South Carolina’s emerging farmers are continuing to receive vital support during the COVID-19 pandemic through the Clemson Extension Agribusiness South Carolina New and Beginning Farmer Program (SCNBFP). Launched in 2010, the SCNBFP focuses on enabling new and beginning farmers to be successful, productive, and innovative members of their local agricultural community by providing them with the tools, knowledge, and skills necessary to be successful entrepreneurs, sound business managers, exemplary stewards of the natural environment, and successful marketers of the unique products they create. The program includes a series of twelve core agribusiness workshops that are focused on farm business management, covering such topics as business concept/plan development, financial and risk management, legal and regulatory issues, marketing strategies, personal assessment, and an introduction to federal, state, and local agriculture resources. Core programming is complemented by regional workshops that are held throughout the state. These workshops offer important opportunities for local peer and resource networking, as well as provide additional instruction on production and advanced agribusiness topics tailored for each region.
The South Carolina New and Beginning Farmer Program convenes participants from all across the state of South Carolina. Traditionally, these farmers would have gathered in-person to attend the program’s core workshops, originally scheduled to begin in April. When COVID-19 restrictions were enacted, the program was pushed back two months while program administrators modified operations in order to deliver workshops remotely through an online platform. Although an untried approach for the SCNBFP, a record number of fifty-four participants chose to move forward with an online format, while the dozens of guest presenters came together in a great show of support for a new schedule and program delivery platform. Regional programming coordinators are also employing creative strategies to adjust supplemental training for remote delivery.
The Class of 2020 began on June 12, and while still in the early stages, Program Director Ben Boyles and Assistant Program Director Diana Vossbrinck shared positive feedback on the delivery method. “By delivering the program through Zoom, we now have the opportunity to bring in program presenters from all over the country that otherwise would not be able to travel to South Carolina,” says Boyles. Additionally, an online format has eliminated the need for participants to travel, sometimes hours, just to attend. “Attendance is at unprecedented levels, and we have seen a remarkable level of engagement with our participants and program presenters through our online interaction strategies,” says Vossbrinck.
Online or in-person, new farmer business planning and risk management education is now more important than ever as evidenced by the continuing impact of COVID-19 on our food and farming sectors. Through their participation in the South Carolina New and Beginning Farmer Program, graduates will have the tools and resources necessary to create a more resilient farm business for years to come.
You can learn more about the South Carolina New and Beginning Farmer Program by visiting our website.
Submitted by: Ben Boyles, Program Director, and Dianna Vossbrinck, Assistant Program Director, SC New and Beginning Farmer Program
