Conducting Needs Assessments: A Professional Development Program for Maine Ag Service Providers
Are you an agricultural service provider who would like to improve your ability to conduct needs assessments? Sign up to participate in this free professional development program focused on just that!
What is this program?
This free program will explore the ins and outs of conducting needs assessments, guided by topic experts and coordinated by Peyton Ginakes. A needs assessment is a data-gathering tool used to identify gaps between what clients want, and what is currently provided. Conducting a needs assessment is widely considered the first step in strategic program design. Participants will ultimately be guided through the process of creating and deploying their own needs assessments to better inform their programs. Activities are slated to include:
- A fall meeting and farm tour (October or November 2024) to introduce the cohort, program, and goals
- Two virtual trainings (January – February 2025) to learn about the importance of needs assessments and how to conduct them
- Full-day, in-person workshop (March 2025) to develop individual needs assessments
- A virtual summer check-in (July 2025) to reflect on the program and share outputs
Why participate?
- Improve your ability to create programs that producers value
- Use data from needs assessments in your reporting and grant writing
- Grow your network of fellow ag service providers
Who should participate?
This program is for ag service providers who assist farmers as part of their professional work, and is especially geared toward ASPs who are new to their roles. The cohort will be capped at 15 participants. If you are interested in this program but apprehensive about the time commitment, mark your calendar to participate in one or both of the next years (see below)!
Dates
The program will run from October 2024 to July 2025, with the bulk of active participation taking place from January to March.
Location
This program will use a mix of in-person and virtual meetings. Reimbursement for mileage will be available to participants.
Participant Expectations
- Participate in at least 75% of trainings
- Apply trainings throughout the course of the program to create a needs assessment you can use
- Complete program evaluation and annual follow-up surveys to help track farmer engagement
What other programs will be offered in the future?
This is a new professional development program for Maine agricultural service providers being launched by UMaine Extension with support from Northeast SARE (grant SNE24-007-ME). This 3-year professional development project aims to train participants to effectively engage producers through three annual skill-building programs: conducting needs assessments (2024-25), developing engaging, effective, and goal-oriented programs (2025-26), and whole farm analysis (2026-27).
Interested?
Peyton Ginakes will reach out to applicants by October 4 to finalize the cohort and schedule an introductory meeting. Feel free to reach out to Peyton directly (peyton.ginakes@maine.edu) with any questions about the program.
In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).
If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact Peyton Ginakes at peyton.ginakes@maine.edu within 7 days of the event. If requests are received after this date, we may not have sufficient time to make necessary arrangements. If you have a disability and require this information in an alternative format (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), please contact amanda.paradis1@maine.edu. For communicative accommodations in languages other than English, please contact ext.civilrights@maine.edu.