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Sustaining and Evaluating the Nevada Beginning Farmer and Rancher Project (Herds & Harvest)

Staci Emm, Carol Bishop, and Holly Gatzke

Summary

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension has provided education for Nevada beginning farmers and ranchers for over five years through an interdisciplinary approach utilizing faculty on campus and Extension faculty in the field. The fourth year of the Nevada Herds & Harvest (Nevada Beginning Farmer and Rancher Project) program increased producer contacts by over 334 participants and continued educational activities to those beginning farmers and ranchers already in the program. Evaluation design of the program features a mixed methods approach to collect quantitative and qualitative impact data. Pre-test and post-tests, featuring a Likert-type scale, accompany curriculum materials and workshop content in order to gage short and medium term impacts expressed as knowledge gains and behavioral changes. In addition, the evaluation instrument was created and designed to measure the success of reaching program objectives, including the participation of American Indians, Hispanics and military veterans in the program. Long term impacts are measured through follow up surveys and interviews with selected BFRs.

Details

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