Grow More

Does this scene sound familiar?

Katie was standing at the community center, waiting.

Katie is a coordinator at the local soil and water conservation district. One of her many roles is to host field days for farmers. Today’s topic was cover crops. Unfortunately, when she started her position, less than 8 percent of farmers were using them. Clearly farmers did not understand the benefits.

Katie continued to wait expectantly. Fifty people had signed up for the event. The first ten people to arrive were agency staff. Then there were a few farmers that she had seen at other events. Her hopes started to decline. This event would be preaching to the choir. Where were the farmers that needed to come? How was she going to help increase cover crop acres if the farmers did not reach out?

The Challenge

This scene is a common one around the country. Agricultural outreach relies on traditional field days to bridge the knowledge and action gap in the farming community. While these field days can be a powerful tool to demonstrate and promote soil health practices, they often engage only a narrow group of farmers: those who are already interested in the practices.

Traditional field days cater to innovators. The majority of farmers have a greater fear of change and are more comfortable sticking to tradition. We call these farmers “middle adopters.” These are the farmers we need to reach if we are to successfully address water quality problems across the United States.

How do you get farmers to care more about the environment? How do you get them to start using cover crops, no till, rotational grazing, or diverse crop rotations? How do you get them to change what they might traditionally view as “good farming”?

The Solution: Grow More, The More Effective Outreach Approach

The National Wildlife Federation’s agriculture team has spent the last nine years studying farmer decision-making. We’ve gone beyond traditional motivators, particularly economics, and examined the specific motivations of middle adopters. We realized that expanding conservation in agricultural settings is a significant challenge. Why do it alone?

With feedback from outreach professionals and land managers alike, our team developed Grow More, a hands-on training tailored specifically for you. This workshop uses hands-on activities, creative framing, and cross-state networking tips to help you grow your outreach skills, attract new audiences, and encourage greater use of conservation practices.

We’ve Got Something For Everyone

Reaching new audiences is a key driver of our own outreach method. Grow More is available in multiple formats to decrease barriers to participation. All trainings include two dedicated NWF trainers, a planning session to reach specific goals you may have, and continued access to NWF resources, including a tailored newsletter and networking group to maintain peer learning and navigate challenges. None of these options jumping out for you? Build your own custom package!

1. Full-day training includes mandatory lunch and learning breaks.
2. Limited to a maximum of 3 days for conference sessions. Team requires a minimum of 4 hours of session time.