Northeast Animal Power Field Days Ideas needed

[Jean]

Hi, We had a conference call with the committee members of the 2013 NEAPFD. We decieded to open up some questions to our forum members and DAPNet members.

We have been discussing if we should do a big event like Carl and Lisa did for years or if we should so something bigger than the annual gathering, but smaller than the field days.

The reasons for going smaller are:

1. less up front money for the location, advertising, staff

2. less time spent on the planning and logistics of a bigger event

3. more intimate schedule of events, allowing people real time spent with the trainers

4. more chance for the schedule to be tailor to the audience that we are looking for (serious people wanting to learn about sustainability using draft animals)

These are just a few ideas. We are looking for what you all want to see. Please give us ideas for workshops, vendors, exhibits, anything you think would be worthwhile to travel and spend a weekend doing.

thanks

Jean

If you want to discuss ideas without the world knowing, feel free to email me at jmnvt@yahoo.com

[Donn Hewes]

Thanks Jean, I was planning to get this going tonight, but you beat me to it. Friends, feel free to tell us what you would like; also you can just tell what you have enjoyed or thought was important from our past field days and gatherings. Looking forward to hearing from everyone. Donn

[dominiquer60]

For example,

I really enjoy having common meal times where we all get to sit around and share ideas over good food. Events like past NEAPFD, MOFGA’s Low Impact Forestry and our Gathering have done a good job of this and I would like to see it continue.

Oxen have been a hot topic in the media and short in participation in our events, it would be great to have a strong and diverse presence of Oxen Topics, types of Oxen and their Teamsters at this big 2013 event.

[Carl Russell]

Just a few points to think about concerning NEAPFD…

Scale is really not the issue. The event that we ran was not just a 2-3 day gathering. We always referred to it as the mushroom that erupted once a year from the fungus that grew below the surface year-round. We used the educational medium as a way to engage people, but the real event was in the program, advertising, and contacts that went into pulling it together.

Whether you choose to make the annual gathering be the NEAPFD, or smaller, or larger, is immaterial in my mind. Trying to pull together an event that represents the network without spending money is missing the point. It should not be seen as a hardship to ask for sponsorship, advertising, exhibitors, or grants to fund the effort, because it is the asking, and the listing, and the gathering of all those resources that actually makes such an event functional, and builds the network.

Even small events such as the logging and plowing workshops, or the annual gathering should be sponsored by equipment dealers whose items will be used, or by other organization that may support the broader mission represented by the event, because the greater mission is to increase following and commitment from people who will find DAPNet to be important in their lives.

The real product of NEAPFD was DAPNet. The event was a loss leader. The costs that we could not bare personally were not directly associated with the event itself, but with the year-round management of contacts and facilitation of the network (the fungus below the surface), which was the purpose for starting DAPNet as a non-profit membership supported organization.

Any field days, events, workshops, or gatherings should concentrate on fundraising and network building, not primarily education. The NOFA conferences are put together similarly. Sponsorship and volunteerism make the event happen, and gate fees go toward the year-round operation of the organization. Education is used as a focal point to create ways for equipment, methods, and individual farming enterprises and experiences to be presented with relevance to the interests of attendees, so that membership grows.

The current DAPNet model where gatherings, events, and workshops are held on their own merit with minimal advertising, sponsorship, or exhibitors, may be affordable and require less work, and that may be a good thing, but as you consider these questions about NEAPFD it may help to think about a more intense methodology, and a broader picture. After all it is how we got started…..

Carl

[Tim Harrigan]

@Carl Russell 37495 wrote:

Just a few points to think about concerning NEAPFD…

Scale is really not the issue….. Carl

I have been meaning to make this point about planning and carrying out events but Carl did it much more eloquently than I could. It is relatively easy to scale back the number of folks who you seek to attract but the work and planning that needs to be done to pull off a class event do not scale back accordingly. Perhaps there is an element of risk that can be reduced somewhat, but the potential impact impact is reduced even more. So I think it is somewhat of a false economy to be thinking in terms of a small NEAPFD versus a large NEAPFD.

[Andy Carson]

I am deeply confused by these statements. Personally, i value education above all other aspects of what we do. Is education simply to be the “worm” that is put on the hook to catch new “fish?” And what to do when they are landed? Certainly ask them to join the club, and perhaps get a donation or some volunteer work from them. Most organizations want to grow, but should this be our greatest goal? If so, to what end? I thought the end WAS education. I certainly understand the value of growing the net if there is some goal that is cannot be accomplished by a smaller organisation, but i do not know what these goals are… I recognize that some degree of fellowship is important to many people and can be a strong motivator (not so much for me). I am not sure how this fits into the organization… Have these issues been discussed already? Has the organization reached a concensus on these issues? These will go a long way towards directing future plans in the field days and other issues.

[Carl Russell]

@Countymouse 37499 wrote:

…. Is education simply to be the “worm” that is put on the hook to catch new “fish?” ….

No…but education costs more than you can charge for it……. and growing the network is the best way to subsidize that cost….. using an educational event as a fundraiser that builds the network by drawing in sponsorship kills both birds with one stone……and by using the education component to draw attention to the resources made available through the network, ties it all together and makes the organization germane to the lives of members.

The DAPNet mission statement doesn’t necessarily hold “education” as the primary focus…. “Advancing the Use of Draft Animals and Promoting Sustainable Land Stewardship by Providing Resource Connections and Shared Learning Opportunities while Building Community.”

But my thoughts were just meant for context……take them or leave them….. there is more than one way to skin a cat…. and DAPNet has come a long way, and is doing a great job.
Carl

[mitchmaine]

I have been on the board of directors of the maine maple association for just over 20 years now (a foundation stone of our mission statement is education), and a lot of diectors have come and gone in that time. A good deal of those folk were maple equipment dealers, and the cynic in me at the time would have said they were there to promote their own interests, and I might have been right, but the results of them being there were that things got done and new things happened with lots of energy. Workshops and maple events and so on. Things that might not have gotten done without their amazing energy. I watched it happen. Years when the directors were mostly sugarmakers would be full of ideas and planning and talk. Add one or two dealers and things started happening. The motivation might have been some personal gain, but who cares, the results were educational workshops with lots of new stuff to look at and talk about and the leap over to neapfd is pretty easy. Some guy brings his horsedrawn solar powered backhoe grader to demonstrate and sells two but a few guys look it over and pretty sure they could makeit at home and come up with their own version and write about it on dap.net and inspire a few others to jump in and before you know it we are off and running with some other tool. It’s a great thing, we shouldn’t think about it too much, just keep doing it.

[Carl Russell]

@Countymouse 37499 wrote:

….. Most organizations want to grow, but should this be our greatest goal? If so, to what end? I thought the end WAS education. I certainly understand the value of growing the net if there is some goal that is cannot be accomplished by a smaller organisation, but i do not know what these goals are… ….

These comments are meant as clarification of my point of view and the emphasis of my earlier posts, and not as an argument for DAPNet to follow a certain course…..

So… while obviously “education” is the ultimate goal in life, and telling someone where they can find something, is basically educating them about the resource, it is really the act of interlacing the person into the community represented by the array of related resources that defines a network.

Education is a strange beast. You can buy a book and become educated, or you can attend a workshop and become educated, but exposure to a variety of perspectives, experiences, methods, and equipment can provide a more complete and functional knowledge.

“Growing” the organization IS the act of increasing exposure to the various opportunities represented by DAPNet. By building relationships with manufacturers, suppliers, sponsors, and individuals we were able to get financial resources together to compensate some of the most competent, informed, and experienced presenters in our region for their time and energy. Realizing that there are many different interests and experiences, we regularly had more than one person presenting the same topic in panels, or in partnerships.

Holding small “cost-effective” workshops reduces the number of perspectives that can be shared, and in my mind does not expand the knowledge base as effectively as educating people about the network of resources that is available to them. So, yes, I do think that building the network and sharing it with people is more important than the specifics of an educational workshop. I also think that it is what we have all been benefiting from without necessarily knowing it.

If education becomes the primary focus, then the emphasis tends toward content, narrowing the number of contributors. I really don’t think that one person’s presentation is a legitimate representation of reality, nor does it speak to the broad audience represented by DAPNet membership.

This website is a good example. Right now there are a couple of active threads that are discussing certain brands of equipment, or individual operations, or harness shop and suppliers. These are part of the specific educational context of the discussion, but they represent connectivity provided by this forum. While the detail that we learn and share here is important, the real important detail is that we are connected. This is the “stonewall” that we lean over to ask our neighbor about what she is doing, or where someone asks people he respects for feed-back on a new innovation he is considering.

This is what the NEAPFD was about. Managing the connections, maintaining interest, and sharing interactions is not education per se, but these activities are what makes this community what it has become. We can learn in a variety of ways, but when we are connected to a vast community of resources, our knowledge is expanded in depth and breadth in significant ways. Both NEAPFD and DAP.com grew because we adhered to this philosophy.

DAPNet is providing that connectivity, and rather than being humble and generous, could seriously market that. Rather than being seen as money-grabbing, that marketing is actually a method for bringing to light the value represented here, to make into form the power of this network. Broadening exposure expands cost. Selling the connectivity that provide the exposure makes the access affordable for those DAPNet strives to serve.

Carl

[fogish]

I’m going to show my absolute lack of knowledge here, I don’t know who goes to these or who it is advertised to or even what is taught or shown there. I have experience with salt water and reptile conferences where they have several small ones a year and one giant one, the large one usually has a day for people who have little to no experience with them but wants to know more. Each day gets more and more in depth with subjects and exotic displays/species. The small ones are more focused on a single or a few subjects that would interest the smaller group. Anything from beginner info to the optimum light spectrum of different species of clams.

“Even small events such as the logging and plowing workshops, or the annual gathering should be sponsored by equipment dealers whose items will be used, or by other organization that may support the broader mission represented by the event, because the greater mission is to increase following and commitment from people who will find DAPNet to be important in their lives.”
Do people who benefit from produce or meat from farms get invited to these? Businesses or individuals? People who own wood lots? There are people who can benefit from incorporating animal power directly on their farms, but there are also people who want to purchase and encourage sustainability. If they knew more about animal power they could encourage farmers to come to DAPNet or come to your farms directly for what they want.

[Andy Carson]

I have been thinking about the DAPNet mission statement and how it relates to concrete actions (such as the field days) a lot lately. I think these are important things to think about and share our thoughts. Personally, I think that our inability to form strong ideas on what the field days/gathering ought to look like is a symptom of a deeper underlying confusion of disagreement about what the organization is at a very fundamental level. I think that the organization, right now, is many different things to different people. Personally, I see strengths are weaknesses is each different aspect of “what we are.” I feel compelled to share my thoughts on this. Again, I think it is an important discussion.

Networking
Are we primarily a networking organization that brings everyone possible “into the same tent”? I can see how this would be attractive to people wanting to sell equipment/substriptions, find new club members/interns, attract customers, or forward specific agendas to a wider audience. The downside is that because want to bring everyone together, we cannot (or do not) make any statements that might be devisive. This might seem abstract to some, but with the spector of “humane and ethical treatment of animals” and “big buisness organic movements” (just as examples) controversial issues are knocking on all our doors. I feel that overnetworking ties our hands when it comes to advocacy. Overnetworking makes all actions hard. We already have a difficult time reaching a consensus on specific issues with our diverse group of people, and then we add to this scepulation about what is going to attract other people with unknown interests and agendas. This is so speculative, and I feel it ultimately leads to inactivity because it is too speculative to reach a strong consensus on. Even when a consensus is reached, I fear that many will have compromised thier personal visions so much that they are not enthusiastic about this final product. Personally, I am much more attracted to a “Field of Dreams” model, where “If you build it, they will come.” I this model, we advance our own diverse goals in an open forum, and new people are attracted to what peaks thier personal interest.

Education
Reguarding education, I think this our unique contribution to draft animal power, and we should not forget that. General information for new draft animal users is everywhere, from neighbors, in bookstores, on several sites on the net. General information is the easiest thing you could possibly ask for in this day in age. I do not believe that this type of info is going to attract anyone to our events. What is rare, truly rare, is detailed information about specific things from reliable sources. Additionally, information that represents new ideas (or even old ideas) that were actually tested and compared is very difficult to find. Education does not tie our hands when it comes to advocacy. I can see how the “stop and see” crowd might not be as large with a education focused event. People who want to sell stuff might not be attracted to this type of event (unless they can explain how thier stuff is better). People who want to forward specific agendas or gain publicity might also be less attracted, too, as they have a posibly smaller crowd. I do, however, think that the people who would come to an event like this would be retained well. Also, I think that it would be attractive to more experienced animal users. I feel this is an important aspect, as if everything is geared towards new users, mentor-types would not be very motivated to attend.

Community
I recognize that many people simply like to hang out with other like-minded people. I recognize this is pleasureable, and probably goes a long way towards retaining some people. I do not think, though, that this can be the ultimate goal. For me personally, I feel the strongest sense of community when I am with a group of people working towards a easy to understand, fairly concrete goal that everyone agrees upon. At least for me, if the goal of community IS community, I feel deflated. For reasons outlied above, easy to understand, concrete goals that our diverse group all agrees upon have been difficult to lay out. On the surface, perhaps a strong vision and bold, concrete ideas would alleviate some of this confusion and give members ideas to rally around. On the other hand, these same bold concrete ideas, gives everyone a chance to decide if they are “on board” or “not on board” with the idea. Some members may not care enough about these specific ideas and decide they are not on board…

I think that all of these goals have positive and negative aspects to them. In a large event, one can simply have all parts together and then you don’t have to decide which are most critical. For a smaller event, I feel we will need to decide which aspects are critical. I think it is smartest to first decide what the specific goals are, then decide how to accomplish them, and which potential activities are least important to the goals. I think most people think this makes sense, but setting priorities is a contentious issue.

Sorry for this rambling thread, I just wanted to get this all off my chest.

[near horse]

As I’m reading it, rather than “process vs product” the process IS the product. In other words, the act(s) necessary to put together the field days, workshops etc (the fungal mycellium below the surface) are the true product even though they are manifest in a more visual “mushroom” – field days, workshops etc.

The workshops etc are tangible things that we people can wrap our heads around, like/dislike, evaluate, enjoy, and change. The networking/building contacts etc is less visible, more nebulous and even more challenging but is the foundation for all of this. If we ever think we are “there”, then we’ve sort of missed the point.

So, I encourage the field day planners to do some old stuff you liked and add in some new (I like the oxen idea). It doesn’t have to be anything other than the 2013 Field Days. BTW – I’m thinking that Idaho might be a good venue this year : )

Hope I made some sense.

[Andy Carson]

@near horse 37560 wrote:

As I’m reading it, rather than “process vs product” the process IS the product. In other words, the act(s) necessary to put together the field days, workshops etc (the fungal mycellium below the surface) are the true product even though they are manifest in a more visual “mushroom” – field days, workshops etc.

This is interesting and I think it does make sense. It is also encouraging because it means the process, perhaps, should be difficult at times and sometimes confusing. Get everyone together, set up an arbitrary goal, and you have a great teambuilding excersize… I am not saying the goal is completely arbitrary, but if parts feel a little arbitrary this way of thinking makes it feel better. I have already gotten to know a lot of other board and committe members and they have gotten to know me better… I will have to ruminate on this concept a bit. It is a good thought.

[Tim Harrigan]

@Countymouse 37534 wrote:

Networking…………Education…………Community

I think that all of these goals have positive and negative aspects to them. In a large event, one can simply have all parts together and then you don’t have to decide which are most critical. For a smaller event, I feel we will need to decide which aspects are critical. I think it is smartest to first decide what the specific goals are, then decide how to accomplish them, and which potential activities are least important to the goals. I think most people think this makes sense, but setting priorities is a contentious issue.

Andy, I think the struggle is in finding the right balance of these things that we value as an organization. All of our events have each of these values but in different proportions. I also see education as one of our greatest strengths and opportunities but it is made more effective in the context of the networking and community building that strengthens us as an organization. I think in events like the NEAPFD we need to provide a range of educational opportunities that range from show-and-tell type things for beginners and the curious to more advanced and detailed events that retain the interest of the most experienced practitioners. That is one of the advantages that I see in a high profile event, the high degree of networking and community building that is demonstrated with the educational opportunities.

I am curious how the board sees the full possibilities in networking and the added emphasis in this area in recent discussions. We have one of the best networking tools available in the web site. There is discussion of board members as liasons with other organizations and I am all for networking but I am not clear how this will change what we are already doing. For instance, if I act as a liason with Tillers and inform them of our events and activities and vice versa, what is the outcome that I should pursue? I know we need to think about efficiency of use of resources, financial and labor, so how do we translate additional networking more effectively from something additional to do, to greater efficiency in advancing our values and goals?

We are starting to have more discussions linking what we do and how we promote ourselves to our shared goals and values as an organization and that can only work to our advantage in building the organization. Perhaps one of the challenges is we make all our decision by committee. Necessary, but too much democracy maybe comes with a loss of efficiency. And we are a young organization trying to find our way and find what works for us. So just part of the process I guess.

[Andy Carson]

@Tim Harrigan 37567 wrote:

how do we translate additional networking more effectively from something additional to do, to greater efficiency in advancing our values and goals?

I see a clear and present danger in networking with organizations that do not share our values (or share only a small percentage). I recognize I am in the minority here and am willing to conceed the point. Conceed, but not necessarily conceed quitely :). I think it is important that everyone honestly speaks thier mind… Still, I think you (Tim) and I are on the same page in thinking of networking as a means to an end. I think that some think that networking is the end and think of education, as a means to network. Perhaps I misunderstand this point of view? This is a very different way of thinking than I am used to and I am honestly still ruminating on it. Right now, I keep coming back to the line of thought that without having some common concrete “real-world” goals we work towards I can’t get that enthused. I think we do have some goals out there, and am hopeful that the group will gel around a few.

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