Surveys, Assessments and Other Evaluation Tools used by Beginning Farmer Training Programs
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The GREW Beginning Farmer Program Evaluation Resource Library aims to support farmer and rancher training programs by sharing resources to help them with their evaluation goals. The library contains hundreds of resources focused on running effective and thorough program evaluations. Some resources focus explicitly on farming projects and others provide more general program evaluation instruction. We have recently added more than 75 new resources to the library and wanted to highlight that 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. These resources are all accessible via the search feature on the online resource library, but we have also listed them with links in this document for quick and easy access.
Survey Tools
More than 20 new survey tools have been added to the resource library, which are listed below. There are surveys for single events, follow-up evaluations, post-program evaluations, and more. These new tools, along with 25 others, are available in the Resource Library by selecting “Surveys” under the “BFR Evaluation Resources” drop down list, then clicking “search.”
- California Farm Academy California Farm Incubator Program Evaluation
- The Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
- Center for Agroecology's 2014 Technical Assistance Services Evaluation
- Center for Agroecology 's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program Survey
- Center for Agroecology Field Day Follow-Up Survey Version 1
- Center for Agroecology Field Day Follow-Up Survey Version 2
- UCSC 2009 Apprentice Alumni Survey
- UCSC 2015 Apprenticeship Follow Up Survey
- UCSC 2019 Apprenticeship Program Class Evaluation
- Farm Beginnings, Land Stewardship Project
- The Food Group
- Land for Good Advisee Client Feedback Survey, a Workshop Evaluation for All Programs
- Pennsylvania Sustainable Agriculture Association Staff Reflection Survey for Events and Workshops
- The University of Colorado Extension Building Farmers in the West 2013 Pre-Course Survey
- University of Michigan Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Climate Survey
- The Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition
Reports
We have also added 18 example reports from Beginning Farmer and Rancher Programs including a number of reports from the Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition and One Acre Fund’s online “Impact Dashboard.” Check out all our example reports (34 in all) in the Resource Library by clicking “reports” under “BFR Evaluation Resources,” then clicking “search.” New general evaluation resources have also been added that provide guidance on evaluation reporting. Find them by clicking “Reporting” under “General Evaluation Resource Types.”
- California Farm Academy California Farm Incubator Program Final Report Template
- Center for Innovations in Teaching A guide to Using “Student Experience of Teaching” (SET) Survey Data
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- The Food Group Big River Farms Annual Farm Report Template 2018
- NASA 2014 NASA Diversity and Inclusion Assessment Survey: Final Report
- National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Cultivating the Next Generation: An Evaluation of the Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development Program (2009-2015)
- New Entry/Rural Affairs Center for Rural Affairs' Santee Sioux and Umonhom (Omaha) Tribal Food Sovereignty Plans
- New Entry/Appetite for Change Appetite for Change's Northside Fresh Community Project
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- The Northern Farm Michigan State University North Farm Apprentice Farmer Program Summary (2015-2018)
- One Acre Fund Once Acre Fund Impact Dashboard
- Rhode Island Public Health Institute Outcomes and Evaluation Report
- University of Colorado Extension Building Farmers in the West Project Evaluation
- Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition
Assessments
Our new additions to the library also include 12 example assessment tools from organizations in the GREW community. Assessments tools are often used at the beginning of a program to identify a learning or program plan. They are often also used at the end of a program to determine gains made, and the level of competencies reached. Thus, they can be used as both learning tools as well as evaluation tools. The tools listed below, along with others, are available in the Resource Library by selecting “Assessments” under the “BFR Evaluation Resources” drop down list, then clicking “search.”
- Cornell Small Farms Program Assessing Skills and Competencies
- Farm Credit Council
- The Food Group
- University of Colorado Extension
Logic Models
We have also updated our library to include a two-part webinar series on Logic Models from Cultivating Community and examples of logic models from the Organic Growers School and University of Colorado Extension. We also have a few previous logic model resources already in our library as well. Check out all our logic model resources by selecting “Logic models/theory of change” under “BFR Evaluation Resources,” then clicking “search” in the GREW Online Evaluation Resource Library.
- Cultivating Community
- Organic Growers School The Organic Growers School Theory of Change Draft Model
- University of Colorado Extension Logic Model for Building Farmers in the West
Organizational Example
The Food Group Minnesota shared a suite of their evaluation tools with us for their Big River Farms Training Program and while most of the documents are listed in the sections above we wanted to highlight them together, to offer an example of how different tools can work together within a larger evaluation program.
- 2019 Goal Setting Worksheet
- Evaluation Form
- Farm Skill Passport (word)
- Farm Skill Passport (excel)
- Farm Report Template 2018
- Farmer Education Plan
- Farmer Education Program Evaluation
- Program Evaluation Plan
We hope you find these resources to be helpful. Please let us know if you have anything to add.
