Overview of Small Farm Programs at the Land Grant Colleges and Universities

Denis Ebodaghe

USDA-Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service

Washington, DC

This overview report on Small Farm Programs at the Land Grant Colleges and Universities is a compilation to share ideas, enhance collaboration and cooperation with on-going small efforts. The programs described in this report pertain to the 1890 and 1862 Land Grant Institutions. Efforts are currently underway to link the more recently funded 1994 land grant institutions to on-going program endeavors. The intent of this report is also to reduce duplication in efforts and to provide information on how the Cooperative Extension System in partnership with the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, other USDA agencies, public and private sectors deliver programs and services to the small scale farmer and rancher at the local level. It has been noted that not all the Land Grant schools have programs specifically targeted at small scale farms, however, these schools do have a wide range of programs and services that benefit small farmers.

Continued support of the Small Farm Program will assist the small farmer in meeting major needs in the areas of effective recordkeeping, management, and marketing strategies.

Although the viability and survival of small farms is a rural issue in most states, there is still substantial disagreement on the definition of small farms. For example, the traditional use of gross income receipts and size of holdings has been criticized as inappropriate measures. The working definition for this report is found in the 1981 Farm Bill (Public Law 97-98). That definition states:

"Small farm is defined as any farm:

(1) producing family net income from all sources (farm and non-farm) below the median non-metropolitan income of the State;

(2) operated by a family dependent on farming for a significant though not necessarily a majority of its income; and

(3) on which family members provide most of the labor and management."

Number and Regional Distribution of Small Farms

In 1992, the most recent Ag Census year, there were 1.9 million farms in the United States. Approximately 73% of these farms are classified as small farms in that they gross less than $50,000 in agricultural sales. In sharp contrast, larger farms (sales greater than $100,000) numbered only 0.3 million, or 17.3% of the total, but these farms represented 82.5% of all farm sales, and operated 54.5% of the farm acreage.

What is Coooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) doing for Small Farmers?

The goal of the CSREES program for small farmers is to improve the income levels, and the economic viability of the small farm enterprises through a partnership effort with the land grant system, public and private sectors using some holistic/systems approach that addresses the needs of the total small farm family. Programs of the CSREES focus on the following critical needs:

In several states, Cooperative Extension conducts programs that help small farm families better utilize community services, improve family financial management, and prepare family members for alternative job opportunities. The Food and Nutrition and 4-H Youth Development programs provide nutritional and food safety education to help families develop nutritional practices that minimize health risks, make better food purchasing decisions, and prepare youth for the world of work.

Funding for Small Farm Programs

These programs are funded through Smith-Lever appropriations (3b/c) formula as well as special earmarked allocations, and the activities are implemented through the 1862 and 1890 Land Grant Colleges and Universities.

Joint Program Effort

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency's

Division of Agriculture and Ecosystem's Branch entered into an Interagency agreement with the Small Farm Programhere in USDA-CSREES in 1996. The general purpose of the agreement is to enhance the relationship between the two agencies in fostering compliance assistance information to the agricultural community. Four land grant institutions-Cornell University, Kentucky State University, University of Delaware, and the University of Missouri are recipients of this pilot project award. Goals of this grant include: identification of compliance assistance needs in the agricultural community, and the most effective ways to address those needs; development of and testing of compliance assistance materials directed to the agricultural community; and development and testing of procedures for evaluation and reporting on the effectiveness of compliance assistance to the agricultural community.

Several critical areas need increased attention:

Appropriate production technologies for the small farmer.

Research and Extension have several strategies to meet the needs of small farmers in the next several years. Those strategies include:

Mailing Group Internet Address-- sfpc-mg@esusda.gov

The Small Farm Program mailing group(sfpc-mg) was established in 1995 under USDA-CSREES-Plant and Animal Production, Protection and Processing Division. Please feel free to utilize this electronic address in exchanging small farm related information, request ideas, share success stories, send in activities' calendar of events, publications, and a whole lot more. Anyone with interests in small farm activities is welcome to subscribe. In 2-3 months, we will have a home page established on the internet on http:\\www.reeusda.gov.

To subscribe to the small farm

mailing group sfpc-mg@esusda.gov

please send a message to: almanac@esusda.gov while logged on to your computer. In the body, type: subscribe sfpc-mg After you have typed in the above command, the next step is to send the message.

To unsubscribe to the small farm mailing group sfpc-mg@esusda.gov

Send a message to: almanac@esusda.gov In the body, type:

unsubscribe sfpc-mg After you have typed in the above command, the next step is to send the message.

If you change your e-mail address due to change in employment, relocation or for any other reason, please unsubscribe before you leave this e-mail address in order to prevent bounced messages coming to this address. Please rejoin when you have your new address.

Planned Activities

Nine major issue areas were identified at the National Small Farm Conference that was held in Nashville, Tennessee in September, 1996.

 

These areas are: Research and

Extension Priorities, Program Impacts and Accountability, Technology Transfer, Environmental Issues, Program Delivery, Marketing Strategies, Economic Opportu-nities, Social Issues and National Small Farm Policy. In an effort to build a strong National Small Farm Program sub-committees consisting of the public and private sectors including farmers and non-governmental organizations are being formed to address the outlined issues in their entirety, and develop recommend-ations for the System.

The Office for Small Scale Agriculture under Bud Kerr who recently retired is being merged with the Small Farm Program here in USDA-CSREES. The office will no longer exist. All the services that were provided by the Office for Small Scale Agriculture will continue to be delivered without any interruptions. The Small Scale Today newsletter will be merged with the Small and Part Time Farms' newsletter, to an entirely new stand-alone newsletter that will serve the readership needs of the land grant universities, and the small farm communi-ties nationwide.

Publications

The series of publications "Getting Started in Farming" can be obtained upon request.

The series include:

1. Getting Started in Farming.

2. Mostly On Your Own.

3. Part-Time or Small Farms.

4. So You Have Inherited A Farm.

5. Via The Home Farm.

Other available publications include:

Aquaculture, asparagus, beekeeping, blueberries, brambles, American Ginseng, specialty corn, angora goats, cashmere goats, dairy and meat goats, specialty flowers, foliage plants, exotic fruits, herbs, exotic livestock, mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, specialty mushrooms, northern nuts, peppers, specialty potatoes, poultry, pumpkins, sheep, strawberries, specialty vegetables, wildflowers, and woodlots.

For any questions concerning the small farm program in USDA-CSREES, please write or call:

Denis Ebodaghe
National Program Leader
Small Farms
USDA-CSREES, Stop 2220
901 D Street, SW
Washington, DC 20250-2220
Phone: (202) 401-4385
Fax: (202) 401-5179
E-mail: debodaghe@reeusda.gov

OR

Betty Hodges
Program Assistant
Small Farms
USDA-CSREES, 901 D Street, SW
Stop 2220
Washington, DC 20250
Phone: (202) 401-6861
Fax: (202) 401-5179
E-mail: bhodges@reeusda.gov

To receive one or more of the listed publications at no cost, contact:

LaTracey Lewis
USDA-CSREES, 901 D Street, S.W.
Stop 2220
Washington, DC 20250-2220
Phone: (202) 401-4587
Fax: (202) 401-5179
E-mail: llewis@reeusda.gov

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