Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this project targets socially…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this project targets socially disadvantaged producers (SDPS) in eastern and southern arkansas. The objectives of the project are: (1)to conduct a beginners farmers (BFS) class, (2) to educate and assist beginning farmers (BFS) in developing business plans and obtaining USDA loans, (3) to teach and help BFS use the cooperative extension service (CES) production recommendations and the arkansas department of agriculture (ADA), forestry division for forest management recommendations, (4) to help BFS improve their land by working with the natural resources conservation service (NRCS) to implement climate-smart agriculture practices, and (5) to educate BF vegetable producers about marketing vegetables, marketing strategies, and using cold storage. The project outcomes are as follows: from the 75 individuals who graduated from the BFS class, 15 will start farming, and 30 will file the paperwork to obtain USDA farm numbers for their operations. The staff will assist 144 BFS in developing farm business plans and 60 BFS will obtain $7.5 million in USDA loans. Approximately 150 BFS will take soil tests for fertility recommendations, and 200 BFS will benefit significantly from using other CES recommendations. Twenty BFS who applied for conservation funding will receive $1.6 million to install climate-smart conservation practices. Seventy-five BFS will identify markets and sell their vegetables to vendors met at the uapb vegetable marketing meetings.approximately 22 percent of project funds are allocated to a community-based organization, and 100 percent of funds are allocated to SDPS. The project director is currently completing bfrdp grant award no.2020-49400-32322.