We have been processing the evaluation data for the 2013 Vermont Beginning Women Farmer Program and are excited about the results we've seen. Read the information below to see how this program is helping these beginning women farmers be more successful.
The Beginning Women Farmer Training Program in Vermont began in January 2013 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. 17 women were accepted into the program for the 2012-2013 program year and 16 completed the program successfully. The State Coordinator was Jessie Schmidt of University of Vermont Extension and she supported the main instructor, Calley Hastings—a goat dairy farmer, graduate of the Beginning Women Farmer program, and a Holistic Management Certified Educator. Program mentor was Lisa McCrory of Earthwise Farm and Forest.
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. Most participants experienced increased confidence in key farm/ranch management practices (92-100% participants) for such practices as developing a whole farm goal, communicating with workers, managing time, identifying logjams, pricing products, prioritizing expenses, and developing plans—financial, business, land, and grazing. Participant behavior change was mostly in the 80-100% range where there was sufficient time for developing plans or taking action during the program, particularly developing a whole farm goal, a financial plan, and a business plan. Additional survey and evaluations will be done in a year to determine continued behavior change and additional benefits that result from that change.
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 93% or more of the participants noted knowledge change. That knowledge change varied depending on content of sessions, but was as high as 117% with 87-100% of participants experiencing knowledge change. Overall satisfaction with sessions were 92% or higher with 96% of the participants satisfied with the program overall.
Participant Demographic Information
Of the participants:
The average years of farming was 3 years (range: 0 — 9 years)
The average acres farmed was 14 acres under production (range: 0 — 71 acres) with a total of 206 acres.
The average age of the farmers was 32 years old (range:21 — 51)
The race the participants reported was: 10 Anglo; and 5 skipped the question
The customers of the participants break down as follows: Retail – Average 40 (range: 0 — 150); Wholesale – Average 7 (range: 0 — 30) Total number of customers was 474
The knowledge gained, the confidence built, and the intentions to implement actions show that the sessions were very effective in educating the participants. Likewise, the high numbers of expressed satisfaction (ranging from 92-100% for all sessions) indicate that the participants felt the program was successful. See the following tables for key areas of knowledge, confidence, intended behavior change, actual behavior change, and subsequent results of that behavior change due to this program.