Beginning Farmers Project

Primary contact: Erica Frenay, (607) 255-9911, ejf5@cornell.edu

In response to the increasing level of requests for assistance in starting a farm, the Small Farms Program (SFP) launched the Beginning Farmers project in January 2006. The goal of this project is to provide high quality statewide support for aspiring farmers - through trainings and informational resources - while making it easier for educators to develop new training programs where there currently are none.

This project received multi-year funding in early 2007 from the NY Farm Viability Institute and the Cornell Cooperative Extension Directors' Call grant programs. These grants are enabling the team to develop:

• a website specifically for new farmers in NYS, to help them access the resources they need based on their goals, skills, and progress in starting a farm - http://beginningfarmers.cce.cornell.edu
• an online course, led by extension educators, for new/aspiring farmers
• the Guide to Farming in NY, which contains current information on taxes, legal issues, insurance, regulations, and other valuable information for new farmers
• a basic intake form and resource packet for county extension offices to use in responding to new farmer inquiries - available from http://beginningfarmers.cce.cornell.edu/educators
• new regional training opportunities to provide training in counties where there currently is none and to build a network of educators working together and sharing information about working with new farmers

The Beginning Farmer project is guided by a talented and experienced group of CCE Educators from 10 counties who volunteer their time and expertise. They are:

Monika Roth - CCE Tompkins
Lynn O'Brien - CCE Allegany/Cattaraugus
Bernadette Logozar - CCE Franklin
Molly Ames - CCE Jefferson
Krys Cail
Karen Baase - CCE Madison
Rebecca Hargrave - CCE Chenango
Jim Ochterski - CCE Ontario
Steve Hadcock - CCE Columbia

The project Leadership Team developed the following Vision and Mission to describe their work together:

Mission
Our mission is to improve the likelihood of success of all new farmers by providing the education and support they need to develop and realize their agricultural visions. Our efforts will support educators by reviewing, distilling and packaging educational tools to make programming for beginning farmers easier and more effective.

Vision
This vibrant network of educators, led by CCE and the Small Farm Program, are recognized by the agricultural community for providing support and effective educational programs and resources for new farmers across NYS. Any person interested in farming is able to get the production, marketing, business and financial planning they need, both at start-up and in the long-term. These resources for new farmers are easily accessible by all educators and shared with aspiring farmers in NY. The team's work helps maintain and improve a landscape of diverse farms that contributing to a thriving regional economy.

The funding for this effort has come through NY Farm Viability and Cornell Cooperative Extension.

If you have any questions, comments or contributions for this project, please contact Erica Frenay at (607) 255-9911 or ejf5@cornell.edu.

last updated 6/24/08