The National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number Grant #2012-49400-19673 funded HMI’s 2015 Beginning Farmers & Ranchers: Women in the NE & Texas program. We recently completed evaluation of the Maine program which was coordinated by Gail Chase through Maine’s Women’s Agricultural Network and the Kennebeck Valley Council of Government. Lead instructors for this program were Gail Chase and Diane Schivera. There was 97% average satisfaction rating for all sessions and 100% of the participants noted they had increased their network as a result of the training. Thanks to the USDA/NIFA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development program for their support of this program.
Here’s what we’ve learned from our 13 Maine participants, of which 8 graduated from the program:
Participant Demographics
- The average years of farming was 8 years
- The average acres under production was 9 acres under production with a total of 43 acres influenced
Here’s what some of the participants had to say:
- I have greater confidence as a partner in our farm, to have an educated opinion and contacts with experienced people.
- The Holistic Management class has completely changed how I view and manage our farm. We’re going to work through the book as a family during our homeschooling this fall, which will help even more. The classes were broken down so the work was easily manageable, and I especially appreciated having most of the business plan information done at the end, which made the process go smoothly and took away most of the overwhelming feelings and work that come with writing a business plan.
- It was really important for me having the time set aside to focus on business farming in an organized atmosphere and it was the most helpful to hear from others who are perhaps experiencing the same things I am. That dialog was very important to me.
- I think this program has provided me with many skills that will help me to be a successful farmer. I intend to start farming next year, which provides me ample time to develop a strong plan from the outset. I think it is wonderful how the whole farm goal is easily expanded to a “whole life goal”, and how aspects of the program are applicable to other parts of my life. My greatest struggle has been deciding how to integrate my farming dreams with the rest of my other life goals, and how to prioritize time and money across these different aspects of my life.
- Excellent program that all current and prospective farmers/ranchers should attend. As an avid permaculturist, I appreciated the section on permaculture and how well the course fit within the permaculture ethics and principles.
- I found the program interesting, innovative, and informational. I thought some of the planning aspects, such as the approach to financial planning, were unique but also made a lot of sense. I appreciated those alternative approaches.
- The most important thing I learned from this program was how to think holistically in a more broad sense of the word, not just in farming/ranching but in everyday life. It also taught me how to look at my goals and purposes.
- I found the planning aspects particularly helpful, especially bio-monitoring and grazing, which I had no prior experience with. I also found the financial planning was much different than my previous experiences and think it will be highly beneficial.
BWF PARTICIPANT BEHAVIOR CHANGE | % of participants |
Holistic Goal/Whole Farm Plan | 100% |
Financial Plan | 100% |
Business Plan | 100% |
Marketing Plan | 100% |
Land Plan | 100% |
Biological Monitoring | 75% |
Grazing Plan (grazers in group) | 100% |
Forge Relationships That Positively Impacted You | 100% |
Key Outcomes as a result of the program | % Participants |
Increased Satisfaction with Quality of Life | 75% |
Increased Satisfaction with Communication | 75% |
Increased Satisfaction with Time Management | 75% |
Key Post-Session Impacts | Percent of Participants |
More Efficient Use of Resources | 80% |
Improved Decision Making | 60% |
Ability to Identify Business Challenges from Previous Years | 60% |
Strategies for More Effective Reinvestment in the Business | 60% |
New or Improved Record Keeping Systems | 60% |
Enhanced Understanding of Your Farm Finances | 80% |
Improved Ability to Incorporate Social, Environmental, and Financial into Your Land Plan | 60% |
Improved Understanding of Your Farm’s Eco-System | 60% |
Improved Ability to Determine Appropriate Management to Address an Environmental Issue | 80% |
Improved Understanding of Your Forage Composition | 60% |
Improved Environmental Conditions on Your Farm | 40% |
Clearer Sense of How Your Business Is Projected to Grow in Future Years | 60% |
Improved Ability to Articulate Goals and Objectives of Business to Others | 60% |
Improved Understanding of your Market and How Your Business Fits In | 60% |
Improved ability to determine most effective enterprises | 60% |
Improved ability to discern most appropriate market channels | 60% |
Knowledge Change Per Course | % Participants Experiencing Change |
Session One – Goal Setting | |
Inventory Farm Resources | 77% |
Develop a Whole Farm Goal | 100% |
Identify Needed Farm Systems and Protocols | 62% |
Integrate Social, Economic, and Environmental Factors into Decision-Making | 85% |
Session Summary | 100% |
Session Two – Time Management | |
Ability to Make Complex On-Farm Decisions | 75% |
Assess How Time is Spent on Farm | 75% |
Effectively Manage Time on Your Farm | 75% |
Session Summary | 75% |
Session Three – Financial Planning I | |
Attitude Toward Financial Planning | 88% |
How to Increase Farm Net Worth | 88% |
Determining Viable Profitable Enterprises for Your Farm | 88% |
Determining Your Farm’s Projected Revenue | 75% |
Session Summary | 100% |
Session Four – Financial Planning II | |
Skills in Developing Whole Farm Financial Plan | 89% |
Getting Profit You Need from Your Farm | 89% |
Prioritizing and Cutting Farm Expenses to Guide Reinvestment | 89% |
Assessing Farm Cash Flow | 89% |
Monitoring Your Financial Plan | 100% |
Session Summary | 100% |
Session Five – Marketing | |
Using Whole Farm Goal and Financial Plan to Develop Marketing Plan | 83% |
Profitably Price Products and Services | 83% |
Effectively Promote Products and Services | 83% |
How to Develop a Marketing Plan | 67% |
Session Summary | 100% |
Session Six – Business Planning | |
Knowledge of Resources for Developing Strategic Plan for Farm | 86% |
Ability to Develop a Business Plan for Farm | 86% |
Ability to Use Holistic Goal to Guide Business Strategic Plan | 100% |
Session Summary | 100% |
Session Seven – Leadership and Communication | |
Effective Communication Tools for Farm | 75% |
Conflict Resolution Skills for Farm | 88% |
Understanding Diverse Ways People Seek Recognition and Affirmation | 75% |
Using Whole Farm Goal to Guide Communication on Farm | 75% |
Session Summary | 100% |
Session Eight – Land Planning | |
Prioritize Land and Infrastructure Development/Investments | 75% |
Assess Management Considerations to Guide Land Planning | 75% |
How to Incorporate Natural Resource Issues into Land Planning | 75% |
How Permaculture Fits into Holistic Land Planning | 75% |
Session Summary | 88% |
Session Nine – Grazing | |
How to Assess Recovery Periods | 100% |
How to Assess Quantity of Forage in Pasture | 100% |
How to Improve Land Health with Livestock | 100% |
How to Determine Number of Animals Your Pasture Can Support | 100% |
How to Determine the Number of Paddocks | 100% |
How to Determine Grazing Periods | 100% |
Session Summary | 100% |
Session Ten – Soil Fertility | |
Importance of Improving Soil Fertility Sustainably | 86% |
Value of Organic Matter in Soils | 86% |
Benefits of a Covered Soil | 86% |
Benefits of Biodiversity | 86% |
Understanding Eco-system Processes on Your Farm | 86% |
Indicators of a Healthy Farm Eco-System | 86% |
Ability to Monitor Farm Eco-System Health | 71% |
Session Summary | 86% |
Increased Confidence as Result of Training | % of participants |
Developing Written Whole Farm Goal | 92% |
Building an Effective Management Team | 69% |
Manage Your Time on Your Farm | 100% |
Make Complex Decisions on Your Farm | 100% |
Using Testing Questions | 100% |
Determine Your Farm’s Net Worth | 75% |
Increase Your Farm’s Net Worth | 88% |
Determine Your Farm’s Projected Revenue | 75% |
Ability to Identify Logjam/Adverse Factors | 75% |
Getting Profit You Need From Your Farm | 89% |
Prioritizing Cutting Farm Expenses to Guide Re-investment | 89% |
Determining Weak Link in Farm Enterprises | 89% |
Identifying Cash Flow Issues on Farm | 89% |
Monitoring Your Farm Financial Plan | 100% |
Promoting Your Farm Products | 83% |
Developing a Business/Strategic Plan | 100% |
Identifying Resources to Assist You in Developing a Business/Strategic Plan | 100% |
Implementing Important Strategic Systems and Projects | 71% |
Communicating with Farm Workers | 75% |
Providing Recognition for Farm Workers | 75% |
Providing Leadership on Your Farm | 75% |
Ability to Prioritize Land/Infrastructure Improvements on Farm | 75% |
Ability to Incorporate Natural Resource Issues into Land Planning | 100% |
Ability as a Grazer | 100% |
Assessing Recovery Periods | 100% |
Assessing Quantity of Forage and Pasture | 100% |
Determining the Number of Animals Your Land Can Support for Grazing | 100% |
Calculating the Number of Paddocks for your System | 100% |
Determining How Long Animals Will Stay in Each Paddock | 100% |
Monitoring Your Farm’s Eco-System Health | 100% |
Intended Behavior | % of participants |
Develop a Whole Farm Goal | 83% |
Implement Time Management Tools or Processes | 75% |
Using Testing Questions | 100% |
Change Enterprise Assessment | 88% |
Determine Profit Up Front and Cap Expenses | 75% |
Complete or Modify a Financial Plan | 89% |
Enter Financial Data Regularly | 78% |
Strategically Reinvest in Farm | 78% |
Complete or Modify a Marketing Plan | 83% |
Change Marketing Practices | 83% |
Complete or Modify a Business Plan | 100% |
Complete or Modify Written Land Plan | 88% |
Complete or Modify Written Grazing Plan | 83% |
Change Grazing Practices | 83% |
Conduct Biological Monitoring on Farm | 100% |
Change Eco-System Health Practices | 71% |
Session Satisfaction | % of participants rating class good or excellent |
On-Farm Goalsetting | 100% |
Time Management | 100% |
Financial Planning Basics | 100% |
Enterprise Analysis | 100% |
Marketing Planning | 83% |
Business Planning | 100% |
Leadership & Communication | 100% |
Land Planning | 100% |
Grazing Planning | 100% |
Soil Fertility | 100% |
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