Northeast Beginning Farmer Project

Register now for “One-Stop Shopping Approach for Beginning Farmer Training” webinar

Mon. June 25, 12pm – 1pm
A Lunchtime Learning webinar from the Northeast Beginning Farmer Project at the Cornell Small Farms Program. This webinar is intended for ag professionals serving beginning farmers, or for new and aspiring farmers in MA and NY seeking to learn about programs that may benefit them.

Jennifer Hashley will discuss how the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project model provides constructive environments and strategies that support new producers and create opportunities for new farmers to strengthen agricultural capacities, share learning experiences, and build better communities.  She will discuss their farm business planning courses, field trainings, incubator farm programs, food hub/collaborative marketing support, farmland matching services, livestock programming, and statewide service provider alliances.  New Entry has built a comprehensive suite of new farmer support services for diverse, multi-cultural adult learners and Jennifer will share best practices, lessons learned, and New Entry’s 14 years of experience in supporting new farmers.

Joanna Green will describe Groundswell’s current suite of programs for beginning farmers, including a 100-hour Sustainable Farming Certificate Program; Finger Lakes CRAFT; Farm Business Planning Course; and Farm Enterprise Incubator. She’ll discuss how Groundswell taps into a community of experienced Mentor Farmers to deliver most of the training modules, and how they work with a variety of partners in the community to reach out to diverse trainees. She will also talk about program revenue structures, funding sources and funding challenges.

Register now!

Jennifer Hashley is the Director of the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, a partnership project between the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and Community Teamwork, Inc. of Lowell. New Entry Sustainable Farming Project is a beginning farmer training program that assists limited-resource individuals to begin small-scale commercial agriculture in Massachusetts as a way to preserve farmland and to expand consumer access to locally-grown foods. Jennifer is also a vegetable and livestock farmer and raises chickens, eggs, pork, sheep, rabbit, and specialty vegetables in Concord, MA. 

Joanna Green has been the director of GroundswellCenter for Local Food and Farming–a fledgling agriculture education nonprofit based in Ithaca, NY, operating under the Center for Transformative Action and EcoVillage at Ithaca— since 2009 when she retired from Cornell University after 23 years in the Cooperative Extension system.  She served as Extension Associate with the Cornell Small Farms Program and as Senior Extension Associate with Cornell’s Community, Food and Agriculture Program and Farming Alternatives Program. 

Register now!

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