What is
Farm Beginnings?
Farm Beginnings Course Overview
Frequently Asked Questions
Download Fact Sheet (PDF)
Farm Beginnings in Other Regions
Contact Us to Learn More
Farm Beginnings Course Overview
Farm Beginnings® is a Land Stewardship Project training course that provides opportunities for beginning and transitioning farmers to learn firsthand about values clarification and goal setting, whole farm planning, business plan development, and low-cost, sustainable farming methods.
Farm Beginnings provides 43 hours of training and hands-on learning opportunities in the form of classroom sessions, farm tours, field days, workshops and accessing an extensive farmer network. It is a 10-month training and support effort. Farmers and other agricultural professionals are the primary presenters, mentors and steering committee members.
Farm Beginnings graduates come from a variety of backgrounds and are engaged in a broad spectrum of farming enterprises: beef, dairy, hogs, meat and dairy goats, sheep, poultry, wholesale vegetables, Community Supported Agriculture, organic grains and specialty products such as cut-flowers, hazelnuts and cheese.
Farm Beginnings Course Participants:
- Tap the knowledge of some of the most innovative and skilled farmers operating in the Midwest.
- Develop lifelong friendships and networks with other beginning farmers.
- Learn critical farm management skills such as creative financing and innovative marketing strategies.
- Access an extensive network of farmers through the Farmer Network.
- See sustainable farming practices being used on real farms under a variety of conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What are the dates for this year's course? Visit the Farm Beginnings Course page for class dates.
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Who should attend Farm Beginnings? People considering: full-time farming; farming part-time while continuing other employment, changing careers to start farming, developing an existing agricultural hobby into a more serious business activity, re-evaluating an existing farm business.
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Am I ready for Farm Beginnings? Complete the Farm Beginnings Roadmap Assessment to determine the best place for you to plug into our training programs.
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When is the application due? Wednesday, August 1, 2012.
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Are scholarships available and how do I apply for them? A limited number of partial scholarships are available. Submit a scholarship application at the same time as your Farm Beginnings application.
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Who are the speakers and what are the topics? View a sample class outline.
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How much is the deposit? A $200 non-refundable check must be submitted with each application to hold a place in the class.
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Do I have to pay all at once? No, we have several payment plans available.
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Do you have to be interested in organic agriculture to take the course? No. The Farm Beginnings class presents a process for making decisions about alternative farming strategies, including but not limited to direct marketing, grass-based systems and organic. We employ established, successful farmers as teachers and they share from their experience what has worked for them. We focus on helping participants make the right choice for their goals.
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Do you have to be a beginning farmer to take the course? No. The decision-making process and planning tools we share during the class are just as useful to established farmers as they are to people wanting to get started farming. As a matter of fact, many people who have gone through the class have been farming on the side for a number of years and use the class to help them make the step into full-time farming or to transition into other alternative farming strategies.
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Do you need to own land to take the course? No. Participants of Farm Beginnings vary greatly in their access to land.
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What does the course consist of? Farm Beginnings classes begin in the fall of each year and meet throughout the winter. Class participants learn goal setting, financial planning, whole farm planning, alternative marketing and low-cost sustainable farming techniques. Established farmers and other professionals such as lenders and agricultural business instructors present at the seminars, providing community resources, networks and contacts for those interested in farming. At the conclusion of classes, participants take part in a series of on-farm field days and farm tours during the spring and summer. Participants tour a variety of farms in addition to having access to an extensive farmer network.
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Download Fact Sheet
Download a Farm Beginnings Fact Sheet
(PDF)
If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the fact sheet, download a free copy.
Farm Beginnings in Other Regions
Besides Minnesota, Farm Beginnings is now in Illinois, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and the Hudson Valley of New York, as well as the Lake Superior region in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. If you live in one of these areas and are interested in the program, contact one of the following people:
Central Illinois Farm Beginnings
Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign/University of Illinois Extension
Small Farm and Sustainable Agriculture Extension Specialist/ SARE Coordinator
P.O. Box 410
Greenview, IL 62642
Phone: 217-968-5512
Cell: 217-341-0398
E-mail: cvnghgrn@illinois.edu
Website: http://central.illinoisfarmbeginnings.org
Illinois: The Land Connection
Cathe Capel
1123 County Road 2300 E
Sidney, IL 61877
Phone: 217-688-2570
Fax: 217-688-2086
E-mail: cathe@thelandconnection.org
E-mail: info@thelandconnection.org
Website: www.thelandconnection.org
Illinois: Stateline Farm Beginnings
Tom Spaulding/Sheri Doyel/Tracey Hall
Angelic Organics Learning Center
1547 Rockton Rd
Caledonia IL, 61011
Phone: 815-389-8455
E-mail: tom@learngrowconnect.org
E-mail: sheri@learngrowconnect.org
E-mail: tracey@learngrowconnect.org
Website: www.learngrowconnect.org
Lake Superior-NW Wisconsin/NE Minnesota
Cree Bradley
Lake Superior Sustainable Farming Association
2995 Hwy 3
Two Harbors, MN 55616
Phone: 218-834-0846
E-mail: cree@lakesuperiorfarming.org
Website: www.lakesuperiorfarming.org
Nebraska
Gary Lesoing
Nemaha County Extension
Nebraska SARE Coordinator
1842 N. Street-Courthouse
Auburn, NE 68305-2395
Phone: 402-274-4755
E-mail: glesoing2@unl.edu
William Powers
Executive Director
Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society
414 County Road 15
Ceresco, NE 68017
Phone: 402-525-7794
E-mail: farmbeginningsnebraska@gmail.com
Website: www.nebsusag.org/farmbeginningsnebraska.htm
New York
Rachel Schneider
Educational Programs Director
Hawthorne Valley Farm
327 Route 21C
Ghent, NY 12075
Phone: 518-672-7500, ext. 105
E-mail: rachel@hawthornevalleyfarm.org
Website: www.hawthornevalleyfarm.org
North Dakota
Britt Jacobson/Karri Stroh
FARRMS
301 5th Ave. SE
Medina, ND 58467
Phone: 701-486-3569
Fax: 701-486-3580
E-mail: info@farrms.org
Website: www.farrms.org
South Dakota
Frank James/ Heidi Kolbeck-Urlacher
Dakota Rural Action
Mailing Address:
PO Box 549
Brookings, SD 57006
Street Address: 910 4th St.
Old Sanctuary Building, Suite A
Brookings, SD 57006
Phone: 605-697-5204
Fax: 605-697-6230
E-mail: heidiku@dakotarural.org
E-mail: fejames@dakotarural.org
Website: www.dakotarural.org
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Contact Us to Learn More
Driftless Region
Land Stewardship Project
180 E. Main Street, PO Box 130
Lewiston, MN 55952
507-523-3366
Aimee Finley—Rochester Facilitator & Program Organizer
aimee@landstewardshipproject.org
Karen Stettler—Program Organizer
stettler@landstewardshipproject.org
Parker Forsell—Program Organizer
parker@landstewardshipproject.org
Karen Benson—Application, Scholarship & Registration
lspse@landstewardshipproject.org
Prairie Region
Land Stewardship Project
301 State Road, Suite 2
Montevideo, MN 56265
320-269-2105
Nick Olson—Hutchinson Facilitator & Program Organizer
nicko@landstewardshipproject.org
Amy Bacigalupo—Program Director
amyb@landstewardshipproject.org
Richard Ness—Livestock Loan Organizer
rness@landstewardshipproject.org
Twin Cities/Policy Office
Land Stewardship Project
821 East 35th Street, Suite 200
Minneapolis, MN 55407
612-722-6377
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