Farm Beginnings Application - Land Stewardship Project

Apply to Participate in Farm Beginnings Today

Participants get the most out of Farm Beginnings when they come to the class equipped with some hands-on agricultural experience and a strong interest in starting a farming enterprise. We ask that you have some experience with the type of farming you’re planning to pursue whether that is volunteer experience, work experience, or hobby experience. Contact annelie@landstewardshipproject.org if you have questions.

The Farm Beginnings class fee is $1,000. This fee covers one “farm unit”— either one farmer or two farming partners who are on the same farm. A $50 deposit is requested with your application, and will be put towards the final fee. Payment plans are available, as well as a limited number of scholarships.

We are offering the 2021-2022 Farm Beginnings course online, beginning in December 2021. Sessions will be held weekly on Tuesday evenings mid December 2021 through early March 2022. Check our Farm Beginnings class description page for more information about the online format for this year’s class. Full class schedule can be found here.

2021-2022 Application – Apply Here

Thank you for your interest in Farm Beginnings.

Upcoming Events

December 2022

Friday December 2 – Saturday December 3

Whole Farm Planning for Climate Resilience

Friday December 2 – Saturday December 3

NOTE: This workshop has been postponed until January. Check back as details are finalized.

Climate change is making our farms and our farm planning more unpredictable. It is becoming increasingly important to address climate change considerations in our land management planning and decision-making. This winter, join the Land Stewardship Project and Laura Lengnick of Cultivating Resilience for a four-part training series targeted to specialty crop growers.

Through this series, you will be guided through a five-step process of Whole Farm Planning for Climate Resilience in order to:

Learn more about the potential impacts of increasing climate variability and change on your agricultural operation.
Evaluate climate risk management options that best support your farm and family goals by reducing risks and capturing new opportunities associated with changing climate conditions.
Make a plan to implement selected climate resilience strategies and evaluate their effectiveness over time.

This four-part series will give you tools to incorporate climate change considerations into annual operations as well as over the longer-term with an adaptive whole farm management strategy that draws on your experience and expertise as a farmer.

The first part of the training will include an overnight retreat December 2-3 at Mount Olivet Retreat Center in Farmington, MN. The additional three trainings will be held over Zoom (with the schedule TBD).

The training cost is $200/person or $350/two farming partners. This cost includes the food and lodging for the retreat as well as the additional zoom trainings and follow up support. Scholarships are available. We are targeting specialty crop growers (vegetables, cut flowers, fruits, etc.) with two or more years of farming experience for this training. There are a limited number of spaces available, so sign–up early by filling out this online form: https://forms.office.com/r/EMLRQuNS48. Please feel to reach out with any specific questions.

Wednesday December 7 – Friday December 9

Montana Organic Association Conference Featuring LSP's Brian DeVore

Wednesday December 7 – Friday December 9

See https://montanaorganicassociation.org for more information.

Saturday December 10

9:00 am – 5:00 pm: LSP Soil Microbiology Workshop with Elaine Ingham

LSP Soil Microbiology Workshop with Elaine Ingham

Saturday December 10

9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Soil microbiologist Elaine Ingham of Soil Food Web will provide an in-depth workshop on how to build and monitor soil microbiology. To register, click here.

For more information, contact LSP’s Shona Langseth at slangseth@landstewardshipproject.org or Barb Sogn-Frank at bsognfrank@landstewardshipproject.org.

Tuesday December 13

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: RMA Road Show on Whole Farm Revenue Protection & Mirco Farm

RMA Road Show on Whole Farm Revenue Protection & Mirco Farm

Tuesday December 13

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

The USDA is making the Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) and Micro Farm programs more accessible to small and mid-sized producers. This includes doubling the maximum insurable revenue under WFRP ($17 million beginning in 2023), more than tripling the approved revenue cap for Micro Farm eligibility (now $350,000 beginning in 2023), and reducing paperwork requirements for WFRP.

If you have looked at WFRP or the Micro Farm programs before and dismissed them, now might offer a good opportunity to take another look, and get in touch with a crop insurance agent to further explore these programs.

Join the USDA’s Risk Management Agency for a special virtual presentation covering the ins and outs of the Whole Farm Revenue Protection and Micro Farm programs. RMA subject matter experts will provide an in-depth look at these policies and answer questions. These events kick off the Whole Farm Revenue Protection and Micro Farm Road Show with in-person and virtual events across the country.

For details, click here.

The Land Stewardship Project appreciates feedback — are you interested in pursuing Micro Farm or Whole Farm Revenue Protection Coverage? Will these programmatic changes eliminate barriers to crop insurance coverage for your operation? Please reach-out and give us your feedback by contacting LSP’s Sarah Goldman or Karen Stettler.

January 2023

Tuesday January 3

All Day: 2023 Session of the Minnesota Legislature Convenes

2023 Session of the Minnesota Legislature Convenes

Tuesday January 3

For details on the Land Stewardship Project’s priorities for the 2023 legislative session, see https://landstewardshipproject.org/state-policy.

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