Farm Beginnings Training Program – OH, IN, KY

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Heartland Farm Beginnings Program – Deadline to apply 9/30 (OH, Eastern IN, KY)

Now Offering Farmer Scholarships! Apply Today

Are you an early-career farmer ready to launch or expand your business? OEFFA’s Heartland Farm Beginnings® is an in-depth farmer training program designed for farmers like you!

Applications are now being accepted for this farmer-led, community-based, and field-tested program which helps beginning farmers develop and grow sustainable agriculture businesses.

Heartland Farm Beginnings training is unique in that it is farmer-led, community based, and focused on sustainable agriculture. And… it works! We have been recognized as “a model that is creating strong new farm businesses across the country” by Kathleen Merrigan then U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, 2012.

Farm Beginnings® is a yearlong training program that offers farm business-planning sessions, a series of on-farm field day workshops, and one-on-one mentoring from area farmers.

The Heartland Farm Beginnings program focuses on business planning, and is embedded in a network of farmers and supported by a community of stakeholders that include bankers, business people, extension agents, investors, philanthropists and more. Creating this social infrastructure is intentional and a precursor to launching new programs, as it bolsters both farmer-success and program-success.

All organizations that offer Farm Beginnings belong to the Farm Beginnings Collaborative (FBC).

It is a national alliance that is growing and now includes 13 organizations with programs serving beginning farmers in 14 states. For the full list of organizations, see the homepage.

The Farm Beginnings Collaborative has developed a set of indicators to track outputs and outcomes across all its member organizations. Farm Beginnings programs have graduated hundreds of farmers, and of those who responded to our 2015 graduate survey, 80% are farming. The model is adaptable to diverse regions and people.

The year-long program begins in October and includes:

• An eight-session, in-depth winter course
• Business plan development
• A growing season learning plan
• One-on-one farmer mentoring

The course fee is $1,200 and includes a membership to OEFFA and registration to the 2019 OEFFA Conference. Applications for enrollment and limited scholarships are now available.

The application deadline is on Sunday, September 30, so act now!

Farmers interested in scholarships can access the application here or contact kelly@oeffa.org to receive a copy.

 

Learn about other beginning farmer training programs at https://www.beginningfarmers.org/beginning-farmer-training-programs/