Virginia Tech, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition seek participants for educational need survey
Virginia Tech, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and the Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition invite beginning farmers and ranchers to share their educational and resource needs by completing a short online survey.
The survey aims to improve opportunities for beginning farmers and ranchers to establish and sustain viable agricultural operations in Virginia through the development and enhancement of innovative educational programs and resource services.
“The results of the survey will be incorporated into the Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition’s program development plan that will directly inform on-the-ground opportunities for beginning farmers and ranchers to gain access to comprehensive education, training, and networking support,” said Kim Niewolny, project director and Extension specialist for Virginia Cooperative Extension.
The survey should take about 15 minutes to complete and will be open until May 20. Survey participants may choose to answer all or only certain questions, and individual responses will remain confidential. A report of the survey results will be available on the Virginia Cooperative Extension and Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition websites.
Funding for this project is provided by the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
For more information, contact Kim Niewolny at (540) 231-5784 or visit them online.
Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition members include Attimo Winery, USDA Farm Service Agency, Hethwood Market, Laurel Farm, Local Food Hub, Mountain View Farm and Vineyard, USDA Rural Development, Virginia AgrAbility Project, Virginia Association for Biological Farming, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Virginia Farm Bureau-Young Farmers Program, Virginia Farm Credit, Virginia State University-Small Farm Outreach, Training & Technical Assistance Program, Virginia Team Ag Ed, VT Earthworks, and Young Farmers of Virginia.
