• So many programs are confusing but this workshop cleared things up. Thanks.
• All presentations were excellent.
• The farming that I was doing as a hobby will now go to the next level.

These comments were supported with interview feedback from KSU personnel:

• You would not believe the people who have told me they learned so much at the last workshop in Floyd County and they wanted their friends to hear it.
• The SSDPs were very receptive to the trainings and interaction... The foundation of trust appeared to be crucial in their decisions to expand and to continue their farming efforts. The discussion of applications to assist them and the introduction to representatives of financial assistance was [sic] something which they were needing as limited resource farmers. The implication that they were not alone and that there were people out there willing and able to help was a lift to their morale and confidence.

An unscientific review of sign-in sheets from four regional workshops and one statewide conference noted that 153 participants representing 45 Kentucky counties were reached by SSDP. (Another 48 participants from out-of-state locations were also recorded on the sign-in sheets. No representatives from state or federal government programs nor KSU were included in this assessment of the sign-in sheets.)

The 45 counties were analyzed for participation in clusters as follows:

It appears to this reviewer that greater activity was realized in regions where KSU has full-time staff housed (Western, Mid-west Central, and Mid-Central).

A cursory examination of race and gender on the participant sign-in sheets indicated a good mix of White and Black participants and female and male participants. While there was some representation from other racial and ethnic groups, it was very limited.

December 2015

SSDP Final Evaluation