Growing Growers in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area

Like many urban areas across the U.S., Kansas City has a growing demand for local fruits and vegetables. The Growing Growers program was developed to train new and existing specialty crop growers on effective growing practices in Missouri and Kansas with a particular focus on organic production. The Growing Growers program is a collaborative effort between K-State Research and Extension, University of Missouri Extension, Lincoln University Cooperative Extension, Cultivate Kansas City, Kansas City Food Circle and the Kansas Rural Center. The program provides various workshops that cover many of the skills to run a successful farm, as well as an apprenticeship program that locates interested farmers-in-training to work on a host farm. Host farms are fruit and vegetable growers in the surrounding Kansas City and Lawrence areas with a focus on sustainability. A few host farms also raise livestock and make specialty products.  In addition to the first-hand, practical experience apprentices get while working on a farm; they receive one-on-one mentorship with the host farmer on topics such as business management, soil management and production planning.  Apprentices attend at least 6 of the Growing Growers workshops and farm tours, receive course materials and textbooks, meet new and experienced growers, and build relationships with other growers.  The Growing Growers program also hosts the [growerskc] listserv, which is comprised of over 500 growers, buyers, restaurateurs, farmers market managers, Extension professionals, and consumers interested in the local food system.  The Growing Growers program started in 2004 and over 80 apprentices have completed the apprenticeship certification program since its inception. Current research includes a comprehensive evaluation of the Growing Growers program using surveys models and focus groups to analyze the economic and social impact of the program on the local food system.  Survey participants will include apprentices, host farmers, and workshop participants. We hope to determine if the Growing Growers program is effective at preparing beginner farmers to start a farm business and how the program has expanded the local food system in the Kansas City metro area.