BFRDP Projects

Area 1: Create a national peer network that develops, provides, and facilitates access to, training, education, internships, mentorships, jobs, financial and market opportunities for beginning farmer veterans (70% of project effort). We will combine new small scale livestock production and business planning materials with existing core tools previously created through Risk Management Agency grants known as the One Page Business/Financial Plan, One Page Monthly Cash Flow Budget, and One Page Risk Management Plan. These tools will be adapted to explain small scale pork and pastured poultry production business, small scale honeybee, grass fed beef, lamb, goat and vegetable business models. 

Area 2: Provide twenty seven workshops focused on small scale livestock and vegetable production supported by on-going case management services for attendees. (30% of project effort). We will incorporate the new training materials into twenty seven workshops (at least twenty two of which will be on-farm and hosted by FVC beginning farmer veterans) that target these farmer veterans and their specific livestock, provide regional training platforms for them to gather and learn from each other, and assist them in refining their own financial, production, risk management and business plans. Additionally, all workshop attendees will receive on-going comprehensive, individualized capacity development assistance using a case management model in which individual needs, assessments, and development plans, guide the provision of subsequent services, training, referrals and linkages to resources. 

Six of the twenty seven workshops will be specifically focused on developing, supporting and educating women farmer veterans on the production, financial and risk management components of small scale livestock/vegetable operations. Additional emphasis will be placed on developing, integrating and utilizing local networking and supportive resources for women such as the FVC Veteran Peer Farmer Network.

As the numbers of beginning farm and ranch women has increased there has been a corresponding increase in programs providing education and technical assistance to them. While these programs have developed tools and curricula for addressing the learning needs of beginning farmers there remain many areas of the country where women farmers are still chronically underserved. In addition, while many tools, assessments and curricula are available there is no central repository for these materials. Nor is there a typology, or catalog, that can be used to determine which materials would be most useful given the needs of a specific target audience.

The goal of this project is to assemble a national learning network to evaluate existing curricula and materials targeting beginning farm and ranch women of all ages, ethnicity, and agricultural production interests. Content teams will identify information gaps; develop corresponding learning modules, and train peers and colleagues in their delivery and evaluation. Our project focuses on subjects of special importance to beginning farm and ranch women: legal issues; business scale and profitability; farm safety, mechanization and ergonomics; land access, transfer and stewardship; and management. A virtual learning network will provide educators and agricultural technical assistance providers with evidence-based information regarding women’s learning preferences, peer-reviewed training materials, evaluation tools, and mentoring from colleagues experienced in working with women farmers and ranchers.
We will partner with the BFRDP Clearinghouse and the eXtension Women in Ag Learning Network to determine the most effective way to house the typology of available materials.  

Our project is developed by and for beginning farmers across the state. Instead of duplicating the efforts of great organizations that are already building beginner farmer training programs, this project enriches and aligns beginning farmer training programs via common core trainings and one-on-one technical assistance customized to meet the needs of beginning farmers in Connecticut.

Core trainings for beginning farmers will emphasize: business planning, financial management and record keeping; farmland access; overcoming marketing uncertainties; and small scale production of vegetables and fruit. Programs will be offered in person, with online tutorials developed for many of the modules, including farm business planning, soil health, safe and effective use of pesticides, and marketing for success. One-on-one experts will be available for farmers that need assistance in vegetable production and pest management, farmland evaluation and conservation, and financial record-keeping.

Our partners are: Common Ground High School in New Haven, the Community Farm of Simsbury, the Green Village Initiative in Bridgeport, Killingly Agriculture Education Program, KNOX in Hartford, and WRCC-GROW Windham. Training resources will also be used to support UConn's Listo Para Inciar (or Ready-to-Start) training program, which delivers a hands-on, cohort based model of beginner farming training for Spanish-speaking urban market gardeners. 

Other key partners in the project are the New CT Farmer Alliance and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of CT. “With this investment supported through the USDA, our alliance will further increase accessibility between agricultural support services, and CT’s budding community of agricultural entrepreneurs.”said Betsy Robson, NCTFA Coordinator (a statewide network of over 200 farmers).

The long term goal of our project is for every beginning farmer in Connecticut who wishes to produce and sell food – regardless of scale, experience, or language barriers – to have access to fundamental training to start or continue farming profitably.

Based in Fairfax County, Virginia, but pulling from expertise and farms across Northern and Central Virginia and the National Capital Region, Arcadia's Veteran Farmer Program (VFP) brings together regional nonprofits, agricultural organizations, veterans, and experienced farmers - including veterans who have made a successful transition to farming - to provide a practical farmer training and development program that launches veterans into new careers in agriculture.

Arcadia's program is distinguished by its lifecycle support of new veteran farmers. It works to increase the number of veterans beginning new careers in agriculture and the likelihood of their success by providing them with farming skills; business development and management training; ongoing technical support; assistance with finding and accessing land; and then market support, including an optional, wholesale contract with Arcadia. The VFP provides continued support as our new farmers launch their careers, through ongoing mentorships from, and networking with, the business, agriculture, and veteran communities.

The VFP increases the number of veterans beginning new careers in agriculture and increases the likelihood of their success. The VFP is very effective and can be replicated in other regions. Through this grant, the VFP will train 51 military veterans with the goal of producing 25 new farmers operating businesses throughout the project period.

The Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) and the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) are teaming up to provide agricultural and farm management training workshops to immigrant farmers in Minnesota with the long term goal building thriving and sustainable farming operations, farmers and farming communities. For the Hmong and Latino farmers in Minnesota, this can be achieved by (secondary goal #1): increasing the number of immigrant farmers’ ability to make a successful living from farming while respecting traditional methods of learning and cultural practices, and (secondary goal #2): expanding economic opportunities for immigrant farmers and their children through collaborative marketing, value-added production and specialized farm business training.

This renewal Standard BFRDP project builds upon a successful Development Grant (PD: Kelly Coleman, award 2012-49400-19591). Half (50%) of the budget will be dedicated to serving socially disadvantaged or limited resource farmers (0% for military veterans). The lead agency (CISA) will manage this state-wide project through an established network of five collaborating agricultural community-based organizations (CBOs): Berkshire Grown, Central Mass Grown, Northeast Harvest, Southeastern MA Agricultural Partnership and Sustainable Nantucket. 100% of federal funds will go to CBOs.

The long-range goal of this project is to improve the sustainability and profitability of beginning farm businesses in Massachusetts by providing tailored technical assistance to at least 600 beginning farmers in the following topic areas: entrepreneurship and business training (priority C), financial and risk management training (priority D), and diversification and marketing strategies (priority F). Activities include 78 workshops, 15 networking events, and one-on-one assistance to 300 beginning farmers, plus detailed program evaluation. After participating, farmers will have access to on-going technical assistance and peer support through the collaborating organizations. Primary objectives are: 80% of participants (480/600) “moderately increase” knowledge and 50% of participants (300/600) “substantially increase” knowledge in the areas of marketing, business planning, financial analysis, diversification, or value-added production; 60% of participants (360/600) implement a new market approach or participate in a new marketing opportunity; and 50% of participants (300/600) increase their farm income by at least 5% within one year of completing training. The success of these outcomes will improve the economy and food security of the region. 

The long-term goal of this one year Development project is to build the agricultural capacity among beginning, immigrant, and refugee farmers in Massachusetts to operate their own independent farming enterprises, to increase farmer ownership rates, and to build environmental stewardship. The Flats Mentor Farm (FMF) is a program of World Farmers (WF) which provides land and agriculture production infrastructure for beginning farmers while they evaluate the sustainability of farming as a way of life for themselves and their families.

This one year development project proposal will achieve the following objectives: 1) Provide technical assistance to beginning farmers according to their level of capacity in the three phases of the Flats Mentoring Program; 2) Provide tools and develop skills on financial and risk management; 3) Increase beginning farmer participation in USDA programs. In the area of training and technical assistance, this project will address the immediate needs identified by the immigrant and refugee farmer participants at FMF to better understand the complexities of farming in New England: crop production practices, entrepreneurship and business training, financial and risk management, marketing strategies, food safety practices and outreach to USDA programs.

The Center of Southwest Culture's Cooperative Center (CODECE) project seeks $100,000 in USDA funding to provide technical assistance to underserved communities--specifically for Indigenous communities--to form two new farming cooperatives. The cooperatives will not only be sustainable over the long-run, but they will also serve as a community-wide collective investments that will provide members with meaningful returns to help augment their existing incomes.

CODECE targets underserved Native American communities who are threatened by poverty and lack of economic opportunity, but have access to arable land and water rights. CODECE will form cooperatives with an emphasis on members having a relationship based on kinship.

Forming organic farming cooperatives is an effective way for beginning farmers to efficiently leverage resources and increase profitability. Several successful 'buy local' campaigns such as Farm-to-Table and Farm-to-Restaurant have created a situation where the demand for local and organic produce far outstrips the current supply. If the farmers begin to grow organic produce, they will produce crops that are overall more profitable and in higher demand. 

The funds will be used to conduct the following activities: guide members in the production of more profitable crops like organic fruits and vegetables; implement production and management strategies to enhance land stewardship among these farmers; provide hands-on technical assistance in incorporation, by-laws and articles of incorporation; provide basic business training in budgets, taxes and other business-related activities; provide farm plans, including sequential planting, crop rotations, crop selection for optimum market share; provide access to investment capital; connect members to organic food markets; and develop a long-term professional relationship with these new cooperatives to ensure their longevity and viability. We expect to incorporate two farming cooperatives during the life of the grant. In addition, the project will create 10 new jobs.

The project, “Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship: A National Program for Training New Dairy Farmers,” is a renewal Standard Grant that will build on work previously supported by USDA-NIFA’s Beginning Farmers and Rancher Development Program through a 2010 Development Grant “GrassWorks Apprenticeship Program: A Pilot Project for Training Beginning Farmers” and a 2011 Standard Grant “GrassWorks Apprenticeship Program: Career Paths for Beginning Farmers.” The current project will establish Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA) as a national program directly under the United States Department of Labor-Office of Apprenticeship, strengthen DGA in Wisconsin by providing additional services to participants, and support the development of DGA in Missouri as a template for state-by-state expansion.

The target audience for this project consists of current dairy farmers seeking to transition out of farming or grow their operation by investing in the next generation and aspiring dairy farmers who are seeking a pathway to independent farm ownership. Among aspiring dairy farmers are young people, students, women, veterans, hired hands, herdsmen, farm managers, and farm workers. Barriers for aspiring dairy farmers include a lack of a) skills and experience in sustainable methods; b) opportunity to farm full-time, as dairy production requires, while learning; c) training in financial management and business planning; d) familiarity with agricultural infrastructure; and e) access to capital, land, and cattle.

The first formal Apprenticeship for farming in the nation, DGA directly addresses barriers to commodity-scale dairy farming by combining on-farm employment and training with paid related instruction and providing support for aspiring farmers to transition into independent dairy farm ownership. DGA is a comprehensive program that places particular emphasis on the following priority topics: Basic livestock practices and crop [pasture] farming practices; Innovative farm land transfers strategies; Entrepreneurship and business training; Financial risk management training; Natural resource management training; Curriculum development; and Mentoring, apprenticeship, and internships.    

For the past 25 years, the Sustainable Farming Association (SFA) has helped to develop beginning farmers. During that time, SFA has learned a great deal about what makes for success in beginning farming operations. As we review the past 25 years of work in new farmer development, we see 2 closely connected disturbing trends in agriculture today: 1) many beginning farmers lack the support, skills and savvy to successfully launch and sustain farm businesses for more than 5 years; and 2) as a result, there is a constant cycle of new farmers entering the market but never realizing their full potential. This trend is leading to
fragmented rural communities and over-worked and underpaid farmers who rarely overcome the mechanical solidarity issues and have a successful rural life.

"Deep Roots: Thoughtful, Comprehensive, Community-Based Beginning Farmer Training" takes a proven beginning farmer training model, increases its appeal and functionality by adding an online component and places beginning farmer training in the context of a 25 year old Farmer-to-Farmer Network.

Deep Roots is designed for individuals who want to work in sustainable farming as independent producers. Typically, sustainable agriculture programs attract nontraditional audiences including women, older students, underrepresented minorities and new American populations. These programs are also suitable for individuals with a conventional farming background who want to transition toward sustainability as well as for individuals who want to farm but have no family background or directexperience in the field.

The aim of this project is to respond to a great need and opportunity to address the urgent problem in the U.S. agricultural system, specifically, that of ageing population of farmers and ranchers. The long term goal of this project is to recruit and enhance the sustainability of new and beginning farmers and ranchers in Texas by helping them develop successful farm and
ranch operations through the use of "A Model Farm Concept". These goals will be accomplished through the following objectives:

(1) Establish model farms at the university research farm and in targeted counties to serve as training sites

(2)Provide scale-appropriate instructional and experiential training and production, business management and marketing

(3)Develop effective partnerships between BFRs and USDA, State agencies, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and other successful farmers to create mentoring opportunities and facilitate information sharing on programs and services available to them

(4) Develop a BFR database to facilitate targeted information dissemination and outreach. This project is a joint effort between the Agricultural and Natural Resource (AGNR) unit of our Cooperative Extension Program (CEP) and two prominent Community Based Organizations (CBOs) working closely together. Finally, overall the project will engage approximately 7,000
limited resource farmers in the counties that we serve here in Texas. This will attract 300 new start-up and 800 plus new and beginning farmers will benefited.

The viability of new farm enterprises are especially tenable. A report by the USDA ERS notes that the businesses of new and beginning farmers have lower survival rates than more established operators. Direct markets offer new and beginning farmers unique and expanding opportunities to begin and to sustain successful farm businesses. National marketing research shows that consumer distrust in “big food” companies and institutions, increased awareness of the social and environmental impacts of the food system, and the increased prevalence of food-related health issues are changing the U.S. food landscape. Consumers believe their choices matter; they are looking for food that is authentic, transparent, and that connects them closely to the sources. Local food has increasingly come to represent transparency and trust in the minds of consumers, and more people want to spend their food dollars with local farmers.

The long-term goal of this project is to enhance the viability of new and beginning farmers in Western North Carolina (WNC) by providing them with knowledge, skills, and resources needed to start and/or grow successful farm operations focused on direct market opportunities. In WNC, expanding markets for local food provide significant opportunities for new and beginning farmers. In order to survive beyond start-up, farms must have effective marketing and appropriate production to build customer bases. In local food markets, where the public is looking for transparency, authenticity, and meaningful connections, direct sales offer unique opportunities. The activities of this project will build the direct marketing success of new and beginning farmers and enable them to implement marketing and production strategies that build farm visibility, demand for their products, and the long-term viability of their farm business. In keeping with BFRDP priorities, training and assistance topics will cover diversification and marketing strategies, entrepreneurship and business training, and financial and risk management training.

The long-term goal of Empowering New Forest Owners in the Northwest is to promote innovative markets and forest management strategies that improve the health of forest ecosystems while increasing economic prosperity and resilience for new forestland owners in the Pacific Northwest. More than a century of managing industrial tree plantations for single species, even-aged timber has altered the forest landscape of western Washington and Oregon. As companies divest their timber holdings closest to the metropolitan regions, much of this forestland has been purchased by new owners. There is a misconception that leaving these heavily altered forests alone is the best way to restore them. Instead, these forests need active management to restore ecological health and sustain rural economies.

The Northwest Natural Resource Group and partners believe that targeted workshops, individual landowner site visits, and improved market opportunities will increase the sustainability of new forest owners. Ecologically-based forest management and local markets are central to this project. This production method increases resilience through longer harvest rotations, species diversity, and structural diversity. And markets that recognize these benefits provide landowners with incentives to steward their land.

Three supporting objectives drive project activities:

1. Train beginning landowners in forest and financial management techniques,
2. Enable landowners to undertake initial management actions through site visits and cost-share enrollment, and
3. Develop economic opportunities and durable local markets that enable sustained stewardship.

The ultimate outcome will be new forest owners who are empowered to actively and sustainably manage for long-term forest health and resilience.

The need to provide mechanism for increased income for small and mid-sized farm families is of growing importance. New knowledge that will enable  beginning small and limited-resource farmers sustainably produce products of higher value and capture a larger share of the food market is needed. The question is how can new and beginning farmers structure their agribusiness to produce high quality products, compete in the market place, and generate returns that will improve their quality of life? This question can be addressed by developing and implementing programs that include sustainable forestry, livestock and crop production practices, marketing strategy that aimed at achieving the highest possible profit and farm financial plans that keep debt low and good record keeping. Therefore, The Winston County Self Help Cooperative (WCSHC) is seeking funding from USDA to support its project, entitled “Enhancing the Sustainability and Viability of Beginning Farmers and Ranchers through Training Exercises, Mentoring and Outreach Programs”. This project will expose 150 project participants including veterans on issues that engage them in a model of learning through hands-on training exercises, mentoring and outreach programs that enhance self-employment in farming, ranching and forestry opportunities. Our audience will be knowledgeable in both economic and ecological subjects and will have the tools to make better production, management and marketing decisions. This project will serve as a model for other organizations.

Farm School NYC is a comprehensive, professional training program for New York City residents seeking to develop agriculture skills and begin careers in urban farming. The School’s goal is to train the next generation of urban farmers, with a focus on limited resource and socially disadvantaged students, and to increase access to healthy, local food in urban communities by supporting the proliferation of urban agriculture projects. To date, over 350 students have participated in individual courses and more than 60 have participated in the certificate program.

With assistance from the BFRDP grant, Farm School NYC will enhance and expand its urban agricultural curriculum and apprenticeship program; develop a new partnership with The Youth Farm to offer an expedited certificate with intensive on-farm training; and create the first urban-based Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) program in the Northeast to support beginning farmers throughout the metropolitan area. Moreover, the School will deepen its outreach and support strategies to help low resource and socially disadvantaged New Yorkers, to whom the School allocates 50% of its budget, achieve their professional farming goals.

The long-term goal of this three year Collaborative project is to increase the agricultural production capacity of beginning, immigrant, and refugee farmers via farmer-to-farmer mentoring, training and technical assistance on all aspects of crop production and marketing  necessary to operate successful sustainable farming enterprises, increase farm ownership rates, and promote environmental stewardship. The target audience for this project is the over 250+ beginning, immigrant, and refugee farmers who farm at the Flats Mentor Farm in Lancaster MA.

The re-submission of this STANDARD three-year collaborative project proposal will partner with these institutions: UMass Extension. Growing Places, Nashoba Regional High School, the Lancaster Ag Commission, the Lancaster Community Center, and Rural Coalition to achieve the following objectives: 1) Provide technical assistance to beginning farmers according to their level of capacity in the three phases of the Flats Mentoring Program; 2) Develop food safety certification program; 3) Cultivate innovative marketing strategies; 4) Provide tools and develop skills on financial and risk management; 5) Expand the Farmer-to-Farmer Flats Mentoring model to include a pre-Phase #1 assessment component and embrace the energy of our youth at the high school to assist farmers at the farmers markets. 6) Increase beginning farmer participation in USDA programs.  

World Farmers (WF) will allocate 26% of the budget to the collaborating institutions as follows: UMass Amherst (8%), Growing Places (8%) Lancaster senior center (1.2%), Lancaster agricultural commission (1%), Nashoba Regional School (6%), Rural coalition (2%). In addition, other federal offices and private firms have expressed their interest in supporting this collaborative project.

Project Goal is to increase the number, diversity, profitability, and environmental sustainability of beginning farmers in the central New York region. Prior BFRDP support established Groundswell as an outstanding regional center for new farmer training, technical assistance, and business incubation.  Having substantially exceeded all our target numbers of trainees and new businesses launched in that Project, we will expand programs and audiences to:
1. Increase technical, business management skills of BFs.
2. Provide intensive business incubation support to selected BFs; increase regional incubation capacity. 
3. Connect BFs to existing wholesale markets; develop new marketing opportunities.
4. Support cooperation among farm businesses; develop cooperative models for farm business ownership, management, and business transfer.
5. Increase impact of farmer-to-farmer mentoring.
6. Provide entry-level, on-farm learning experiences for diverse “Explorers,” with priority on immigrants, refugees, people of color, veterans, and limited resource trainees.

This Project contributes directly to BFRDP’s goal of enhancing food security, community development and sustainability and addresses multiple priority topics. Most programs will focus on BFs in the first 5 years of business and the year preceding start-up, for maximum impact on farm business viability in our region. Programs include: Farm Business Incubator, Farm Business Planning Course, Finger Lakes CRAFT, farmer-led technical courses, Work2Learn placements, enterprise-specific Farm Business Support Networks, Cooperative Farm Business Course, and individual mentoring in production, marketing and business management. We will also offer limited programs targeting diverse “Explorers” (not yet committed to farming) as an essential outreach and recruitment process for new farmer development.

Stone Barns Center's beginning farmer training prepares young farmers to pursue economically and ecologically resilient farm enterprises. The Growing Farmers Initiative is designed for beginning farmers with ten years or less farming experience. Our programs, situated in the lower Hudson Valley, NY, include apprentice training, workshops, conferences, and online learning.

Our farm apprenticeship exposes nine to twelve young farmers each year to farm culture through an intensive nine-month program that offers a mixture of hands-on and classroom-based training in resilient agriculture. Apprentices learn the nuts and bolts of our farm operation and leave with a full understanding of the practical principles of agroecological farming. Apprentice workshops meet weekly and cover essential topic including soil science and management, plant botany, landscape design and ecology, engine mechanics, animal husbandry, and farm business planning. These sessions, open to young farmers from throughout the region, are taught by Stone Barns staff and other experts.

Our conferences and online learning platforms expose farmers from across the U.S. to the principles of resilient farming. In total, the 2015 and 2016 Young Farmers Conferences welcomed 550 young farmers, 25% on scholarship, and covered topics on crop production, business management, animal husbandry, land access, and more. Each workshop is approximately 90 minutes and 98% of participants requested that the workshops be offered again the following year. One young farmer said: "It was such a pleasure to attend; the quality of the presenters and the participants were very impressive; and I really appreciated the welcoming and supportive vibe of the whole conference." In 2015 and 2016, we also hosted Poultry School, two-day conference offering 20 sessions around sustainable poultry production attended by 300 farmers total. 

Our E-Learning tools have also been a great success, with 60,000 unique views in the past two years (average 20 minutes viewing time).

The long-term goal of this project is to support the economic and ecological viability of the next
generation of diverse California farmers including urban, peri-urban and rural farmers and ranchers from diverse communities including Latino, Southeast Asian, and African American. Through in-depth training offered at established and emergent “agricultural learning hubs,” this project aims to build on the successes and lessons of two prior BFR projects. By partnering with the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE), Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAGE), and Alameda County Resource Conservation District (ACRCD) and several local agricultural training hubs, RCDs and NRCSs, this project team is collaborating to offer a combination of in-depth, culturally and regionally appropriate workshops, develop and distribute educational materials and videos, host field days and farmer tours, and strengthen farmer to farmer networks and learning hubs in 10 counties in central California. The expected outcomes are to:

1) improve BFR access to sustainable farming information and technical support,

2) to increase adoption of organic and sustainable farming/ranching practices,

3) enhance the economic success of BFRs through business planning, value added, and marketing education and support,

4) provide referrals to agencies that provide access to land, financial and other services,

5) improve food safety among urban and peri-urban farmers, and

6) strengthen farmer-to-farmer learning networks via an innovative network of agricultural learning hubs.

The goal of the Hmong Agricultural Sustainability Training and Education (HASTE) Program is to enhance the long term viability and sustainability of Southeast Asian American beginning farmers and ranchers (BFRs) with a particular focus on Hmong American BFRs, and facilitate the success of the next generation of Southeast Asian American BFRs through education, training, and technical assistance. The program emphasizes stabilizing distressed farm operations, and advancing business practices to generate wealth. The program will provide education on best management practices, improving cash flow through reducing farm overhead costs, and providing farmers with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to leverage financial assistance opportunities to improve the profitability of their operations. HASTE is a collaborative effort by Hmong National Development (HND) and EnSave, Inc. (EnSave), who have over 40 years of combined experience serving BFRs.

Three main objectives of HASTE is to (1) increase awareness of financial assistance opportunities amongst Southeast Asian American BFRs, and provide them with the resources and knowledge necessary to utilize them, (2) enhance profitability and sustainability of southeast Asian Americans BFRs through improved natural resources planning and management relating to energy, water, fertilizer, and soil, and (3) strengthen communication and collaboration between Southeast Asian American BFRs and key agricultural stakeholders, and mitigate entry barrier for new farmers.

HASTE was designed to serve an estimated 400+ socially disadvantaged Southeast Asian American BFRs with a primary strategy of improving cash flow through reduction of farm inputs. Program activities include workshops, educational conference calls and webinars, developing curriculum and educational materials, and conducting farm energy audits. HASTE supports numerous BFRDP priority topics, including natural resource planning education, curriculum development, and providing resources and referrals.

In the next two decades, more than two-thirds of privately held U.S. farmland will change hands, creating great potential opportunity for beginning farmers. Many of these are first-generation farmers from non-farm backgrounds, who need support to determine how land tenure decisions will impact the financial health of their farm businesses. Although there are a number of financial planning tools available, none are specifically focused on financial decision-making for land access.

The overarching goal for this BFRDP Standard Project is to enable beginning farmers and ranchers across the country to make informed financial decisions during the process of accessing land so that they will have a solid framework on which to build strong, sustainable farm businesses.

This project will allow farmers throughout the country to navigate land access options--including long-term leases, land trust partnerships, mission-driven farmland investor opportunities, and traditional farm loans. The project would create an interactive Land Affordability Calculator Tool (both online and print workbook versions), and include a series of 10 webinars and 8 in-person trainings. The project resources will reach thousands of beginning farmers through our extensive email, social media and partner networks. We will measure the success of the project by demonstrating improved financial literacy of project participants. Additional project partners include Fathom Information Design, Equity Trust, CA FarmLink, Dirt Capital Partners, the Carrot Project, Land for Good, Local Farms Fund, RSF Social Finance, Farm Credit East, the Farm Credit Council, as well as individual farmers, and others.

The Organic Farming Program is a collaboration between Rodale Institute (NGO) and Delaware Valley University, to train and support the next generation of organic farmers, focusing on military veterans. The one-year certificate program mixes practical, experiential on-farm training and classroom, field and greenhouse-based curriculum to achieve three goals: (1) Equip new farmers with  knowledge, skills and experience to operate a successful organic farm enterprise; (2) Increase the number of successful organic farm enterprises in the mid-Atlantic region  and beyond through business training, connecting students with farmer-to-farmer networks and supporting graduates through web-based media platforms; (3) Support military veterans  transitioning to civilian workforce by dedicating a  program coordinator with military background and coordinating a mentoring network with established military veteran organic farmers.

The Organic Farming Program, launched in  2012-13,  is currently partially supported by an FY2015 BFRD grant, number 2015-70017-22855 (Moyer/Ricotta).  First cohort graduate feedback suggested that risk reduction was a critical component to successful new farm enterprises. The existing program will be strengthened by guaranteeing access to land, infrastructure, equipment and mentoring services upon certificate completion.  Strong collaborations with regional non-profit farm-enterprise incubators including The Seed Farm, the Horn Farm Center and Common Ground Farm enable this significant program enhancement. Trainings include:  basic livestock and crop farming practices, entrepreneurship and business; financial and risk management, diversification and marketing, and farm safety. The program prepares students to launch their own farm enterprises and generates  a regional organic farmer support network to ensure future viability of their farm businesses.

* Other collaborating organizations not on PD list: The Seed Farm Agricultural Incubator, Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education and Common Ground Farm                                                 

The greater New Orleans, Louisiana area suffers from poverty, food insecurity and a lack of stable jobs in green businesses. To enhance food security, community development and economic and ecological sustainability, community-based non-governmental organizations, in cooperation with public and private partners, will host 12 weekend (1 or 2-day) sessions, and 24 evening (2.5 hours) sessions, over a 2-year period to provide education, training, internships and mentoring on a range of priority farming topic areas to new and beginning urban farmers in New Orleans, Louisiana. Variety in days and times allow people from assorted ethnic, religious and social backgrounds equal opportunities to participate. The goal is to increase the number of sustainable new and beginning urban farmers and ranchers by providing them and their families with the knowledge, skills and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations. Target audiences are: low income and limited resource farmers and ranchers, immigrant and other (especially women) farm workers planning to become farmers or ranchers and military veterans. All the sessions will be video-recorded, to provide a distance learning option for those unable to attend in person and for use in refresher and ongoing future training. All participants will be offered the opportunity to intern at a local working farm to further enhance their experiential learning, and will also be matched with a local experienced mentor farmer for long-term support and assistance on their future endeavors.

Sustainable Farms for Urban Markets' (SFUM) mission is to enhance food security and community development by providing beginning farmers and their families with the education and resources needed to make informed decisions to enhance their farming success and sustainability. The program seeks to build economic prosperity of farm businesses for New Americans, Immigrants and Refugee farmers in the greater Minneapolis/Saint Paul metropolitan area, by achieving the following goals: Goal 1: Increase the number of immigrant and refugee beginning farmers in the greater Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area by engaging Southeast Asian farmers in culturally relevant farm educational opportunities; Goal 2. Enhance the long-term sustainability and success of Southeast Asian immigrant and refugee beginning farmers by building a community of farmer entrepreneurs; Goal 3. Improve the ability of Southeast Asian immigrant and refugee beginning farmers to provide for the food needs of the community by linking farmers with additional markets and resources for their farm businesses.