Agricultural leadership training programs targeting large, majority farmers have been offered since the early 1900s all across the United States. Thousands of farmers have benefited from participating in these courses, however, few references reveal the participation of small and minority producers.

Realizing that small and minority farmers' have common challenges, the 1890 System developed the Small Farmer Agricultural Leadership Training Institute.

This two-year course of study guides small, limited-resource and minority farmers through the process of becoming more competitive agricultural entrepreneurs.

The overriding goal of the Small Farmer Agricultural Leadership Training Institute is to promote the sustainability of small family farms through enhanced business management skills and leadership development.

"Small, particularly limited-resource and minority producers, face many of the same challenges as their larger counterparts, but oftentimes, they do not have the resources, political savvy or exposure to make the best decision for their unique situation. This Institute better prepares them to compete," says Dawn Mellion-Patin, Ph.D., director, Small Farmer Agricultural Leadership Training Institute and associate specialist for agriculture at the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

Twenty- two producers from Oklahoma, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Louisiana, Kentucky, Arkansas and Missouri were selected to participate in the inaugural class. They each bring with them a unique set of experiences, expertise as well as expectations.

The leadership institute has taken the majority of the participants from being just small producers through the mindset of being great producers with limited acreage, herds or holdings.

According to Mellion-Patin, the most dynamic aspect of the Institute is the relationships that have been built. "Each session I sit back and watch the participants interact, assist and motivate each other as if they have known one another forever. The camaraderie is phenomenal," she says.

The SU Ag Center is collaborating with the Southern University Law Center, Alcorn State University - Small Farm Development Center, Prairie View A & M University - Cooperative Extension Program and North Carolina A & T State University - Cooperative Extension Program to bring the Institute to the farmers in various locations.

This project is supported by the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Competitive Grants Program of the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, USDA, Grant # 2005-01138.