DESCRIBE ANY UNEXPECTED RESULTS OF THE PROJECT:

We were pleased with the positive responses to the initial announcement of the workshops and throughout the promotional period.  We were surprised then when only 32 farmers attended the first day when we were expecting 40. We were pleased however to have the number attending increase to 37 for the final workshops.  Typically there is some attrition between initial interest and attendance, but in this case, it was the opposite for the final workshops.  This put some pressure on the Local Educators to do one-on-one instruction with those that missed the in-person workshops, to ensure they were keeping up with program content and homework assignments.  It appears from discussions with the farmers who missed attending workshops, that fear of contacting covid-19 was the main reason for their absences. Many of the target population were not vaccinated.

HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE THE PROJECT IF YOU WERE TO DO IT AGAIN?

Three possibilities come to mind:

As as result of the covid-19 pandemic, farmers are more accepting of virtual training.  Including a hybrid approach where sequential in-person workshops are held about a month apart, but then supplemented with short virtual Q and A and homework help sessions between workshops on a weekly basis.  This would help participants remain engaged and increase homework productivity.

Another modification would be to provide more examples of completed marketing plans. Because the material was new to most of the attendees, they struggled a little with developing their own goals and actions. Having more examples would help some of them grasp the concepts earlier in the process. The downside of this is that frequently participants will just parrot back the example, rather than use their own creative thinking.

Also, devote more time to discussing completed homework assignments, both in class and virtually.  Frequently participants needed more discussion time to understand a variety of issues that surfaced while they were working on their homework assignments in-between workshops.  These discussions were an effective way to review previous material taught and how one can apply these concepts in a meaningful and impactful fashion.

WHAT WERE THE KEYS TO SUCCESS FOR YOUR PARTICIPANTS?

The object is not just knowledge transfer, but long-term behavioral change.  To accomplish this, participants need to be: 1) actively engaged, 2) shown through demonstration, 3) given opportunity to practice doing themselves, 4) motivated by seeing desired results, 5) held accountable by requiring them to report implementation metrics, and 6) supported and encouraged throughout from conception through implementation. This project effectively incorporates these elements of success.

The following nine components were considered essential keys to the success of this project:
1. Formed and worked with Steering Committee
We assembled a steering committee consisting of the project leaders and educators from South Carolina State University.  They provided valuable leadership to the implementation of the project and helped ensure that the Statement of Work was followed and that the project objectives were met.

2. Involved local Educators
Involving local educators was a significant step in meeting project objectives. These individuals were intimately familiar with the farmers and ranchers we were attempting to reach and have a long history of working with them. It was through the personal recruitment by these local educators that we were able to identify producers who were willing to make the commitment up front to attend five workshops and complete 100 hours of homework assignments.

3. Conducted needs assessment of producers
Working with the local educators we were able to accurately assess the needs of the growers in the early stages of the project. This assessment informed the project leaders about the current economic conditions, production and marketing practices, and risk management challenges.

4. Tailored workshop content to local needs/interest
Building upon the needs assessment, workshop content and instruction was tailored to the specific interests and needs to the local area. The examples and case study were more meaningful and effective because of the early input received through the needs assessment. Attention during the workshops and application through the homework assignments was improved because the examples used to teach and explain concepts were ones the audience could relate with.

5. Participant involvement; discussion; writing
Traditional classroom instruction was an important part of each workshop. Following the instruction on each major topic, participants were grouped by the commodities they produced and were given discussion topics to apply the concepts just presented to the group as a whole. Workshop leaders, assisted by the local educators, monitored the discussion to help them remain focused, ensure that each person participated.

6. Followed up on an individual basis to provide encouragement and assistance
Following each workshop, the South Carolina State University Extension Educators were expected to make one or more contacts with each of the participants they had recruited to offer assistance, encourage action, and help keep the participants motivated. An important secondary outcome of this project was the potential long-term working relationships between the farmer participants and the local educators that was developed and fostered during these personal contacts.

7. Required active participation by attendees
Throughout the project, participants were expected to be actively involved. All activities (workshop presentations, group discussions, individual work) were designed to encourage participation and personal application. One very important indicator of success was the strong participation by the participants who returned each time, had completed homework assignments, and actively participated in each of the five workshops.

8. Required accountability at each phase of project
At the beginning of the last four workshops participants were expected to report on their homework assignments from the previous workshops and engage in a discussion about lessons learned and further application of the principle being taught. Throughout the project each participant had established ten goals and identified 30 specific actions they would take to meet their risk management and marketing goals. The local educators followed up and recorded the activity of each participant in accomplishing these actions.

9. Recognized participant accomplishments
At the conclusion of the last workshop, participants were presented with a certificate recognizing their accomplishment of completing 30 hours of classroom instruction and 100 hours of homework and individual study assignments. At the conclusion of the last workshop several farmers commented orally and on the written evaluation form that they were grateful for the opportunity to participate, had learned more than expected, and wished the series could continue on a regular basis.

INDIVIDUAL STORIES / EXAMPLES OF SUCCESS / QUOTES

Stories

Success Story #1
Producer Situation
A beginning female farmer from Sumter County, SC with four years of limited experience in growing sweet potatoes attended the workshops with her husband. They have five acres of land, but only use a ¼ acre for sweet potatoes production. She adds value by baking and selling her Sweet Potatoes Pies.

Outcomes for Individual Producer
The Risk Management and Marketing Workshops gave her the opportunity to understand marketing principles and how the elements of the marketing mix are used to create an effective marketing plan. As a result, she learned to market her product on social media networks. This in turn allowed her to sell her product to local grocery stores, beauty salons, barbershops, and at community events.

Producer Impacts
This producer has been able to increase her profit three-fold because of the knowledge gained in attending these workshops.  She now has the market demand to enable her to increase her production from ¼ acre to a ½ acre and looks forward to increasing her profit margin in the coming months by reducing her breakeven cost.

Testimonial
The producer stated that “these workshops have been very gratifying and beneficial to my understanding of how marketing works. I look forward to additional training in agriculture business management so that I can take advantage of my entire five acres for production purposes.  Thank you for this amazing opportunity to learn……and please remember, if you are looking for a great Sweet Potato Pie, look no further than me.!” 

Quotes

“This course made me think critically about how I manage my farm. The teachers are great and relatable.”

“I learned how to keep up with my receipts, how to plan my business strategies, and how to improve my management skills.  This class was truly a blessing for me.”

“The biggest take away for me is the importance of goal setting and accountability.  Also, the value of knowing your profit/loss status.  I intend to be more diligent and apply the information we learned.  only time will tell how it has impacted my management skills.” 

“This class provided a template of something to strive for since organization and management are not my strongest assets.  I would love to attend another workshop similar to this one.”

“I learned how to manage my farm to make a profit.  It has impacted my management skills by keeping better records.” 

“I learned a lot about managing finance for farming.  I intend to use what I have learned to better my cattle farm.” 

“This was an outstanding class.”

“Excellent workshop and training. I would recommend all farmers take this class.”

“Even though there is not much if any risk/insurance coverage for our unique products, I intend to seek basic farm coverage for tort liability and purchase a policy that covers injuries suffered by visitors to the farm.”

“The theme of ‘risk’ is more of a focus for us after attending these classes.  There are so many things we identified that we could improve on to lower our risk exposure.”

“I have learned a lot about profit and loss.  This will help me to better manage my business.  I have a much better understanding of management skills.  Definitely would recommend to others.”

“I learned how to prepare financial statements.  Intend to apply all this information learned to my day-to-day operations.” 

“Provided a clearer understanding of management of the day-to-day operation.  This workshop provided very valuable information.” 

“These risk management classes have been an eye-opener.  I will use the knowledge gained to change things on my farm.  I intend to develop a business plan.”

“It has shown me the best way to manage my farm is to identify and implement goals in the five areas of risk.”

“This is an amazing training, great agents, great presenters!  Great job!”

“I learned to put a brand on my products, create a logo, marketing principles, business planning, risk management basics, how to target a market for your product, and enterprise budgeting. I would highly recommend this class to others.” 

“I have thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot.  Thanks to tall of the instructors and staff.”

“I learned about crop insurance, marketing principles, farm business planning, and financial management. I intend to implement my plan by applying the knowledge gained about management skills.” 

“I hadn’t thought of people as being a resource risk.  I intend to study the workbook more.  I am motivated to keep better & more records.  I have enjoyed the classes and I hope and look forward to more classes in the future.”