This section is designed for people who are in the thinking or planning stage of starting a farm. When you are just beginning, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the many decisions you need to make about what to produce, how to do it, where to market it, how to find land, and how to finance it all. There is no shortage of information on the internet to help you. Here, we've tried to distill it into several categories of helpful links, based on the barriers faced by most beginning farmers (as identified by the Growing New Farmers project), and on the questions we field most often from new farmers.
An entire website devoted to helping beginning farmers get started, and an online course led by a Cooperative Extension Educator to help answer all your questions! Watch here for updates, or subscribe to our monthly electronic newsletter, the Small Farms Update, to make sure you don't miss the announcement about these great new resources.
A new resource available in July 2007 for beginning and diversifying farmers is the Guide to Farming in NYS: What Every Ag Entrepreneur Needs to Know. This Guide contains information on finding and financing a farm, business planning, zoning, ag assessments, marketing options and regulations, and informational resources, among many other things. It is an essential reference for the serious aspiring farmer.
If you are an aspiring farmer in the exploratory stages and are not ready to write a business plan or seek financing, a great resource is the workbook Exploring the Small Farm Dream. It is full of valuable exercises to help you ask yourself tough questions about whether you are really ready to jump into a new farm enterprise. An equally helpful resource--whether you are new to farming or just want to start a new enterprise on your farm--is the book Farming Alternatives: Guide to Evaluating the Feasibility of New Farm-Based Enterprises, available for $12.25 + tax.
For an excellent overview of the issues involved in starting up a farm business, see Frequently Asked Questions for Beginning Farmers, or visit the links below:
How can I finance my
agricultural enterprise?
Grants, loan programs, and other resources for starting a farm business
Where can I get training
and technical assistance?
Organizations dedicated to helping farmers
How do I get access to land?
Aside from standard realty venues, here are a few resources specific to those
seeking farmland.
What marketing options do I have?
Resources for marketing your product in every way imaginable.
How do I write a business
plan for my farm?
Even if you don't require outside capital for start-up, it's a good idea to
write a business plan to make sure you've thought through as many details of
your enterprise as possible.
Online
Discussion options for farmer-to-farmer learning
Word document listing several good forums and listservs where you can get free
assistance from experienced producers on your farm-related questions!
What are the risks I face as a beginning farmer?
Powerpoint presentation titled "How NOT to Lose the Farm"
See also
