, but was as high as 84%. Overall satisfaction with sessions were 89% or higher for 9 out of 10 sessions with 86% of the participants satisfied with the program overall.
Participant Demographic Information
Of the 15 participants, 11 completed the final survey from which we were able to gather the following information.
- The average years of farming was 4 years (range: 0 – 10 years)
- The average acres farmed was 4 acres under production (range:.25 – 14 acres)
- The average age of the farmers was 39 years old (range: 23 – 58)
- The race the participants reported was: 7 Anglo; and 4 left the query blank
- The total customers of all participants was 456
|
Knowledge Change Summary Per Session |
||
|
Course |
% Participants Experiencing Knowledge Change |
% of knowledge change |
| Session One – Goal Setting | ||
| Develop a Whole Farm Goal |
93% |
62% |
| Define What You Are Managing Towards |
93% |
52% |
| Inventory Farm Resources |
86% |
38% |
| Integrate Social, Economic, and Environmental Factors into Decision-Making |
71% |
41% |
| Defining Effective Management Team |
64% |
29% |
| Identify Needed Farm Systems and Protocols |
64% |
40% |
| Session Summary |
93% |
|
| Session Two – Time Management | ||
| Effectively Manage Time on Your Farm |
79% |
37% |
| Assess How Time is Spent on Farm |
79% |
46% |
| Ability to Make Complex On-Farm Decisions |
86% |
39% |
| Understanding Seasonal Time Demands/Flows |
71% |
32% |
| Session Summary |
100% |
|
| Session Three – Financial Planning I | ||
| Identifying Logjams and Adverse Factors on Farm |
93% |
44% |
| Attitude Toward Financial Planning |
87% |
40% |
| Ability to Develop Balance Sheet |
73% |
39% |
| How to Increase Farm Net Worth |
73% |
52% |
| Determining Viable Profitable Enterprises for Your Farm |
67% |
36% |
| Session Summary |
100% |
|
| Session Four – Financial Planning II |
|
|
| Skills in Developing Whole Farm Financial Plan |
100% |
81% |
| Getting Profit You Need from Your Farm |
93% |
84% |
| Delineating Farm Expense Categories |
93% |
63% |
| Assessing Farm Cash Flow |
93% |
71% |
| Monitoring Your Financial Plan |
93% |
76% |
| Prioritizing and Cutting Farm Expenses to Guide Reinvestment |
87% |
62% |
| Session Summary |
100% |
|
| Session Five – Marketing | ||
| Using Whole Farm Goal and Financial Plan to Develop Marketing Plan |
90% |
41% |
| Effectively Promote Products and Services |
90% |
38% |
| Understanding Your Competition |
90% |
33% |
| How to Develop a Marketing Plan |
90% |
42% |
| Marketing Outreach Towards Your Whole Farm Goal |
80% |
58% |
| Session Summary |
100% |
|
| Session Six – Business Planning | ||
| Ability to Use Holistic Goal to Guide Business Strategic Plan |
82% |
32% |
| Ability to Use Financial Plan to Determine Viable Markets for Farm |
64% |
46% |
| Knowledge of Resources for Developing Strategic Plan for Farm |
64% |
35% |
| Attitudes Towards Value of Having a Business Plan to Guide Farm |
55% |
26% |
| Ability to Develop a Business Plan for Farm |
55% |
29% |
| Ability to Implement Systems and Projects to Move Towards Whole Farm Goal |
45% |
26% |
| Session Summary |
82% |
|
| Session Seven – Leadership and Communication | ||
| Using Whole Farm Goal to Guide Communication on Farm |
89% |
48% |
| Incorporating Diverse Learning Styles toward More Effective Leadership and Communication |
89% |
48% |
| Awareness of Communication Patterns on Farm |
78% |
33% |
| Effective Communication Tools for Farm |
78% |
37% |
| Understanding Diverse Ways People Seek Recognition |
78% |
40% |
| Conflict Resolution Skills for Farm |
67% |
32% |
| Sense of Yourself as a Leader |
67% |
30% |
| Session Summary |
100% |
|
| Session Eight – Land Planning | ||
| Design Strategies to Build Resilient, Diversified Farms |
92% |
44% |
| Assess Management Considerations to Guide Land Planning |
92% |
58% |
| Prioritize Land and Infrastructure Development/Investments |
83% |
48% |
| How to Incorporate Natural Resource Issues into Land Planning |
83% |
46% |
| How to Incorporate Social/Legal/Contractual into Land Planning |
75% |
52% |
| How Permaculture Fits into Holistic Land Planning |
75% |
48% |
| Session Summary |
100 |
|
| Session Nine – Grazing | ||
| How to Determine the Number of Paddocks |
91% |
62% |
| How to Determine Grazing Periods |
82% |
60% |
| How to Assess Recovery Periods |
82% |
48% |
| How to Improve Land Health with Livestock |
82% |
52% |
| How to Determine Number of Animals Your Pasture Can Support |
82% |
67% |
| How to Assess Quantity of Forage in Pasture |
73% |
48% |
| Value of Grazing Planning |
73% |
56% |
| Session Summary |
100% |
|
| Session Ten – Soil Fertility | ||
| Ability to Monitor Farm Eco-System Health |
100% |
52% |
| Understanding Eco-system Processes on Your Farm |
82% |
33% |
| Indicators of a Healthy Farm Eco-System |
82% |
45% |
| Importance of Improving Soil Fertility Sustainably |
55% |
22% |
| Benefits of a Covered Soil |
55% |
25% |
| Session Summary |
100% |
|
|
Increased Confidence as a Result of Session |
||
|
Confidence In. . . |
Year One | |
| Ability to Identify Logjam/Adverse Factors |
100% |
|
| Prioritizing Cutting Farm Expenses to Guide Re-investment |
100% |
|
| Monitoring Your Farm Financial Plan |
100% |
|
| Developing Written Whole Farm Goal |
93% |
|
| Manage Your Time on Your Farm |
93% |
|
| Make Complex Decisions on Your Farm |
93% |
|
| Using Testing Questions |
93% |
|
| Getting Profit You Need From Your Farm |
93% |
|
| Identifying Cash Flow Issues on Farm |
93% |
|
| Promoting Your Farm Products |
90% |
|
| Developing a Marketing Plan that Meets Your Farm’s Needs and Goals |
90% |
|
| Determine Your Farm’s Net Worth |
87% |
|
| Determine Your Farm’s Projected Revenue |
80% |
|
| Determining Weak Link in Farm Enterprises |
80% |
|
| Increase Your Farm’s Net Worth |
73% |
|
| Determine Viable Profitable Enterprises |
73% |
|
| Pricing Your Farm Products |
60% |
|
| Assessing Your Competition to Understand Your Farm’s Strengths |
80% |
|
| Communicating with Decision Makers |
78% |
|
| Developing a Business/Strategic Plan |
73% |
|
| Delineating Farm Resources for Management |
57% |
|
| Building an Effective Management Team |
57% |
|
| Identifying Systems and Protocols for your Farm |
57% |
|
| Communicating with Farm Workers |
67% |
|
| Providing Recognition for Farm Workers |
56% |
|
| Providing Leadership on Your Farm |
89% |
|
| Ability to Prioritize Land/Infrastructure Improvements on Farm |
92% |
|
| Natural Resource Management | ||
| Ability to Incorporate Natural Resource Issues into Land Planning |
100% |
|
| Assessing Recovery Periods |
100% |
|
| Calculating the Number of Paddocks for your System |
100% |
|
| Determining the Number of Animals Your Land Can Support for Grazing |
91% |
|
| Determining How Long Animals Will Stay in Each Paddock |
91% |
|
| Assessing Quantity of Forage and Pasture |
91% |
|
| Ability as a Grazer |
82% |
|
| Monitoring Your Farm’s Eco-System Health |
73% |
|
| Improving Eco-System Health on Your Farm |
73% |
|
| Building Organic Matter in Your Soils |
73% |
|
| Ability to Incorporate Social/Legal Considerations into Land Planning |
67% |
|
|
Intention to Change Behavior |
% of participants |
| Human Resources | |
| Implement Time Management Tools or Processes |
100% |
| Using Testing Questions for On Farm Decisions Making |
100% |
| Change Leadership Practices |
100% |
| Develop a Whole Farm Goal |
92% |
| Change Management Practices |
83% |
| Financial Resources | |
| Complete or Modify a Financial Plan |
100% |
| Complete or Modify a Marketing Plan |
90% |
| Determine Profit Up Front and Cap Expenses |
87% |
| Change Marketing Practices |
80% |
| Monitor Financial Plan |
73% |
| Change Enterprise Assessment |
67% |
| Prioritize and Cut Expenses |
67% |
| Enter Financial Data Regularly |
67% |
| Complete or Modify a Business Plan |
64% |
| Change Record-Keeping |
60% |
| Strategically Reinvest in Farm |
53% |
| Natural Resource Management | |
| Conduct Biological Monitoring on Farm |
91% |
| Change Eco-System Health Practices |
91% |
| Complete or Modify Written Land Plan |
75% |
| Change Land Management Practices |
58% |
| Complete or Modify Written Grazing Plan |
55% |
| Change Grazing Practices |
64% |
| BWF PARTICIPANT BEHAVIOR CHANGE |
% of participants experiencing change |
| Holistic Goal/Whole Farm Plan |
82% |
| Financial Plan |
82% |
| Forge Relationships That Positively Impacted You |
82% |
| Grazing Plan |
80% |
| Business Plan |
55% |
| Marketing Plan |
45% |
| Land Plan |
45% |
|
Post-Program Satisfaction Changes |
|
| Topic |
% Participants Experiencing Change |
| Satisfaction with Ability to Determine Needed Profit |
100% |
| Satisfaction with Ability to Make Complex Decisions |
100% |
| Satisfaction with Quality of Life |
80% |
| Satisfaction with Communication |
89% |
| Satisfaction with Time Management |
82% |
Session Satisfaction |
|
|
Class Percent rated good or excellent |
|
| Session One |
92% |
| Session Two |
100% |
| Session Three |
100% |
| Session Four |
100% |
| Session Five |
100% |
| Session Six |
55% |
| Session Seven |
89% |
| Session Eight |
92% |
| Session Nine |
100% |
| Session Ten |
100% |
|
Post-Session Impacts |
|
| Impacts Experienced | Percent of Participants |
| Human Resources | |
| Clearer sense of what your farm is managing towards |
100% |
| Better Ability to Determine Resources Available to You |
91% |
| Improved Decision Making |
82% |
| New Policies and Systems Implemented |
55% |
| Better Relationships |
55% |
| Financial Resources | |
| New or Improved Record Keeping Systems |
73% |
| Changes in How Your Prioritize Expenses |
73% |
| Improved Ability to Incorporate Social, Environmental, and Financial into Your Land Plan |
73% |
| Enhanced Understanding of Your Farm Finances |
64% |
| Improved Ability to Prioritize Land Planning Investments |
55% |
| Natural Resources |
|
| Improved Understanding of Your Farm’s Eco-System |
82% |
| Improved Ability to Determine Appropriate Management to Address an Environmental Issue |
73% |
| Improved Ability to Articulate Goals and Objectives of Business to Others |
73% |
Adelene is a resident of Arkansas and loves exploring the state’s natural trails. Her passion for education and technology led her to earn a master’s in learning systems technology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. With her professional experience managing student/client databases and instructional design, Adelene will bring skill and understanding to her role as Office Manager & Instructional Designer at HMI. Her focus on making education more accessible to diverse communities is evident through her volunteer work as an board member for a scholarship program. Adelene is devoted to creating educational opportunities that align with HMI’s mission to promote healthy, resilient lands and thriving communities.
Seth Wilner has been a Holistic Management International Certified Educator since 2005. For 22 years he has worked as an agent educator with University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension where he specializes in farm business management with an emphasis on whole farm planning.
Dana was first introduced to Holistic Management in the 1990s while working in the Texas Hill Country. She strongly believes that Holistic Management can positively impact families that are on the land, the communities they are a part of, and larger landscape resource regeneration efforts.
Sarah Robertson grew up in Taos, New Mexico and has always been passionate about land stewardship, growing things, and nurturing others. After completing a BA in Communication from the University of New Mexico and working with local non-profits, she started her journey as a first-generation farmer. Since 2015, she has been learning and growing alongside her husband on various leased properties in Albuquerque, NM and running a small market farm with goats, chickens, and a CSA. In her role as Programs Assistant at HMI, Sarah brings her enthusiasm for regenerative agriculture, devotion to supporting others, and drive for lifelong learning and growing.
Jozua Lambrecht is from South Africa and divides his time between their home in Somerset West and their family farm in Sutherland, one of the coldest places in South Africa, where they farm with sheep. He is married to his wife Therese and they have two daughters.
Alejandro Carrillo is a fourth-generation rancher, and he is quite familiar with the challenges of running a profitable cattle ranch in the Chihuahuan desert. Because annual precipitation seldom exceeds nine inches, every drop counts when it comes to growing more grasses. Grazing year-round with only sea salt as an input, he is not willing to waste any water in such a brittle environment.
Jared L Talley was born and raised in Southwestern Idaho and now seeks to help rural communities adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world. He is an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Service at Boise State University, earning his PhD in Philosophy from Michigan State University and his MPA in Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Management from Boise State University. An environmental philosopher by training and an interdisciplinary scholar in practice, he seeks to better understand how communities relate to the land and how this relationship poses obstacles and opportunities for collaboration and governance. In doing so, he studies the role of science in collaborative policy, the role of place in environmental identity, and the role of the imagination in mediating both. Specifically, he studies grazing management and public land permitting, community-led conservation programs, rural education and entrepreneurship, place-based environmental governance, and the imaginative experience of our natural and built environments — all in the contexts of the intermountain American West.
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