Northeast SARE Outcome Funding and

Grant Writing WorkshopTom Morris & Janet McAllister

Delaware State UniversityMay 25, 2011

nesare.org1

Performance Target

This is the Outcome Statement for grant projects and should answer the question:

Exactly what do you want to happen as a result of your project?

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Performance Target

The Performance Target Defines:

1. The specific, measurable change that beneficiaries will make

2. The scale of change - how many people will change and the degree/extent of change they make

3. The measurable benefit that results from the beneficiaries making the change

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1. Examples of specific, measurable change:• Adoption of a new production practice, marketing strategy;

• Establishment of a new crop or farm enterprise;

• Change in farm organization or labor management;

• Creation of business or farm transfer plans

R&E Performance Targets

2. Examples of scale of change:• Total number acres or animal units switched to new practice;

• Total number of new markets, plans, enterprises developed 4

3. Examples of measurable benefit:R&E Performance Targets

• Pounds of excess nutrients removed from livestock diet and waste products (from adoption of recommended practices to improve nutrient balance of feed rations)• Dollar value of input costs reduced (from adoption of recommended pest controls or nutrient management strategies)• Dollar value of the increase in sales (from acres of land planted to a new crop, adoption of a new marketing strategy, development of a new enterprise)• Farmer-assessed improvements in quality of lifestyle, such as increased number of vacation days, or improvements in farm efficiency (from changes in farm organization, labor management)

• Pounds of excess nutrients removed from livestock diet and waste products (from adoption of recommended practices to improve nutrient balance of feed rations)• Dollar value of input costs reduced (from adoption of recommended pest controls or nutrient management strategies)• Dollar value of the increase in sales (from acres of land planted to a new crop, adoption of a new marketing strategy, development of a new enterprise)• Farmer-assessed improvements in quality of lifestyle, such as increased number of vacation days, or improvements in farm efficiency (from changes in farm organization, labor management) 5

R&E Performance TargetsExamples: Project without a research component

Twenty-five grass-based organic dairy farms with a total of 1,500 milking cows implement a low-cost feed supplement program and decrease the involuntary cull rate from 35% to 25% and increase milk production per cow by an average of 1,000 lb per year, increasing revenue $500 for an added cost of $94 per cow.

Twenty-five farmers with average direct market annual sales of $150,000 per farm conduct market analyses and use the data to develop and implement marketing plans that lead to an average increase in annual sales of $15,000 per farm.

Examples: Project without a research component

Twenty-five grass-based organic dairy farms with a total of 1,500 milking cows implement a low-cost feed supplement program and decrease the involuntary cull rate from 35% to 25% and increase milk production per cow by an average of 1,000 lb per year, increasing revenue $500 for an added cost of $94 per cow.

Twenty-five farmers with average direct market annual sales of $150,000 per farm conduct market analyses and use the data to develop and implement marketing plans that lead to an average increase in annual sales of $15,000 per farm.

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1. Specific Measurable ChangeExamples: Project without a research component

Twenty-five grass-based organic dairy farms with a total of 1,500 milking cows implement a low-cost feed supplement program and decrease the involuntary cull rate from 35% to 25% and increase milk production per cow by an average of 1,000 lb per year, increasing revenue $500 for an added cost of $94 per cow.

Twenty-five farmers with average direct market annual sales of $150,000 per farm conduct market analyses and use the data to develop and implement marketing plans that lead to an average increase in annual sales of $15,000 per farm.

Examples: Project without a research component

Twenty-five grass-based organic dairy farms with a total of 1,500 milking cows implement a low-cost feed supplement program and decrease the involuntary cull rate from 35% to 25% and increase milk production per cow by an average of 1,000 lb per year, increasing revenue $500 for an added cost of $94 per cow.

Twenty-five farmers with average direct market annual sales of $150,000 per farm conduct market analyses and use the data to develop and implement marketing plans that lead to an average increase in annual sales of $15,000 per farm.

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2. Scale of ChangeExamples: Project without a research component

Twenty-five grass-based organic dairy farms with a total of 1,500 milking cows implement a low-cost feed supplement program and decrease the involuntary cull rate from 35% to 25% and increase milk production per cow by an average of 1,000 lb per year, increasing revenue $500 for an added cost of $94 per cow.

Twenty-five farmers with average direct market annual sales of $150,000 per farm conduct market analyses and use the data to develop and implement marketing plans that lead to an average increase in annual sales of $15,000 per farm.

Examples: Project without a research component

Twenty-five grass-based organic dairy farms with a total of 1,500 milking cows implement a low-cost feed supplement program and decrease the involuntary cull rate from 35% to 25% and increase milk production per cow by an average of 1,000 lb per year, increasing revenue $500 for an added cost of $94 per cow.

Twenty-five farmers with average direct market annual sales of $150,000 per farm conduct market analyses and use the data to develop and implement marketing plans that lead to an average increase in annual sales of $15,000 per farm. 8

3. Measurable BenefitExamples: Project without a research component

Twenty-five grass-based organic dairy farms with a total of 1,500 milking cows implement a low-cost feed supplement program and decrease the involuntary cull rate from 35% to 25% and increase milk production per cow by an average of 1,000 lb per year, increasing revenue $500 for an added cost of $94 per cow.

Twenty-five farmers with average direct market annual sales of $150,000 per farm conduct market analyses and use the data to develop and implement marketing plans that lead to an average increase in annual sales of $15,000 per farm.

Examples: Project without a research component

Twenty-five grass-based organic dairy farms with a total of 1,500 milking cows implement a low-cost feed supplement program and decrease the involuntary cull rate from 35% to 25% and increase milk production per cow by an average of 1,000 lb per year, increasing revenue $500 for an added cost of $94 per cow.

Twenty-five farmers with average direct market annual sales of $150,000 per farm conduct market analyses and use the data to develop and implement marketing plans that lead to an average increase in annual sales of $15,000 per farm.

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Example: Project with a research componentNinety vegetable farmers adopt legume and non-legume cover crops and/or improved cover crop management practices on a total of 900 acres, reducing their historical N application rate in subsequent vegetable crops by an average of 50 lb/acre/year without reducing yields.Research is to evaluate new legume cover crops for vegetable systems and other cover cropping innovations.

Twenty vegetable farmers adopt no-till or zone-till practices on a total of 500 acres to reduce soil compaction by an average of 50 p.s.i. per farm and to reduce annual fuel use for field preparation by an average of 100 gallons per farm.Research is to evaluate zone tillage in vegetable cropping systems and its effect on soil compaction and other soil health indicators

R&E Performance Targets

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Research and Outcome Funding

• Some researchers believe that outcome funding’s emphasis on behavior change makes it impossible to perform research

• Not true, but… outcome funding does require an extension and outreach program as part of the project

• How can a researcher carry on a research program and still have a performance target that meets SARE’s requirements?

How to Include an Outreach Program in a R&E Grant

• Perform research on-farm and on-station• Create an outreach program about benefits of

research (example: cover crops, soil health, N loss)• Hold workshops about the topic• Have examples of new and recommended cover

crops and different planting dates at some research sites, and hold field days at research sites

• Publish research results as a fact sheet and prepare a journal article

Win-Win Situation for Applied Researchers & Outcome Funding

• Paid to perform research

• Paid to extend research and shepherd the adoption of the research

• Paid to develop education program about topic of great interest to researcher, or researcher can pay extension educators to develop outreach program working with the researcher

• Paid to publish journal article and a fact sheet = wider audience for researcher and SARE

• Reality check: Research costs more than a project with only education and outreach activities

1. Specific, measurable change in PDP Targets:• Agricultural service providers use new knowledge and skills

learned through the project to teach farmers about beneficial changes they can make to their farms – e.g., new practices, tools, or strategies.

2. Examples of scale of change include:• The number of educators conducting programs• The total number of programs conducted• The total number of farmers educated or assisted• The number of acres, animal units, markets, etc., that these farmers manage. 3. Adoption by Farmers and Measurable Benefit: Optional• The number of farmers who adopt the recommended change• Target would be further strengthened by including the measurable on-farm benefits achieved

PDP Performance Targets

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25 Agricultural service providers deliver education programs to teach 425 crop and livestock farmers, who manage a total of 30,000 acres and 18,000 livestock or dairy animals how to conduct market analyses, develop enterprise budgets and develop and implement business and marketing plans.

10 Extension personnel and crop consultants deliver education programs about cover crops and improved cover crop management practices to a total of 350 vegetable farmers who cultivate 1,600 acres

PDP Performance Targets

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Target with Optional Adoption by Farmers and Measurement of Benefits Included:

12 agricultural service providers develop and conduct an education program for 250 dairy farmers who cultivate 18,000 acres of corn for silage where they learn about techniques, benefits, and challenges of planting cover crops in fields harvested for corn silage; 60 of these farmers adopt a new cover crop or cover crop practice on a total of 1,500 acres and reduce N fertilizer by 50 lb per acre or $25 per acre.

PDP Performance Targets

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What Makes a Good Target• Changes something that’s measurable• Change wanted or needed by beneficiaries• Clear fit with NESARE outcome statement• Specific numbers, not vague percentages• More intensity, more beneficiaries = $$$$• Less intensity, fewer beneficiaries = $This is an honest, realistic prediction of what your

project can accomplish if it is successful17

The ‘So What’ Test• 5,000 fact sheets are printed and distributed

So what?• 200 people attend a workshop

So what?• 30 farmers call asking for more information

So what?• 10 farms start direct market ventures that

add an average $20,000 to annual gross income

They are doing something different that will likely enhance profitability 18

Practice TimeWrite an example Performance

Target that includes:

1.The specific, measurable change that beneficiaries will make

2.The scale of change: how many people will change the change, and the degree/extent of change they make

3.The measurable benefit they obtain from the change 19

R&E: Twenty-five farmers with average direct market annual sales of $150,000 per farm conduct market analyses then develop and implement marketing plans which lead to an average increase in annual sales of $15,000 per farm.

R&E: Ninety vegetable farmers adopt legume and non-legume cover crops and/or improved cover crop management practices on a total of 900 acres, reducing their historical N application rate in subsequent vegetable crops by an average of 50 lb/acre/year without reducing yields.

PDP: Ten Extension personnel and crop consultants deliver education programs about new legume cover crops and improved cover crop management practices to a total of 350 vegetable farmers who cultivate 1,600 acres

R&E: Twenty-five farmers with average direct market annual sales of $150,000 per farm conduct market analyses then develop and implement marketing plans which lead to an average increase in annual sales of $15,000 per farm.

R&E: Ninety vegetable farmers adopt legume and non-legume cover crops and/or improved cover crop management practices on a total of 900 acres, reducing their historical N application rate in subsequent vegetable crops by an average of 50 lb/acre/year without reducing yields.

PDP: Ten Extension personnel and crop consultants deliver education programs about new legume cover crops and improved cover crop management practices to a total of 350 vegetable farmers who cultivate 1,600 acres 20

Questions?

www.nesare.orgwww.nesare.org

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