Beginning Farmer Program Evaluation Resource Library

The Beginning Farmer Program Evaluation Resource Library is a compilation of materials to assist beginning farmer and rancher training programs to conduct evaluation.

This Resource Library was created as part of the Gaining Results through Evaluation Work (GREW) project, funded through a US Department of Agriculture Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) grant. This project supports the development of strong, effective and long-lasting farmer and rancher training programs so that beginning farmers enter the field of farming and establish successful farm businesses.

This library contains hundreds of resources focused on running effective and thorough program evaluations collected by the GREW team. Some resources focus explicitly on farming projects and others provide more general program evaluation instruction. You can use the topic of interest buttons below to search for the types of materials of interest or you can type a search directly “I’m looking for…” bar. 

Below are a series of compiled tipsheets that highlight some of the key resources in the library and aggregate them into useful groupings to help navigate through the evaluation content.

Basic Evaluation Tools and Resources
There are many resources available on the web to help people conduct program evaluation. It can be somewhat overwhelming to wade through them all. To make the process simpler, we have highlighted a few key documents. These items offer basic information and guidance for different aspects of conducting evaluation.  Download the .pdf tipsheet here.

Resources for Using Self-Assessment as a Learning and Evaluation Strategy
Self-assessment in beginning farmer programs can help improve learning outcomes for participants and serve programs as an evaluation tool. GREW offers several resources for learning more about, and utilizing, self-assessment in BFR programs.  Download the .pdf tipsheet here.

Surveys, Assessments and Other Tools for Evaluating Beginning Farmer Training Programs
The GREW Resource Library contains hundreds of resources focused on running effective and thorough beginning farmer and rancher program evaluations. More than 75 new resources have been added to the library and more than 40 of these resources are examples of survey tools, reports, assessments and logic models done by peer organizations serving beginning farmers and ranchers.  Download the .pdf tipsheet here.

Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Evaluation Resources

Twelve new articles, webinars, and websites have been added to our Online Evaluation Resource Library that feature information related to incorporating equity, inclusion, and diversity into evaluation work. In this document we highlight three examples from our library as a starting point for your explorations.  Download the .pdf tipsheet here.

Please visit again – more resources will be added regularly.

If you have a resource you would like to see, have a resource you’d like to share, or have any feedback about the Resource Library, please contact nesfp@tufts.edu.

BFRDP Evaluation Webinar: Developing an Evaluation Plan: Outcomes and Measures June 25, 2018

Source: New Entry

A webinar for BFRDP applicants on developing an Evaluation Plan that includes outcomes and measures. This webinar provides specific information and examples to help beginning farmer organizations identify outcomes and indicators - a key piece of developing a useful evaluation. The information shared in this webinar can help participants develop their BFRDP proposal, as well as identify other needed information for their organization to use. This webinar is ideal for those who don't have much experience or training in evaluation, or those who want to learn more about creating an evaluation plan.

BFRDP Logic Model

Source: GREW

This document was developed as part of an evaluation of the USDA’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP).1 It highlights the many possible components that can go into programs that train beginning farmers and ranchers. This document can be used for developing logic models for evaluation or project development.

Big River Farms Annual Farm Report Template 2018

Source: Big River Farms Annual Farm Report Template 2018

This 5-page document provides a template for participants of the Big River Farms Training Program to report on their farming season.

Big River Farms Farm Skill Passport (word)

Source: Big River Farms Farm Skill Passport (word)

This document is a printable farm skills assessment listing different skills, date achieved by participant, and instructor initials.

Big River Farms Training 2019 Goal Setting Worksheet

Source: Big River Farms Training 2019 Goal Setting Worksheet

This two-page hard copy worksheet asks participants to describe their dream farm, identify their values, and list out their financial, marketing, production, and management goals.

Big River Farms Training Evaluation Form

Source: Big River Farms Training Evaluation Form

This simple two-page hard copy evaluation form lists questions for the facilitator to ask the group of participants after the program and includes a list of questions a facilitator fills out about the program.

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