Rma Order Management

							To:   Michelle Fuller
      USDA-RMA
      1250 Maryland Avenue, SW
      Suite 508
      Washington, DC 20024

      Jo Lynne Seufer and David Paul, Project Contacts
      RMA Spokane, Washington Regional Office

From: Marcia Ostrom, Principal Investigator
      Washington State University Small Farms Program

Date: April 10, 2006

RE:   RMA Education Partnership #04IE08310163
      Between the Risk Management Agency and Washington State
      University‟s Small Farm Program
      Cultivating Success on Small Farms in Washington and Idaho

ATTACHMENTS:
    RME-3 Form
    Sample Course Syllabus for each course
    Evaluation Summary
    Sample Brochure
    Sample Press Release
    Photos
    CD of curriculum materials (sent by regular mail)


        Final Report for Project Period October 2004-December 2005

We are pleased to offer the final report for our Education Partnership with the
USDA Risk Management Agency, „Cultivating Success on Small, Limited
Resource and Women-Owned Farms in Washington and Idaho.‟ Overall, this
project has proceeded very smoothly and we have encountered an enthusiastic
response to our educational program. We have made significant strides towards
creating an efficient, engaging, and dynamic system of course delivery; interest
and enthusiasm for our Cultivating Success program offered in partnership with
RMA seems to building across Washington and Idaho. Overall, class enrollment,
feedback from students, interest from new counties, and support from the
agricultural community are clear indicators that our Cultivating Success
partnership with the RMA is making positive impacts in the area of risk
management and farm sustainability. A report by task area follows.


Task #1: Finalize the delivery plan.
1.1: Hold planning meeting with site leaders
1.2: Review target audience data.
1.3: Plan specific risk management courses.
1.4: Confirm locations for each course offering.

Planning and course site confirmation were somewhat complicated by the time
framework of the RMA funding cycle. Due to the October-October timing of the
original partnership schedule, we were unable to give notice of available funding
until the WSU 2004 fall semester was already beginning and several previously
identified sites were not able to jump in at the last minute. The sites that indicated
interest in offering the Whole Farm Planning course, but were unable to get
started in the Fall of 2004 received permission from RMA to hold their classes in
the Fall of 2005.

This lack of fit between the grant schedule and the academic schedule is the
main challenge we have encountered in this partnership but it was reasonably
resolved through this course delivery adjustment that allowed six additional
Whole Farm Planning Courses to be offered in the Fall Semester of 2005.

Whole Farm Planning Course Locations

Fall semester 2004: Renton, WA; Port Orchard, WA; Port Hadlock, WA; Colville,
WA; Moscow, ID; and Twin Falls, WA.

Fall semester 2005: Shelton, WA; Port Orchard, WA; Omak, WA; Port Hadlock,
WA; Puyallup, WA; and Boise, ID

Business Planning Course Locations

Spring Semester 2005: Omak, WA; Wenatchee, WA; Bremerton, WA; Spokane,
WA; Mt Vernon, WA; Pasco, WA; Renton, WA; Port Hadlock, WA; Kamiah, ID;
and Plummer, ID.

Task #2: Assemble Instructional Materials
2.1: Complete a review of existing instructional materials used in course on
Whole Farm Planning & Sustainable Enterprise Development
2.2: Identify gaps in existing instructional materials.
2.3: Modify existing instructional materials
2.4: Develop or add new instructional materials.
2.5: Prepare binders and handouts for Whole Farm Planning course sessions.

Course instructors and/or site leaders at each location worked with the Project
Director and other project staff, as well as experts in their own communities, to
complete tasks 2.1-2.5. We started with our existing Cultivating Success course
curriculum called “Sustainable Small Farming and Ranching”. The course was
modified to incorporate a greater emphasis on enterprise assessment and
developing a whole farm plan. Each module of the course was designed to help
students write one segment of their whole farm plan. By the end of the course,
students are asked to assemble each of these assignments into a complete
whole farm plan. The final course session is reserved for oral student
presentations of their whole farm plans. The curriculum contains slots for field
trips and farmer presentations so that students can develop their skills in
enterprise assessment through real-life examples. Each site coordinator selected
the appropriate class speakers, field trips, and instructional emphasis based on
their own target audience. For example, if the majority of course participants at a
particular site were interested in livestock enterprises, the field trips and class
speakers were arranged accordingly. Instructors were encouraged to develop
strong relationships with local farmer experts to invite into the classroom as
speakers and to host field visits. These local farmer experts provided an
important component of the curriculum and plan a critical mentoring role for the
students.

Each instructor was provided with an “Instructor Notebook,” a sample “Student
Notebook” and a CD with the syllabus, curriculum materials and powerpoints
needed for the course sessions. I have attached a copy of the sample course
syllabus. A copy of the instructor CD and sample paper copies of the brochures
have been sent under separate cover by regular mail.

2.6-2.10
2.6: Complete a review of existing instructional materials used in course on
Business Planning, Entrepreneurship & Marketing
2.7: Identify gaps in existing instructional materials
2.8: Modify existing instructional materials.
2.9: Develop or add new instructional materials
2.10: Prepare binders and handouts

Our Cultivating Success course in business planning and agricultural
entrepreneurship has been largely based on the NxLevelTM curriculum entitled
“Tilling the Soil of Opportunity.” This material is copyrighted and can only be
issued to trained and certified instructors. Our instructors were all certified by
NxLevel in order to be able to use this curriculum. More information can be
obtained from the NxLevelTM Training Network at www.nxlevel.org.

We have expanded and improved this basic curriculum by incorporating RMA
materials (and guest speakers whenever possible), as well as field visits to
farms, marketing sites, and value-added businesses. As in the first course, we
have encouraged the use of farmers and other local experts as guest speakers
so that the students will develop mentors and begin networking with their local
resources and service providers. In addition to the standard NxLevelTM Tilling the
Soil of Opportunity curriculum materials (includes instructor and student
notebooks), we have supplied each instructor with copies of three other important
textbooks: the Washington State Department of Agriculture‟s “Handbook of
Regulations for Direct Farm Marketing” (download at:
http://agr.wa.gov/Marketing/SmallFarm/greenbook.htm); the Sustainable
Agriculture Network (USDA SARE)‟s “Building a Sustainable Business: a Guide
to Developing a Business Plan for Farms” (download at:
www.misa.umn.edu/publications/bizplan.html) and UC Santa Cruz‟s “Teaching
Direct Marketing and Small Farm Viability” (download at: www.ucsc.edu/casfs).
These textbooks are utilized for specific reading assignments and discussions by
instructors to augment the Tilling the Soil curriculum. I have attached a sample
of our course syllabus.


Task #3: Develop & Conduct a Promotional Program

3.1: Develop a comprehensive media plan for project.
We identified internal (WSU) and external information sources for current and
potential small farmers. These include the agricultural press, general interest
media, newsletters and email lists.

3.2-3.3: Publicize course offerings through local and regional media, including
agricultural press, newsletters and email lists.
Project leaders announced the Whole Farm Planning Course on several e-mail
lists serving farmers, including WSU Small Farms Program‟s Washington Family
Farmer Resources (WFFR) list, which reaches approximately 3,000 end users.
The announcement was also sent to:
      The Small Farms Team e-mail list, which goes to 40 WSU faculty and
        staff, as well as representatives of Washington agencies and non-profits
        who are committed to working with small and limited resource producers.
      WSU‟s All Extension e-mail list, which goes to WSU faculty and staff
        serving producers in every county of the state.
      The Rural Roots e-mail list, which serves farmers in eastern Washington
        and northern Idaho.
      University of Idaho Extension email lists.

In addition, project leaders sent three news releases to Capital Press, one
promoting the Whole Farm Planning course, a second announcing the Business
Planning course and a third announcing the partnership agreement signed with
the USDA RMA in October, 2004. (The latter was approved by JoLynne Seufer
with the Spokane Regional Office; the former was submitted prior to the signing
of the partnership agreement to fund this course.) With a circulation of 11,000 in
Washington and 3,000 in Idaho, Capital Press is the region‟s most popular
agricultural weekly.

Information on the courses was also included in Sustaining the Pacific Northwest,
the newsletter of WSU‟s Center for Sustaining Agriculture & Natural Resources;
and posted on the Cultivating Success website at
http://cultivatingsuccess.ag.uidaho.edu. Community-based instructors said they
preferred to work directly with their local media sources, so the Project Marketing
Specialist provided a press kit that they could modify to market the local course
offering. At least one newsletter or newspaper in each location included a course
announcement. The Spokane Regional Office had an opportunity to review and
provide feedback on promotional materials that mentioned the RMA.

3.4: Follow up course offerings by reconnecting with ag and non-ag press to
pitch story and photo opportunities.

The project marketing specialist has prepared follow-up marketing materials, with
initial lists of student contacts for story and photo opportunities, gathered from
site coordinators. Press releases were sent out on several course graduation
ceremonies. We have a goal to develop a media file to collect all press clippings,
however, we have had difficulty getting site instructors to send these in.

In addition, we presented a workshop and poster session on the courses at the
annual Tilth Producers Association meeting for small farmers in Washington and
Oregon in Portland, OR on November 13, 2004 and in Wenatchee, WA on
November 11-13 2005. Information and a poster on the project, including stories
from students, was also presented at the USDA National Small Farms
Conference, October 17-20, 2005.

Task #4: Deliver training and information to agricultural producers and
agribusiness professionals.
4.1: Hire and train teaching assistants for course offerings.
Due to the availability of Partnership funds, we were able to hire teaching
assistants for the first time. Having assistance on-site for each course made
delivery smoother and more effective. We developed a system for quickly
teaching assistants want they need to know about the program, getting them set
up in the central payroll system and communicating with them is an ongoing way.

4:2: Conduct a semester-long course on Whole Farm Planning and Sustainable
Enterprise Development at 8 locations
Our whole farm planning course was offered at a total of 12 locations.

In the fall semester of 2004, the whole farm planning course was offered in
Renton, WA; Port Orchard, WA; Port Hadlock, WA; Colville, WA; Moscow, ID;
and Twin Falls, WA; for a total of 104 students.

In the fall semester of 2005, the whole farm planning course was offered in
Shelton, WA; Port Orchard, WA; Omak, WA; Port Hadlock, WA; Puyallup, WA;
and Boise, ID; for a total of 132 students.

4.3: Conduct semester-long course on Business Management, Entrepreneurship,
and Marketing at 12 Locations.
Semester-long courses on Business Management, Entrepreneurship & Marketing
were offered at 10 locations in Washington and Idaho in Spring Semester, 2005.
The course sites were: Omak, WA; Wenatchee, WA; Bremerton, WA; Spokane,
WA; Mt Vernon, WA; Pasco, WA; Renton, WA; Port Hadlock, WA; Kamiah, ID;
and Plummer, ID for a total of 159 students.

Although the number of Business classes was less than originally anticipated, the
total number of courses offered over the duration of the partnership were actually
greater than promised due to an increase in the number of Whole Farm Planning
course sites. This adjustment was approved per conversations with JoLynne
Seufer and Michelle Fuller.

4.4: Evaluate the effectiveness of the training through assessments by students
and instructors.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the training was done through assessments by
the instructors and the students. Instructors were contacted by telephone mid-
way through each semester for their feedback and to provide them with
assistance if needed. Students were asked to provide post-course written and
oral assessments of each course at the end of the semester. Comments and
findings from student assessments has been entered, compiled, and summarized
by course site. Summaries were mailed to course instructors, providing them
with feedback on course effectiveness and opportunities for
improvement. Evaluation data and summaries were reviewed by the Cultivating
Success Project Team during an August 17-18, 2005 evaluation team meeting.
An evaluation summary is attached to this report.

4.5: Conduct a train-the-trainer session for current and future instructors.

We conducted Train-the-Trainer meetings via conference calls on 8/19/2004 and
1/11/05 with the course instructors for the upcoming semesters.

A day-long, in-person Train-the-Trainer Workshop for potential and current
Cultivating Success course instructors was held on June 15, 2005 in Ellensburg,
WA. There were 23 participants in attendance, representing 10 new locations for
the Whole Farm Planning course and five new locations for the Business
Management, Entrepreneurship and Marketing course. An informational program
booklet on Cultivating Success was developed and distributed, as well as new
instructor and student manuals for the Whole Farm Planning course. The
evaluations of the workshop were very positive. Participants left the day-long
workshop expressing excitement about the program and confident to offer the
courses in their counties.

Task #5: Document all Educational Activities under this Program
5.1: Work with evaluation team to develop project evaluation plan.
Evaluation and documentation are central components of the pilot program.
Extensive evaluation tools measure the success of individual courses and of the
program as a whole, with students at the time of instruction and after a year, and
with instructors on an ongoing basis.

The project evaluator, Rural Roots, has worked with the Cultivating Success (CS)
management team and evaluation team members to develop an evaluation plan
for the project. This evaluation plan is part of the overall CS program evaluation
process. The Cultivating Success management team and evaluation team also
reviewed and suggested improvements to the evaluation assessment
tools. These improvements have been incorporated by the project evaluator. The
plan includes both short-term evaluations of courses by participating students at
the time of the course and long-term follow-up with past students to find out
whether participants have made changes in their farm businesses or started new
farm businesses as a result of course participation. Instructors are asked mid-
way through each semester and during the Train-the-Trainer workshops to
provide their feedback on course design. The summary results of this evaluation
are attached.

5.2: Collect evaluation data from participants, including pre- and post-tests.

Collection of evaluation data from 2004-2005 students has been completed. With
the exception of the Fall Semester 2005 course participants, all students have
provided course feedback at the end of their course and have been contacted
additionally at least 6 months after completing their course to find out if taking the
course has resulted in on-the-ground changes in their farm management
practices. The goal is to determine whether taking the courses has led to risk
reduction of production risks and economic risks on farming enterprises through
changes in management behaviors.

5.3 Analyze survey data and prepare evaluation report.-Ongoing

The project evaluator has summarized the course evaluations and post-course
assessments. This information, along with instructor interview data and instructor
training evaluation data, was collected and presented to the project evaluation
team for analysis during its August 17-18, 2005 evaluation team meeting held in
Moscow, ID. A summary of these evaluation findings is attached.

5.4: Maintain project records for updating entire project team.
The evaluator has worked with the CS management team and project director to
develop a database to maintain student records, including demographic
information on the farmers and potential farmers served by the training
program. Demographic data collection has also been added to the post-course
and farmer student surveys. Data will continue to be collected from the upcoming
courses. This project data has been used to complete this report.