If you are trying to increase farmer participation in conservation-related networks and initiatives, this workshop is for you.
You will learn how to deliver a curriculum for farmers called Skills for Building Farmer Networks for Conservation. The curriculum equips farmers with essential skills they need to engage their peers about conservation practices and cultivate a culture of conservation in their communities.
The train-the-trainer workshop will empower you to train farmers using this curriculum and increase your capacity and confidence to support farmer-led conservation networks and initiatives.
In addition, the workshop will give you an opportunity to connect with peers from across the region who share your passion for supporting farmer-led conservation.
Workshop Details
May workshop dates: Mondays, May 4th, 11th, and 18th – FULL*
June workshop dates: Mondays, June 8th, 15th, and 22nd
The time, place, and price are the same for both workshops:
- Time: 11:00am CT – 1:00pm CT / 12:00pm ET – 2:00pm ET. (It’s over lunchtime on purpose – let’s lunch and learn together!)
- Place: Zoom
- Price: Free. You must be able to commit to all three sessions.
For each workshop, registration and attendance at all three sessions are required. Participants who complete all three sessions and the at-home activities will receive a certificate of completion. Registration is capped.
What to expect: In each session, we will discuss and practice the curriculum’s modules and discuss together how to effectively support farmers. You will be expected to read the curriculum’s readings and listen to its short podcasts, as well. A completion requirement will be to record yourself giving a presentation of your choice from one of the modules for peer feedback to help you feel confident to deliver the curriculum. You can also expect to make new connections with your fellow participants and build your own professional network.
*We have reached capacity for both the May and June workshops. If you would like to be added to the waitlist and/or are interested in potentially attending a workshop later in the year, please contact Jenny Seifert. If there is enough demand, we will consider organizing a third workshop later in the year.
About the Curriculum You Will Learn to Use
Skills for Building Farmer Networks for Conservation is a curriculum designed to empower farmers to be peer leaders and build local networks by bolstering their confidence and capacities to engage other farmers about soil health and conservation. Through six discussion-rich modules, it equips farmers with core competencies (i.e., critical knowledge and skills) they need to be successful peer leaders in conservation.
About the Workshop Facilitator
Jenny Seifert is a Watershed Outreach Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension. She leads multi-state initiatives that facilitate peer learning and capacity building among conservation professionals and farmers to increase their success in improving soil and water resources. One of the initiatives she leads is The Confluence for Watershed Leaders. Seifert was also the lead author of the curriculum this workshop is focused on, Skills for Building Farmer Networks for Conservation.
Questions? Contact Jenny.
The Confluence for Watershed Leaders
We are a multi-state community and collaborative of people working for healthy watersheds in the Great Lakes, Greater Mississippi River, and Red River Basins of the U.S. Midwest and Mid-South. The Confluence is where watershed professionals, watershed educators, and engaged farmers and landowners can connect, learn, and increase their success in achieving clean water goals.
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