Mentoring

A Journeypersons is a beginning farmer who has recently begun farming independently, whether on an incubator farm or through a different land use agreement, and makes their own financial, marketing and production decisions. NOFA-NJ works with Journeypersons to find mentors, obtain educational resources and create a business plan.

"Through Windy City Harvest's (WCH) nine-month training, beginning farmers will earn a certificate in sustainable horticulture and urban agriculture from Daley College/Arturo Velasquez Institute (AVI) of the City Colleges of Chicago.

"All activities below will be conducted in a culturally appropriate manner in the client's language.  Curriculum will cover business filing, documentation of cash receipts and taxes. Also, the needs of marketing outlets will be identified and conveyed to clients to better align both parties' interests.

"International Rescue Committee (IRC) San Diego' Refugee Entrepreneurial Agriculture Program (REAP) assists new American refugee farmers in becoming future leaders of a sustainable, urban and ethnically-oriented agricultural sector.

"Alabama A&M University's (AAMU) Small Farms Research Center has a long history of serving the needs of small, limited resource and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers in Alabama. Since 2008, the Center has assisted over 300 agricultural producers through value-added producer grants, crop insurance, cost-share and loan programs.

Stateline Farm Beginnings^® is a farmer-led training and support program designed to help people plan and launch sustainable farm businesses.

The NOFA-NH Beginner Farmer Program aims to support NH's beginner farmers by:

        1. Providing educational opportunities and connections to agricultural service providers and organizations throughout NH;

        2. Connecting beginner farmers to NH mentors through Mentorship and Journeyperson programs;

Future Harvest CASA initiated its Beginner Farmer Training Program (BFTP) in 2012, in partnership with Maryland Agricultural Resource Council (MARC). The program is focused on training Chesapeake-region farmers on managing a sustainable family farm operation. There are currently 10 trainees in the program for 2012.

"This program: (1) Provides diverse, supportive, and cohesive formal apprenticeship program and resources to beginning farmers in each Northeast state; (2) Implements a pilot Journeyperson program in each Northeast state to better serve beginning farmers in the startup and re-strategizing phases; (3) Supports beginning farmers who have begun fa