Spence Farm Foundation has recently applied for a $75,000 grant from the North-Central Region Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education professional development grant to write a high school curriculum in sustainable agriculture. See below for a description of the project. Please call for more information: 815-992-3296
Some students have the energy, drive and interest in earning either all or a portion of their income from farming, but do not have access to the capital necessary to purchase large tracts of farmland, large-scale machinery, or the infrastructure and buildings that are the norm for many operations in the Midwest. This curriculum will teach students about how sustainable small-scale, organic farming can be a viable option to create that income stream, satisfy human food needs, enhance environmental quality, sustain the economic viability of farm operations and enhance their lives as young farmers. In a recent survey of agriculture teachers in Illinois 88.2% of the 40 respondents stated that there was no curriculum available to them that fulfilled the need to train young farmers in these methods of farming. 89.2% of those teachers said they would definitely or possibly be interested in implementing this curriculum in their classrooms.
An initial internet survey of Illinois agriculture educators showed a strong interest in attending a 2-day workshop (yes – 66.7% or maybe -21.2%). An additional survey of teachers both inside and outside of Illinois will determine further interest in attending a workshop. Educators willing to participate will be scored on a rubric and selected in order to insure student diversity. Extension educators will be chosen based on their academic interest and willingness to further disseminate the curriculum. Curriculum development will involve young farmers and their families, curriculum specialists, teachers, and agriculture extension educators. Farmers will also be available to answer questions and facilitate discussions on field days. Of the Illinois agriculture educators who responded to the initial survey, many would be willing to review the curriculum or be member of the group which develops the curriculum (yes – 63.6% or maybe – 27.3%).
In order to meet the demand for sustainably produced products, we need more farmers. Getting high school students interested in farming as a career is critical. The curriculum we are proposing will consist of two 9-week modules. The first will focus on production and the second will focus on the farm as a business. The first 9-week module will have a weekly video focusing on one type of farm operation. The objective here is to familiarize students about the sustainable production of both vegetables and livestock, including organic methods. The business module will also have videos, examining different marketing strategies and business models. The objective is to teach about community supported agriculture (CSA), farmer’s markets, direct marketing, and farmer-cooperative marketing and how to create a sustainable small-scale farm business plan. Various publications, including the SARE “Building a Sustainable Farm or Rural Business”, will be adapted. This is also an opportunity for students to examine their values and plans for the future, and determine if a business venture such as this is a possibility for them now or later in life.
There will be one; 2-day workshop and farm tours held in Central Illinois for 12 teachers and four agriculture extension educators. This workshop will teach implementation of the curriculum and provide tours of featured farms. Teacher curriculum guides, DVDs and flash drives of the videos, and student workbooks will be provided at the training in addition to being made available to the general public on the Spence Farm Foundation website as a download; videos will be available on YouTube and on DVDs or flash drives, by request. Teachers will be mentored for the duration of the three-year project.
The four extension educators will have the ability to continue to offer one-day, face-to-face trainings. We aim to train an additional 36 teachers at one-day workshops focused on using the curriculum and videos. Additional grants will be sought out to offer three more 2-day workshops and to offset support staff costs.
The University of Illinois Extension and Spence Farm Foundation will advertise the curriculum, along with all advertisement we can garner from SARE, professional development associations, and other non-profits; both in and out-of-state. Our goal is to have the initial 12 teachers and 48 additional teachers, either supported by extension educators and/or independently accessing the curriculum via the internet, using all or most (75% or more) of the curriculum in their classrooms. In order to monitor the independent and workshop-facilitated curriculum use, downloads will be completed through a link on the Spence Farm Foundation site, contact information will be collected, and follow-up will take place with both workshop participants and independent teachers. This will enable us to survey teachers about curriculum use and their ideas on how to improve the curriculum for further revisions. Spence Farm Foundation will also be available to mentor teachers who access the curriculum independently online.
Spence Farm Foundation has a unique opportunity because we are able to showcase nine successful sustainable small-scale farm operations run by young people in Livingston, Champaign and McLean Counties in IL. We believe that students showing the practical realities of sustainable small-scale production will be an effective way to reach other students. Also, these young people are eager to share how their farm works and why they farm, in addition to demonstrating their operation and describing their business.
Outputs include: teacher and student curriculum guides (available as paper copies and downloads), 18 short videos (available on DVD, flash drives and YouTube), and an initial workshop with farm tours, 3 additional extension-led trainings, and mentoring.
Short-term goals: increase the knowledge and awareness of teachers and extension staff of the production and business methods of sustainable, small-scale farming, with a focus on young farmers.
Intermediate goals: 60 total high school teachers will integrate this curriculum into their course schedule. Initially, 12 teachers will attend the 2-day workshop, along with 4 extension educators. The 4 extension educators will mentor, offer support, and educate 36 teachers about the curriculum in one-day workshops, in addition to advertising the curriculum. 12 teachers will access the curriculum via the internet and be mentored by the Spence Farm Foundation and extension educators. 2400 students will learn about production and business aspects of a small-scale sustainable farming operation and consider farming as a future occupation. 30 students will choose community college or university majors in agricultural professions and 60 students will enter the workforce directly as small-scale sustainable farmers, either part or full time. We will survey high school students who have been taught the curriculum, as they leave high school, to determine if we have met the target goals for impact on the career choices of these students.
