Topics

1. From Extension to facilitation
2. Origins of new ventures
3. Key problems: Gatekeepers and empowerment
4. Obtaining facilitation skills
5. What makes a good facilitator?
6. How to stimulate more facilitation

How an Extension agent becomes a facilitator

Van hails from mid-Tennesse where he got his bachelors and masters in agricultural mechanization (aka agricultural engineering). He went on to New Jersery to work with relatives with dust-control equipment. His job allowed him to travel all over the United States. He then went to work in Georgia with a grain-elevator company, which was a "dead-end" job. Shortly thereafter, he heard of an cooperative extension position in Missouri and interviewed. He ended up moving to Moberly, Missouri in 1983 and has been in Missouri ever since.

The Missouri cooperative extension was also undergoing massive downsizing by nearly 70%, and the farm crisis was just starting at the time. In addition, "ideas of sustainable agriculture were coming out." Meeting John Ikerd and Bill Heffernan and hearing them speak, all helped to turn Van's thinking around to added-value farmer-owned/operated ventures. "Bill Heffernan put me onto sustainable-agriculture and that if you find a market niche you can increase farm profitability."

In 1990-91-92, Van started a year-long process (in the least) on a coop of organic cotton growers. Van first learned of organic cotton while attending a meeting in Las Vegas in 1990, where there was talk about it. Afterwards, Van started doing some research into it and soon after, was referred to Lorna MacMahon who was currently growing organic cotton in Tennessee. In 1991, he was finding farmers interested in transitioning and with ATTRA's help (Janet Bachman), could show that it was feasible to grow cotton organically and receive a nice premium and make more per acre than with conventional cotton. However, due to politics with the University of Missouri and the extension service, Van had to forego organic cotton, and the venture became no more. Van notes that there was fantastic potential to build up Missouri as a source of organic cotton; market-demand was high, prices were very good and there was interest by Missouri growers, and a major buyer of organic cotton was born in Portageville, Missouri (where Van was working). A few years later, a well-organized organic cotton cooperative emerged in Texas, and Texas began to be known for organic cotton production and supply and they have been very successful ever since.

With continuing experience in building added-value farmer-owned ventures, Van learned who were the players needed in order to make them happen. In addition, Van notes, "I had to learn about the people in the industry in order to build up contracts" for the alternative crops.

In 1995, Van and Jim started looking at "added-value" together, traveling around the country to learn from others who were helping to facilitate these types of ventures. They met John Gardner, and presented their findings from Carrington to the Governor's office in 1996, and that year the Added-Value Grant Program was legislated into existence.

Van is currently working on four projects, each of which had its own unique beginning. Projects get started either by Van presenting a concept to farmers, or they may come to his office or contact him personally to ask for information about a concept. If they say they have an interest in starting an added-value operation, then Van tells them that they need to apply for an AV grant. "The grant program gives me a way to call people's bluff. It's one thing for farmers to talk about a venture, but it's another to pursue. The grant is a safe, risk-free way of taking it to the next step, and writing a grant and going after it demonstrates a level of commitment that is necessary to the eventual success of the project/venture."

Origins of new ventures

Van has noticed that ventures become realities in one of three ways or any combination of them. There's usually someone who's got some experience (credibility), connections (feasibility) and can communicate his vision (future-oriented). This champion works with Van, and while they delegate tasks to group members, the energy is carried on by the champion and Van. The other way is that a group of farmers are have a history of working together and can act as a group without much input/assistance from outside except some technical. The last way, is when a government agency steps in and does all the work the research, the structure and operations. There are incidences where they hook up the people to make it happen, but there is no commitment to the project/venture by the participants/players. "You've got to understand the difference between different kinds of growers (what do they grow) and their region, and this will help.

Van helped the Stoddard County Organic Beef Producers get started. The producers had a champion, Jerry. "Jerry was coming into the office and asking questions about producing and selling, and soon we got to talking." Jerry had some experience raising and selling organic beef in New York State, and was interested in doing the same thing in Missouri. "He got a whole group [of producers] together and they had a committee. I wrote the proposal, then had the group to read and revise it." "Grant money was a major catalyst in this whole thing and was instrumental to organizing the producers around the first step in a long-term project."

Rice Growers drying facility. The "Rice Growers are a tight group, all you need to do is describe a concept and let them go with it." Sometimes an idea "has been floating around for ten years or so," before the group is formulated and takes action. It's a long-term investment in enterprise facilitation. (When they're ready, they're ready. Farmers may be holding back on going forward on expanding the farm business for any number and combination of personal, financial, social (and socio-economic), and market reasons.)

If there can be a typical process for Van when he helps start up added-value enterprises, it is as follows. Every step has its "commitment trial".

He connects with a group of growers who either have an idea or wants to follow up on an idea that he presented. "I might even have an informal meeting before thee meeting. He looks for "key people" (who are they? What qualities do they have?) and he gives them tasks, which intrinsically involves them with the venture and creates ownership, as well as gives Van a sense of the commitment level by these leaders and indirectly of the group itself. "If they are not serious about the project and don't demonstrate a commitment to it, then I let it go and move onto other projects."

Van also helps the group or some of its members to key people in the business venture, be it lawyers, suppliers, buyers, certifiers and certain government agencies. He has found that he has connected farmers within a community that didn't even know about each other but shared the same interest in added-value. "In rural areas don't always know each other. Never assume that everyone knows everyone else. I act as the glue at this stage, facilitating feelings of trust. I get everyone to lay their cards out on the table together expecting them to express their feelings, expectations and "tack" on the project."

"I'm someone on the outside and can (demonstrate) a more democratic system. (Assumed power structure of participants?) Van facilitates the meetings and lays out the "ground rules" so that everyone has a chance to participate and no-one is more important than anyone else. "Don't let outside stuff come into the meeting" and Van advises, "don't work with those people who would be [anti-democratic] (Van's actual word was "bad")." "Try to get people together and focus toward a goal. Keep it flowing."

He helps them write up the grant proposal to the Missouri Added-Value Grant Program for a feasibility study. Then there is an on-going informal follow-up. Van will probably visit with them at least once more, and he will continue to be a resource and technical advisor to the group. Van stresses that knowing the politics and the potential of politics (Need to help the reader get a better sense of what is meant by "politics") to play in the formation of the venture and long-term development. "Make sure 'traps are run' before you really start the project, particularly the political ones. Lots of calls are required to get the project set up and contacting associated parties." "As facilitator AND extension agent I take risk with any project that "it can be blown out of the water."

Key problems: gatekeepers and empowerment

Some key problems are: Empowering groups, gatekeepers, risk to group, pecking orders, being socially secure in a situation. If you're an outsider, then you always are.

Some groups expect professional to do work and carry the ball. (farmers' markets). The project gives the group something to focus on right away. Having to accomplish the first steps, they become responsible for the project's outcome right away.

"One thing I ran into there's a concept that only certain people have the expertise [and/or connections to make happen]. It's [the facilitator's] job is to break up any gatekeepers (or perceived gatekeepers) Everyone should have access to the people and resources to make the concept into an enterprise." Van has this knack for matching people together who bring their skills and knowledge for mutual benefit match-maker. For instance, bringing in a national figure (Jill Long Thompson for the National Farmers Union meeting) to break up the local power structure. (In smaller, more isolated communities the increased opportunity and ability to shape local politics also means that some people can also hold on to power locally for a long time and beyond to include their offspring.)

Knowledge is power and production has become even less important. Having the market contacts is key. You can transfer production skills easily enough.

A couple things that Van has learned from working with producer groups.

Don't take it personally when groups splinter and fall apart. You never know if there are reasons that transcend the enterprise and the facilitation, such as family feuds or health problems of key people. It's THEIR project, not Van's and as such when it seems to fail it can't be Van's 'fault'.

Lay out the ground rules clearly, succinctly and stick to them.

When there's no initial financial risk it is easier to get people to meet and consider a proposal. The AV grant program has been a tool to bring people together that might not otherwise do so. The most formal role that Van plays is that of grant proposal writer, and after that his support becomes increasingly informal and less involved.

Set expectations of the group right away that the project IS there's no and in the fulture and that as facilitator his role is most active in the beginning, but that he will "be pulling away."

How or do you know when you're successful? "I don't know if I'm successful or not. But you're successful when you have a decent process where the group as a whole and as individuals can make their own decisions (informed, empowered, well-reasoned and well-thought out ???) Yet Van also noted that he considers himself successful when "someone has built something", i.e. when a processing building or drying building is constructed.

Obtaining facilitation skills

Van was raised on a farm, "it's what I knew". Do you like doing facilitation work? "Heck yeah!" What do you like about it? "empowering". Van reported that his motivation in helping added-value enterprises get started stems from his interest in the environmental and social values that were "implanted since I was 12." These values continue to drive him in his work, helping farmers adopt alternative crops and doing on-farm or cooperative processing that either is more environmentally-friendly or make social power structures more equitable. Van also enjoys the challenge of looking for those "options that are there for marketing changes to improve the environment." "When you make a facilitated change, you need to account for the market forces versus the regulatory forces.

"With organic cotton, all the issues, my values, collided. It brought power back to the farmer. It was more environmental and improved relations with environmentalists who could then be called on to help with marketing. By reducing on-farm risks, such as storing and applying chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the health of the farmer, the family and the community would be improved. And, of course, it is a better income for the farming family."

In the early 1990's, Van attended a number of community development courses that "gave [him his] facilitation skills." He had come out of the classes with a concepts on how to put groups together to work on projects, and how to bring new business ideas/possibilities to the community. "People are not really going to bring themselves together without a leader." He was told when he first started working in Extension that "my job is to make changes, but they didn't back me up."

Van warned that local planning might undo a project through any number of political moves, from changing zoning and regulations, to threatening to fire or firing any of the key people.

What makes a good facilitor?

When asked, "What makes for a good facilitator? Van said: Someone like Jim.

Q: What about Jim makes him a good facilitator?
A: He can be with a group he never met before for only two hours and end up knowing what the people are thinking. He's able to keep them focused on the issues. This is important. People don't want to bumble around and waste time. The worst meetings are those where people aren't able to give their input." "Jim will put everyone's concepts up on the wall and everyone will end up building consensus. By the time Jim leaves, everyone is knowing what's the direction they're headed and what's the next step on this path."

Van says that he prefers to know everyone before a meeting and build on his one-on-one contacts and work with them for several more months (after initial meeting?). He says that enjoys selling business ideas appropriate ideas. "It takes salesman qualities to directing motivations in a productive direction." He also says that a good facilitator can't be afraid of ticking people off--especially those in power who are obstructing change. A good facilitator "WANTS to see change." Real trust will take time and you got to deliver your personal and everyone else's personal bias and help them to understand each person. Focusing on common objectives rather than surface commonalities. Got to listen for "key words", cues, motivations and establish level of trustworthiness. Entrepreneurs are creative people. Knowing the consumer market means being creative.

A soybean grower came to Van because he wanted to grow organic soybeans, but when Van took a look at the situation, he saw that the transition (a three year process) to organic wasn't going to be financially feasible for the grower, so he suggested that they look at "adding value in other ways." Van saw that the goal of the farmer wasn't to grow organically, but to improve his income from soybeans. (and did Van otherwise avoid a situation where the farmer would have had a stronger chance of failing and come to blame it on the organic soybean industry, which was pretty well supplied at that time, and having failed, swear on not trying something new again?)

Get the farmers to raise the question, "what can we do to change this," by themselves.

Our job is to throw research-based ideas out and make sure farmers understand that change is possible and the changes that are possible. In this instance, the extension agent is a "change agent", and has the role of keeping that innovative and entrepreneurial spirit alive. Understanding what could suppress it or even kill it.

How to stimulate more facilitation

Facilitation in the extension service "needs to be fearless or not worried about current power structure. Most of the Missouri agents are in the tech-transfer mode and are just putting out ideas without listening to the farmers." The Extension service should reward agents that are "ahead of coming changes" and "credits and support should be for these forward-looking agents." The university's administration doesn't structure a five-year commitment, but that's what this work requires. You have got to be able to look five years down the road, looking for trends and positioning farmers and coops. The politics will meet these changes easily enough when they arrive.

Any kind of change in extension service toward faciliation will be good, as long as there is support from administration. "They will initially have a minimal understanding of what they're doing and may never be really good at it, but they'll be doing something." The Administration should be trusting staff enough so that staff can work and act as timely and most beneficially with respect to farmers.

Q: How do you know when a group is cooking?
A:"When the end product is better than anything any one person could have come up with on their own." "When each person is sharing their perspective." "When everyone has input on a business idea and is interacting with all other group members."

Sustainable agriculture people tend to bad-mouth each other they are more judgemental than any other group. They need a little infusion of "we're all in this together", but they constantly splinter. "Commercial agriculture must love it."

Judgement will happen as long as a group develops, and will come particularly from those who have the least interest (perceived or real) in changing: one, they are set-up politically with the administration, or two, they are older, more conservative types.

A 1997 SARE grant allowed Van and Jim to have a conference for the northern Delta region about Entrepreneurial Agriculture. This set the ground work for future added-value work. This conference has been held ever year since then. The conference enabled all sorts of agricultural professionals to understand AV concepts, since it was and still is to some extent so new; that a farmer could get an income from a coop and move away from commodity production. The conference also helped to draw interested farmers and buyers who might not have found each other or Van's office. This was an opportunity to connect people, and Van notes, that a number of the people he works with now and in the past have been due, in part, to the annual conferences.

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