Beginning Farmer, Apprentice and Mentorship Programs
Welcome to the Beginning Farmers and Farmer Mentorship Section of our Website!
This page is a hub for those exploring farming as a career option, for those working and learning on farms, for those just starting out their own farming enterprise and for farmers interested in passing along their skills. You will find applications to take part in our Farm Apprenticeship Program, technical resources, interesting articles, links to other organizations and information about events geared towards beginning farmers and mentors.
NOFA-NY Programs and Resources
- Farm Apprentice and Apprenticeship Directory now open to applications! Click the Apprenticeship Program button to the left!
- Downloadable easy-to-print Resource Sheets to accompany your Host Farming or Apprenticeship experience (click the Resources button to the left)
- Organic Production Fact Sheets
-
Beginning Farmer Coordinator's Blog (last update: 1/17/12)
External Links
- Cornell University Beginning Farmers Program: see in particular their searchable service provider map
- Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming, an agriculture education nonprofit based in Ithaca, NY
- National Young Farmers Coalition
- The Greenhorns
- New England Small Farm Institute
- USDA/NIFA Beginning Farmers
- New Farmer Development Project
- AgSquared farm planning software
- Farm Start-Up: A collection of information brought to you by the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
- Farmer Resource Network: A searchable database of service providers brought to you by Farm Aid (it's more than a concert!)
- Start2farm: The USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Project clearing house for information from the programs it funds (including the NOFA-NY Beginning Farmer Program)
Land Access
- New York Agricultural Landowner Guide from American Farmland Trust: All you might want to know about your land in New York State, in a free PDF
- Land for Good: For land seekers and those wanting to put their land into the right hands
- Catskills Farm Link: Land Access Database in the Catskills Region of New York
Financing and Loans Resources
- Whole Foods Local Producer Loan Program: may be a way for you to fund an infrastructure project!
- The Carrot Project
- Raising Organic Family Farms from Lundberg Family Farms
External Links for Farmers Interested in Passing Along Skills
- New England Small Farm Institute publishes useful labor law information on their on-farm mentor webpage.
- Law for Food
- An inspiring story from a few years back. Let's write more of these together!
Any questions about the Beginning Farmer Program can be directed to the Beginning Farmer Coordinator:
Rachel Schell-Lambert
(585) 271-1979 ext. 511
rachel@nofany.org
The Beginning Farmer Project of NOFA-NY Inc. is supported by the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA, Grants #2010-49400-21847 and #2011-49400-30510.
