PSIII-20 Evaluation of the “From Bright Leaf to Berkshires” extension outreach program for small-scale farmers in the tobacco belt.

Abstract In this study we evaluated the “From Bright Leaf to Berkshires” program, a Cooperative Extension outreach program that was developed from a North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission (NCTTFC) grant. The program is designed to assist farmers throughout the “Tobacco Belt” who have experienced economic hardships due to the decline in tobacco consumption, tobacco-related policies, and the disrupted tobacco export markets. However, considering North Carolina’s swine industry that contributes $5.9 billion to the state’s economy, limited resource farmers can employ low-cost production systems, retained ownership, and niche marketing to secure a place in the pork supply chain. The participants attended 10 sessions that ranged from understanding swine breeds and swine genetics to them earning their PQA+ and TQA+ certifications from the Pork Checkoff program of the National Pork Board. We used the Kirkpatrick Model of Evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the program by gauging their “Reaction” (engagement, relevance, and customer services) and “Learning” (knowledge, skills, attitude, and confidence in implementation). All 17 participants were interviewed and their responses were scored on a 4-point Likert Scale. “Engagement” scores averaged 3.77, while “Learning” scores average 3.68. Data were open-coded and the following themes emerged “Needs for Infrastructure and Technical Assistance”, “Barriers Related to Labor & Finance”, “Interest in Cooperatives”, “Appreciation for Hands-on Learning”. From our results, we recommend providing on- going, hands-on training and technical assistance, increasing cost-share assistance, further exploration of the difference between beginning and experienced farmer learning, and increasing market outreach to recruit from broader regions of the state.