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Beginning Farmer Program for MN, WI & IA Accepting Applications for 2023-2024 Course

Early Bird Discount Deadline for Farm Beginnings Class Aug. 1

July 17, 2023

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LEWISTON, Minn. — One of the most successful beginning farmer training programs in the country is now accepting applications for its 2023-2024 course session serving the Minnesota, western Wisconsin and northern Iowa region. The Land Stewardship Project’s (LSP) Farm Beginnings initiative is a training program that focuses on the goal-setting, marketing and financial skills aneeded to establish a successful farm business. The deadline for applications is Sept. 1. The cost of the class is $1,000 for up to two participants per farm. Early bird applications submitted by Aug. 1 will receive a $100 discount if they are accepted into the class. Scholarships are available. For more details and to apply, see landstewardshipproject.org/farm-beginnings-class or contact LSP’s Annelie Livingston-Anderson (annelie@landstewardshipproject.org, 612-400-6350) or Pilar Ingram (pingram@landstewardshipproject.org, 612-400-6349).

Beginning and prospective farmers are invited to apply to the course. The 2023-2024 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 2023 through March 2024, with some additional educational opportunities to take place later in 2024. For LSP’s 2023-2024 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.

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 Farm 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. Profiles of past graduates can be read at landstewardshipproject.org/category/farm-beginnings-profiles.

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Farm Beginnings graduate Melissa Driscoll on her farm near Kenyon, Minn.
Category: News Releases
Tags: beginning farmers • Farm Beginnings • young farmers

Contact

Annelie Livingston-Anderson, LSP, annelie@landstewardshipproject.org, 612-400-6350; Pilar Ingram, LSP, pingram@landstewardshipproject.org, 612-400-6349.

Photo Available

For a digital photo of a Farm Beginnings graduate, contact LSP’s Brian DeVore at bdevore@landstewardshipproject.org or 612-816-9342

Farm Beginnings Profiles

Read profiles of past Farm Beginnings grads here.

Fresh Voices Podcast Series

LSP’s Ear to the Ground “Fresh Voices” podcast series features interviews with Farm Beginnings grads.

 

Upcoming Events

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August 2025

Thursday August 14

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSA-COPAL Ice Cream Social/Reunión de Helados!
Thursday August 14
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSA-COPAL Ice Cream Social/Reunión de Helados!
Sauk River Park, 206 5th Ave NE, Melrose, MN 56352, USA

Land Stewardship Action (the Land Stewardship Project’s partner organization) and COPAL (Communities Organizing Latine Power and Action) invite you to an ice cream social at Sauk River Park in Melrose on Thursday, August 14. There will be sweet treats and opportunities to connect with those in your community, many of whom you might not know yet. This is a time to come together over our shared vision for a better future rooted in community, diversity, fairness, health, and democracy.

If you’re able, please register ahead of time through the link below so we can get an idea of numbers. Feel free to pass the invite on to others in the community as well — the more the merrier!

You can register here. 
 
For more information, contact Land Stewardship Action’s Emily Minge at eminge@landstewardshipproject.org.

Friday August 15

9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Managed Grazing & Soil Health Field Day: Rush City
Friday August 15
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Managed Grazing & Soil Health Field Day: Rush City
10815 555th St, Rush City, MN 55069, USA

Join the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition at Jon Steven’s Maple Grove Farm for a field day focused on managed grazing and other methods to build the health of soils. Connect with other farmers and learn from the leaders in Minnesota on soil health. Featured speakers: Tom Cotter, Brady Wulf, Myron Sylling, and Joe Ailts. Free lunch by Maxwell’s Southern BBQ. Details are here.

Saturday August 16

12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Soil Health Master Class: Morris
Saturday August 16
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Soil Health Master Class: Morris
Old No 1 Bar & Grill, 412 Atlantic Ave, Morris, MN 56267, USA

Details are here.

Monday August 18

All Day
Soil Health Master Class: Worthington
Monday August 18
Soil Health Master Class: Worthington
At the Barn, 1815 East Ave, Worthington, MN 56187, USA

Details are here.

Tuesday August 19

10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Field Day: Organic Grain Soil Health, Testing & an Introduction to Agroforestry
Tuesday August 19
10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Field Day: Organic Grain Soil Health, Testing & an Introduction to Agroforestry
Spring Green, WI 53588, USA

During this University of Wisconsin Organic Grain Resource and Information Network field day, join Gary Zimmer, Patrick Michaels, and Sandy Syburg as they discuss cover cropping for nitrogen, testing to make informed soil health decisions, and the work of the Rye Revival organization. Attendees will tour the organic grain farm and get an introduction to the farm’s expanding agroforestry enterprise.
 
For more information and to register, click here. 

View Full Calendar

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Lewiston, MN 55952

(507) 523-3366

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821 E. 35th Street #200
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(612) 722-6377

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