Cleveland Crops, Kinsman Farm & the NRCS Cleveland High Tunnel Project An Update of Urban Agriculture in Cleveland

Cleveland of the Past

Cleveland of Today

Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program USDA-NIFA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awarded 2010 $550,000-USDA $100,000-Ohio Department of Agriculture $100,000-City of Cleveland Economic Development Grant

Cleveland Crops Training and Farm Employment Field Trips Kinsman Farm Incubator Refugee Farmer Training Market Gardener Training Hands on training for individuals with developmental disabilities. Potential to lead to employment with Cleveland Crops ¼ Acre plots available to MGTP Graduates to start a business Area Farm and Market site visits to augment classroom topics Intensive Agri-Business based classes for refugees 12 week classroom training in production and business methods

Partners West Creek Conservancy (leaseholder, site insurance) City of Cleveland Burton, Bell, Carr Economic Development Corporation Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities ASIA Services, Inc. Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland

CLEVELAND CROPS

Cleveland Crops Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities & Solutions at Work (SAW, Inc.) Manufacturing historically employed many persons with developmental disabilities Recession=jobs lost, not returning anytime soon Demand for Local Produced Food Timing was right

Cleveland Crops Training partnership with Master Gardener Volunteer Started with one spring training class 2013, three training classes

Cleveland Crops Currently manage over 10 sites, both urban and suburban Employ over 50 consumers In the process of building a commercial kitchen

KINSMAN FARM

What would the Kinsman Farm do? Remove barriers for new and beginning farmers to develop new agriculture enterprises Provide hands-on training and demonstrate innovative production models and techniques Foster a strong network of sustainable urban farm businesses Revitalize a large tract of vacant land in the Kinsman Neighborhood as a part of the Urban Agriculture Innovation Zone Develop new models that support urban agriculture

Why was the Kinsman Farm needed? Developed to address land tenure and insurance issues Anchored Ohio State University Extension as institution for the City of Cleveland Agriculture Innovation Zone

Land license Year to year with option of 3 or 5 years annual extension ¼ acre $250.00 per year Includes Security of fencing Equipment for rental Hydrant Permit

Urban Agriculture Innovation Zone

Kinsman Farm 2010-2012 Site preparation Debris removal Soil tests Soil amendment & cover crops Fencing and storage containers Completion of one seasonal high tunnel 18 farmers accepted onto the site, 7 have dropped out

Kinsman Farm 2012-2013 Site improvement Completion of 2nd seasonal high tunnel 5 more farmers accepted onto the site

Kinsman Farm Farmer Requirements: Kinsman Farm Farmer Requirements: Completed OSUE-Cuyahoga County Market Gardener Training Program or equivalent Submit business plan Interview with land committee Agree to Land Use protocol Complete 50 hours of community service to farm per year

Who is currently on the farm. 12 farm operations- Who is currently on the farm? 12 farm operations- 2 non-profit organizations 10 sole proprietors Mostly mixed vegetable operations

NRCS Cleveland High Tunnel Project

NRCS High Tunnel Project Seasonal High Tunnel contracts available to qualified Urban Agriculture Projects (both farms and community gardens) 22 Awarded in Cleveland, funding for ????+ To increase food production, small business enterprise and food security

NRCS High Tunnel Build April 15, 2013 April 17, 2013 Salaam Gardens: E130th Street, Cleveland, OH

Lessons learned…….. Just because someone is willing to give you something, you don’t have to take it Don’t add anything to the farm that will cause maintenance concerns that are unrelated to the farm Water policy & water lines Be careful of what inputs are brought onto the site Study other model projects

Lessons learned…….. The more production experience a farmer has, the more likely and faster they will be successful Don’t make assumptions of prior knowledge Have policies, procedures, and consequences in place

Lessons learned…….. Consider sustainability and future staffing needs from the very beginning Consider funding implications and limitations of funding sources

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT “This project is supported by the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA, Grant #2010-49400-21789.  To find more resources and programs for beginning farmers and ranchers please visit www.Start2Farm.gov, a component of the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program.”