Transaction Description:
FARMING IN THE NORTHEAST REGION IS UNIQUE IN THAT AVERAGE FARM SIZE, CASH RECEIPTS AND NUMBER OF WORKERS ARE LOWER THAN OTHER REGIONS IN THE COUNTRY, YET IT CONTRIBUTES NEARLY $19 BILLION TO THE OVERALL FARM ECONOMY. WHILE THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY IN THIS REGION HAS ALWAYS FACED RISK AND UNCERTAINTY, FARMING HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY RISKY OVER THE YEARS, DUE TO FACTORS SUCH AS MARKET GLOBALIZATION, CLIMATE CHANGE, LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT POLICIES, AND MOST RECENTLY, THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. AS A RESULT, NEW AND BEGINNING FARM BUSINESSES IN THIS REGION ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE, AND SMALL, START-UP FARMERS HAVE THE LOWEST ODDS OF SURVIVAL AS COMPARED TO OTHER CATEGORIES OF FARM SIZE AND YEARS IN BUSINESS. RUNNING A FARM BUSINESS IN THE GREATER NEW YORK AREA REQUIRES REGION-SPECIFIC FARM BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS. OUR REGION HAS HIGH DEMAND FOR REGIONALLY AND SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED FOOD AND CONSUMERS HERE ARE ABLE TO PAY A HIGHER PRICE THAN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, BUT THERE ARE ALSO VERY HIGH COSTS OF ENTRY TO FARM BUSINESS OWNERSHIP, ESPECIALLY LAND AND LABOR COSTS. IN ADDITION, OUR REGION'S AGRICULTURE ECONOMY IS PRIMARILY SET UP FOR PRODUCTS THAT HAVE HIGH COST OF PRODUCTION, SPECIFICALLY SPECIALTY CROPS AND DAIRY. IN ORDER TO SUCCEED AT FARMING, PRODUCERS MUST BE SAVVY BUSINESS PEOPLE WHO KNOW HOW TO RUN BUSINESSES THAT CAN FIND A COMMITTED CUSTOMER BASE, PROMOTE THEMSELVES EFFECTIVELY, AND SET UP AND MANAGE BUSINESS FINANCIAL SYSTEMS. ASPIRING AND EARLY CAREER FARMERS NEED ACCESS TO ONGOING EDUCATIONAL TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOCUSED ON MARKETING, FINANCIAL PLANNING, BUSINESS REGULATIONS, AND BUSINESS PLANNING TO LEARN AND MAINTAIN THOSE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGEOUR ORGANIZATION HAS ALSO FIELDED SIGNIFICANT INTEREST FROM LATIN AMERICAN IMMIGRANTS IN STARTING THEIR OWN FARM BUSINESSES, INCLUDING FARM WORKERS AND THOSE WHO COME FROM FARMING BACKGROUNDS. YET THERE ARE VERY FEW TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS OFFERED IN SPANISH. ACCORDING TO THE USDA'S CLEARINGHOUSE OF BEGINNING FARMER TRAINING PROGRAMS AT WWW.FARMANSWERS.ORG, THERE ARE VERY FEW FARM BUSINESS TRAINING PROGRAMS THAT CATER TO THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF FARMERS IN OUR REGION, AND NONE ARE TAUGHT IN SPANISH. MANY OF THE PROGRAMS LISTED ON THAT CLEARINGHOUSE DO NOT APPEAR TO BE OPERATING CURRENTLY, AND NEED AND DEMAND FOR SUCH PROGRAMS IS STILL GREATER THAN EXISTING PROGRAM CAPACITY. ADDITIONALLY, THERE IS A PATCHWORK OF TRAININGS AND RESOURCES OFFERED TO FARMERS WHO ARE BEYOND THE INITIAL YEAR OF PRODUCTION AND ARE LOOKING TO BUILD THEIR SKILLS IN KEY AREAS, AND NONE OFFERED IN SPANISH.MOREOVER, IN ORDER TO RUN SUCCESSFUL FARM BUSINESSES, IT IS INCREASINGLY NECESSARY TO HAVE BASIC COMPUTER LITERACY SKILLS, WHICH MANY FARMERS, PARTICULARLY SPANISH SPEAKING IMMIGRANTS, LACK. GROWNYC HAS WORKED WITH SPANISH SPEAKING PRODUCERS FOR CLOSE TO 25 YEARS AND WE HAVE FOUND THAT THE MAJORITY OF THEM HAVE LIMITED TO NO COMPUTER LITERACY SKILLS. NOT O,NLY DOES THIS MEAN THAT THEY STRUGGLE WITH CONNECTING TO RESOURCES THAT ARE ONLY OFFERED ONLINE, BUT IT ALSO PRESENTS CHALLENGES TO RUNNING THEIR BUSINESSES, INCLUDING COMMUNICATIONS, ACCESSING CAPITAL, AND COMPLYING WITH BASIC BUSINESS PRACTICES SUCH AS RENEWING BUSINESS INSURANCE. CURRENTLY THERE ARE NO FARMER TRAINING PROGRAMS THAT INCORPORATE COMPUTER LITERACY SKILLS, LEAVING THIS COMMUNITY OF FARMERS BEHIND IN A SIGNIFICANT WAY.IN ORDER TO SUPPORT OUR REGION'S EARLY CAREER FARMERS, ESPECIALLY SPANISH SPEAKING FARMERS, IN DEVELOPING SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE CRITICAL TO THEIR SUCCESS IN RUNNING THEIR BUSINESSES, OUR PROJECT WILL TO DO THE FOLLOWING:HOLD OUR SPANISH LANGUAGE FARM BUSINESS FUNDAMENTALS COURSE ANNUALLY. THIS IS A 10-WEEK CLASS TAUGHT ENTIRELY IN SPANISH PROVIDING AN OVERVIEW ON FARM BUSINESS FUNDAMENTALS. AS PART OF THIS COURSE, WE WILL CONDUCT COMPREHENSIVE OUTREACH TO REACH SPANISH SPEAKING ASPIRING FARM BUSINESS OWNERS WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM THIS COURSE BUT DON'T USE EMAIL OR SOCIAL MEDIA.HOLD A 10-HOUR COMPUTER BASICS COURSE ANNUAL, IN SPANISH TO PROVIDE PARTICIPANTS WITH BASIC COMPUTER SKILLS (EMAIL, WORD PROCESSING, BASIC SPREADSHEETS, ACCESSING VIRTUAL SPACES, ONLINE APPLICATIONS, INTERNET RESEARCH)HOLD A BILINGUAL SHORT COURSE INTENSIVE (FOUR SESSIONS) TO DIG INTO ONE AREA RELATED TO FARM BUSINESS PLANNING THAT WILL SUPPORT BEGINNING FARMERS WITH A FEW YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN GROWING AND STRENGTHENING THEIR BUSINESSES.OUR GOAL, WITH THESE EFFORTS IS TO ENSURE THAT ASPIRING AND EARLY CAREER FARM BUSINESS OWNERS IN GROWNYC'S SIX STATE SERVICE AREA IN THE NORTHEAST AGRICULTURAL REGION, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO SPEAK SPANISH, HAVE ACCESS TO COMPREHENSIVE AND SPECIFIC BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL PLANNING TRAINING AND TOOLS THEY NEED TO RUN SUCCESSFUL FARM BUSINESSES. THE IMPACTS WE HOPE TO HAVE ARE THE FOLLOWING:FARMERS HAVE INCREASED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ACCESS TO TOOLS ABOUT VARIOUS NECESSARY ASPECTS OF RUNNING A FARM BUSINESS, SUCH AS BUSINESS PLANNING, FINANCIAL PLANNING, MARKETINGS, PROMOTION, COMPUTER LITERACY, REGULATIONS AND OTHER SIMILAR AREAS.FARMERS WILL USE THIS INFORMATION TO IMPROVE THEIR BUSINESS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DEVELOPING ACCURATE AND ORGANIZED FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS, CLEAR BOOKKEEPING SYSTEMS, BRAND IDENTITY THAT APPEALS TO THEIR TARGET CUSTOMER BASE, AND COMPLIANCE SYSTEMS FOR RELEVANT REGULATIONS.ULTIMATELY, WE HOPE THAT OUR PROGRAM WILL HELP MAKE FARMING A VIABLE CAREER OPTION AND WILL STRENGTHEN OUR REGION'S AGRICULTURE ECONOMY AND RURAL COMMUNITIES.
