Beginning Farmers Project

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

Starting a farm? The NY Beginning Farmer Project’s goal is to enhance the likelihood of success of new ag enterprises by making the best resources and training available to any new or diversifying farmer in NY. It is led by a team of Cornell Cooperative Extension Educators in partnership with the Cornell Small Farms Program. Our projects include:

Beginning Farmers Website
The Beginning Farmers Website offers a series of farm planning worksheets that will help you lay the foundation for a business plan. You’ll also find the “Voices of Experience” video series, a collection of short video interviews with farmers on topics such as marketing, profitability, financing start-up, and more. You can network with other farmers in the “Beginning Farmers Discussion Forum” or get answers to your questions on the “Frequently Asked Questions” page. Finally, if you need some personal assistance, log in to this site for contact information for your local Cornell Cooperative Extension agriculture agent. Visit the site at: www.nybeginningfarmers.org

Guide to Farming in New York
Fact Sheets The recently revised Guide to Farming in New York is an essential resource for new and existing farmers alike, providing answers to questions about taxes, business planning, labor law, zoning, regulations, marketing and many other topics that farmers need to know. Pick up a hard copy at your local Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) office or download the fact sheets here.

Online Beginning Farmer Class
Are you comfortable enough with a computer to consider learning online? Cornell Cooperative Extension and the NY Beginning Farmer Project have created two basic online courses to help you think through the major factors related to farm start-up. Join experienced CCE educators and your new farmer peers in a dynamic learning experience that incorporates both self-paced readings and real-time virtual meetings with discussion forums, presentations by successful farmers, homework activities, and developing a customized plan for your next steps in farming. Classes are offered several times/per. Check our Online Events Calendar for the latest posts.

Regional Beginning Farmer Trainings
Prefer a personal approach to learning? You’ll find a listing of regional Beginning Farmer Trainings held around New York on our Online Events Calendar. These classes are taught by area farmers, cooperative extension staff, and farm business specialists and include a huge variety of topics, from basic information to advanced training. Trainings span the Fall-Winter season. 

History of the Project
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 and decision aid 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
• at least one online course, led by extension educators, for new/aspiring farmers
• a comprehensive publication with current information on taxes, legal issues, insurance, regulations, and other valuable information for new farmers
• a basic self-assessment and resource packet for county extension offices to use in responding to new farmer inquiries
• 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
• a streamlined process for county extension offices to handle new farmer inquiries efficiently but in a way that helps new farmers get the help they need

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
Bob Weybright - CCE Dutchess
Lynn O'Brien - CCE Allegany/Cattaraugus
Bernadette Logozar - CCE Franklin
Molly Ames - CCE Jefferson
Krys Cail - CCE Ontario
Karen Baase - CCE Madison
Rebecca Hargrave - CCE Chenango
Anita Deming - CCE Essex
Chanda Lindsay - CCE CayugaThe 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 originally came through NYS Ag and Markets and Risk Management in 2006.

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