LEWISTON, Minn. — One of the most successful beginning farmer training programs in the country is now accepting applications for its 2022-2023 course session serving the Minnesota, western Wisconsin and northern Iowa region. The Land Stewardship Project’s (LSP) Farm Beginnings initiative is a year-long training program that focuses on the goal-setting, marketing and financial skills needed to establish a successful farm business. Beginning and prospective farmers are invited to apply to the course. The 2022-2023 session will be a hybrid, taking place mostly online via Zoom, but also including some in-person sessions in the Twin Cities, Minn., area. The course will run from November 2022 through March 2023, with some additional educational opportunities to take place later in 2023. The deadline for applications is Sept. 1. For more details and to apply, see farmbeginnings.org or contact LSP’s Annelie Livingston-Anderson (annelie@landstewardshipproject.org, 612-400-6350) or Pilar Ingram (pingram@landstewardshipproject.org, 612-400-6349).
The Farm Beginnings course creates a space for students to name their vision, acquire the tools and skills needed to make it happen, and become part of a community of support to help them succeed. Since it was launched in the late 1990s, over 1,000 participants have graduated from Fam Beginnings in the Minnesota-Wisconsin-Iowa region, and many of those graduates are involved in farming enterprises such as vegetables, grass-based livestock, organic grains, Community Supported Agriculture and specialty crops.
Farm Beginnings has served as the model for similar beginning farmer training programs across the country. For LSP’s 2022-2023 Farm Beginnings class, applicants from Minnesota, western Wisconsin and northern Iowa will be given priority because the organization is best able to provide resources and connections in this region. If prospective applicants are located elsewhere, they are encouraged to contact the Farm Beginnings Collaborative at farmbeginningscollaborative.org for details on course offerings in other regions.
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Farm Beginnings graduates Cella Langer and Emmet Fisher (shown with their son, Otis) of Oxheart Farm in Hager City, Wis.