PREPARING A NEW GENERATION

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1 PREPARING A NEW GENERATION OF ILLINOIS FRUIT AND VEGETABLE FARMERS a USDA NIFA BEGINNING FARMER AND RANCHER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM PROJECT GRANT # Rick Weinzierl University of Illinois ; weinzier@illinois.edu

3 Preparing a New Generation of Illinois Fruit & Vegetable Farmers Why? The average age of farmers in the U.S. in 2007 was 55.3 years, and for fruit growers the average age is 57.7 years. To meet the demands of consumers, new farmers are needed. This need extends to traditionally underserved groups. Increased demand for locally produced foods is well documented nationally and in IL, but only. percent of all crop sales recorded in IL for 2007 were fruits and vegetables. Starting a new fruit and vegetable enterprise is a more realistic financial endeavor than starting a new commodity crop enterprise. With land prices greater than $0,000 per acre in much of Illinois, the buy-in cost for 500 acres often exceeds $5 million for land alone, excluding most new farmers. The minimum size for a viable fruit and vegetable farm can be 0 acres or less and cost $00,000 or less for land. This allows many more aspiring farmers an opportunity to begin farming.

4 Preparing a New Generation of Illinois Fruit & Vegetable Farmers (WEINZIERL, KINDHART, SHOEMAKER, CAVANAUGH-GRANT, PIKE, AND GONZALEZ) Our goals. Increase the number of new farmers producing fruits and vegetables throughout Illinois and enhance the viability, profitability, and sustainability of new and beginning enterprises to meet increasing demand for local produce and contribute to local economies. 2. Assist a specific target audience seasonal Hispanic farm workers in beginning viable, profitable, and sustainable small produce farms. 3. Increase the expertise of university extension educators, high school and community college teachers, and educators in community organizations so they can better aid new farmers.

5 Our Objectives. Provide year-long programs of classroom and hands-on / in-field instruction on essential skills and information for 60 or more new farmers per year for three years so that new growers have the information base to be successful. Provide up to 20 of these new farmers (per year) access to land as needed to allow low-risk experience growing vegetables with expert oversight. 2. Provide year-long programs of classroom and hands-on / in-field instruction on essential skills and information for 30 seasonal workers who want to become independent farmers so that they have the knowledge to become successful. Provide up to 5 of these seasonal workers (per year) access to land to allow low-risk experience growing vegetables with expert oversight. 3. Develop human and informational resources by providing year-long classroom and hands-on / in-field instruction on essential skills and information to Extension educators, allied educators, and vocational agriculture and FFA teachers so that these educators can continue programs for new growers and by developing an online resource library (English and Spanish) of educational materials for new and aspiring fruit and vegetable farmers.

6 Our Methods Classes offered at three locations St. Charles Horticulture Research Center (and Kane County Extension Office) Urbana Research and Education Center Dixon Springs Agricultural Center and Carbondale These are our locations where we have ongoing fruit and vegetable research and demonstration programs and qualified staff All sessions involve hands-on opportunities and first-hand observations

8 Classes are offered free of charge to participants applications are screened based on likelihood of success Classes are one Saturday per month, 9:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m., at each location other options for Hispanic workers? All classes are filled for 203 Registration for December, 203, through November, 204, will begin July, 203 Content: Land acquisition, business planning, safety, transplant production, high tunnels, soils, variety evaluations, integrated pest management, pruning, thinning, harvest practices, postharvest handling, conventional and organic production methods, visits to established farms and more

9 Syllabus, Preparing a New Generation of Illinois Fruit and Vegetable Farmers, University of Illinois Dixon Springs Agricultural Center December April 6 August 3 9:00 Introduction and orientation Rick Weinzierl, Mary Hosier 9:00 Food safety, GAPs Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant 9:00 Harvesting decisions and practices TBD 0:30 Introduction to business planning Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant :00 Grants,/loans/NRCS programs Local NRCS and D. Cavanaugh-Grant 0:30 Washing packing, post-harvest handling, storage :00 Identifying and assessing markets Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant :00 Small farm equipment and safety :00 TBD High tunnel and plot observations, visit 2:30 High tunnel & greenhouse observations, Julie Zakes 2:30 High tunnels, equipment, orchards, plots,, Julie Zakes farms to see sorting and packing equip & facilities January 9 9:00 Follow-ups and previews 9:45 Insights from a local grower 0:45 Land acquisition and financing Tim Reynolds, Johnson Co. FSA & John Gerhke, Fayette Co. FSA :00 Basics of transplant production 2:30 Starting/managing transplants, high tunnels, Julie Zakes February 23 9:00 Business planning & marketing II John Pike 0:30 Soils, soil tests, fertilizers Lunch Insights from a local grower :00 Soil quality and soil amendments 2:00 Soil testing, interpretation, high tunnels, Julie Zakes March 9 9:00 High tunnel construction & operation :00 Business planning & marketing III John Pike :00 Pruning small fruits & tree fruits and Sonja Lallemand 2:30 High tunnels, orchard pruning, Julie Zakes, Sonja Lallemand, and Rick Weinzierl See webinar list for January thru March Strawberry Production, Fruit insects, Finances, Crop Rotation, Crop Budgeting Resources, others May 4 9:00 Pesticides & application Rick Weinzierl & Elizabeth Wahle 0:30 Fruit crop loads and thinning Elizabeth Wahle Or: Vegetable Crops Overview (Kindhart) :00 Pesticide application:. PPE & equip., Julie Zakes 2:30 High tunnels, fruit thinning, plots J Kindhart, Julie Zakes, E Wahle, Sonja Lallemand June 9:00 Evaluating and selecting varieties 0:30 Irrigation :00 Irrigation demonstrations 2:30 Plots, high tunnels / farm visits (may run late) July 3 9:00 Integrated pest management Rick Weinzierl :00 Vertebrate pests Dave Shiley :00 Insect, disease, & weed scouting, plots, high tunnels Rick Weinzierl,, Sonja Lallemand, Julie Zakes Tillage/Seedbed Prep Succession Plantings Veg Weed control Veg Insects TBD,, Julie Zakes September 4 9:00 Cover crops overview 0:30 Cover crops management (planting and terminating) :00 Farm visits October 2 9:00 Insurance for small farms 0:30 Labor issues for small farms :00 Record-keeping and legal issues 2:30 Plots & high tunnels and Julie Zakes November 2 9:00 Aggregation, food hubs 0:30 Farm to School, institutional buyers :00 Summary, evaluations Rick Weinzierl, Mary Hosier 2:30 Where to from here? / Plots and high tunnels and Julie Zakes Veg Diseases Tree/Small Fruit Overview Farm Design, Planning

10 Extension Educators Local Food Systems and Small Farms STEPHEN AYERS, Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, & Vermilion counties DEBORAH CAVANAUGH-GRANT, Logan, Menard & Sangamon counties KYLE CECIL, Henderson, Knox, McDonough, & Warren counties LAURIE GEORGE, Bond, Clinton, Jefferson, Marion, & Washington counties ELLEN PHILLIPS, Boone, DeKalb, & Ogle counties MIKE ROEGGE, Adams, Brown, Hancock, Pike & Schuyler counties DAVID SHILEY, Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Moultrie & Shelby counties JAMES THEURI, Grundy, Kankakee, & Will counties Interviews for 6 Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educators are slated for mid-march; we hope to fill these positions by late spring / early summer. Extension Educators Horticulture RICHARD HENTSCHEL, DuPage, Kane, & Kendall counties hentschel@illinois.edu ANDREW HOLSINGER, Christian, Jersey, Macoupin, & Montgomery counties aholsing@illinois.edu SONJA LALLEMAND, Franklin, Jackson, Perry, Randolph, & Williamson counties ELIZABETH WAHLE, Bond, Clinton, Jefferson, Marion, Madison, Monroe, St Clair, & Washington counties lalleman@illinois.edu wahle@illinois.edu Extension Programs for Farm to School JULIA GOVIS, Statewide Extension Program Coordinator, Farm to School jgovis@illinois.edu Horticulture Research-Extension Specialists at our Research Stations JEFF KINDHART, Dixon Springs Agricultural Center (cell) jkindhar@illinois.edu The Research Specialist position at St. Charles is open; applicants are encouraged to contact Rick Weinzierl, ; weinzier@illinois.edu. Campus-based Extension Specialists MOHAMMAD BABADOOST, Plant Pathology babadoos@illinois.edu MOSBAH KUSHAD, Fruit & Vegetable Production kushad@illinois.edu JOHN MASIUNAS, Weed Science masiunas@illinois.edu CHUCK VOIGT, Vegetable Production (& herbs) cevoigt@illinois.edu RICK WEINZIERL, Entomology weinzier@illinois.edu

11 Some logistics Pre-class primers Webinars and other especially good online resources Lectures and hands-on opportunities Follow-ups Direct s List-serve (wikispace) Additional opportunities Mid-month farm visits (sometimes) Organic Additional crops and livestock by referral

12 Programming for Hispanic workers Two approaches for 203 At Urbana and St. Charles Classes offered one Saturday per month, 9:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m., in combination with main program Classes in English for bi-lingual students and future trainers At Carbondale in southern IL Classes offered Tuesday and Thursday evenings each week for 2 weeks, January - March For 204 and 205 Spanish-language instruction at all locations Scheduling to be determined

13 Incubator plots Up to ½ acre per individual to 2 years Primary tillage and access to irrigation provided, along with some simple equipment All labor and management supplied by the participant Participants may sell produce grown on the plots

14 For Year 04 entities participating Participation: enterprises / individuals St. Charles 32 / 47 Urbana 47 / 63 ~ 8 are enrolled via IMC Dixon Springs 20 / 28 + Carbondale 5 completed the Spanish-language program Demographics ~55 % / ~45% male/female Age range = (mean = 47; 28 younger than 35) Organic = ~20%; Sustainable = ~80% Diversity: new farmers, high school and community college instructors, nonprofits, community garden managers, restaurateurs and even a few established farmers transitioning from row crops.

4 4 4 2 6 3 2 4 3 4 3 4 2 2 Approximate distribution of participants (enterprises) by county, Preparing a New Generation of Illinois Fruit and Vegetable Growers, 202-203.

16 Approximate distribution of participants (enterprises) by county, Preparing a New Generation of Illinois Fruit and Vegetable Growers, Blue circles indicate the primary training locations St. Charles, Urbana, and Dixon Springs. The red circle indicates the location of the southern IL IMC program at Carbondale

18 John Gehrke, USDA Farm Service Agency, discussing FSA s loan programs, particularly the new microloan program, in January, 203, at Dixon Springs. A participant wrote us one month later, thanking us for including this information in the course she had just received a USDA microloan.

19 To reach us Contacts Rick Weinzierl Contact information Mary Hosier Esperanza Gonzalez

Illinois Fruit and Vegetable News Vol. 18, No. 101, August 17, 2012 A newsletter for commercial growers of fruit and vegetable crops

College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences Illinois Fruit and Vegetable News Vol. 18, No. 101, August 17, 2012 A newsletter for commercial growers of fruit and vegetable crops "We are