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Welcome to the local Beginning Farmer program.
One of the obstacles that we face as we try to rebuild our local food system is that, in some cases, we do not have enough local production to meet the demand. Helping new farmers and ranchers, young or old, who are interested in producing local food and other agricultural products is one part of the solution. Many of the things that our communities can do to support new producers can also help existing producers increase production or move into meeting local food needs.
Here's what’s underway:
- Land Link: Available land, available growers. A bulletin board type listing of land available for prospective producers and of people looking for land for local food production. A simple listing format at first will probably evolve into a more sophisticated system with resources on appropriate leases and other ways to secure land.
- Growing Farmers Course: Darrin Parmenter of CSU Extension periodically offers a course on the production and business planning basics for local producers either starting up or scaling up production. Contact Darrin for info on upcoming courses.
- Beginning Farmer Resources: Julie Hudak developed a listing of excellent links to a variety of resources to learn more about financing, getting started, growing your operation, and programs across the country. (updated 9 Jan 2012 by Jim Dyer)
We will post information here as this program further develops. Please contact Jim Dyer if you have interest in participating and/or have suggestions to make.