5. RESOURCES
Click on the categories below to navigate quickly to a certain section! 5.1 A Young Farmers Story | 5.2 On the Way | 5.3 Access to Funding | 5.4 Alternative Funding | 5.5 Business Management | 5.6 Business Skills | 5.7 Farmer Education Opportunities | 5.8 Resources & Tools for Farmers | 5.9 Resources for … Read More
4. GOING TO MARKET
Click on the categories below to navigate quickly to a certain section! 4.1 Marketplaces | 4.2 Ways to Market | 4.3 Stories from the Field | 4.4 Food for All | 4.1 Marketplaces Have you ever wondered what the tomato you picked up off the grocery shelf has been through, where it’s been, who grew … Read More
Getting Started
Why Farm Now? Because your country needs you! We hope you will use this book as a first step on your path. The best way to use this book is to make notes, jot down questions you need to answer, and scan the resource section for books and online sites where you can find additional … Read More
3. STARTING YOUR FARM
Click on the categories below to navigate quickly to a certain section! 3.1 Stories from the Field | 3.2 The Guide: What to Know | 3.3 Farming 101 | 3.1 Stories from the Field Mary Ellen and Austin Chadd started a farm called Green Spark Farm in 2009 in South Portland, Maine. There they grow … Read More
Glossary
4-H – is a national youth organization that prepares young people to step up to the challenges in their workplace, community, and the world. Administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture the United States Department of Agriculture with the mission of engaging youth to reach their fullest potential. The name includes four personal … Read More
Serve Your Country Food
There’s currently a movement underfoot! A recent groundswell of young farmers are fostering an agricultural movement with farmers who have worked the land for generations. With this underway, our government is recognizing the need for more young farmers and implementing programs to encourage them, while organizations are offering support networks, training opportunities, and resources to … Read More
2. LEARNING TO FARM
Click on the categories below to navigate quickly to a certain section! 2.1 Move to a New Beat | 2.2 Stories from the Field | 2.3 Getting a Farm Education | 2.4 Learning in the Field | 2.1 Move to a New Beat Young people can serve our country food! You can create new relationships … Read More
Welcome to the Field Guide!
Farmers in the United States are collectivelyentering a stage of mass farm turnover. Over 40% of farmers are over 55 years in age, and while these individuals are still hale, hearty, and enthusiastically growing the food for the nation, they are seeking to develop a new generation of young farmers ready, willing, and able to … Read More
Acknowledgements
Contributing Authors Hannah Bernhardt Michelle Podolec Leonora Zoninsein Erica Frenay Christopher Kennedy Severine von Tscharner Fleming Jenn Su Jeff Perry Dr. Travis Park Robyn Stewart Publication Sponsors Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture Publication Partners The Northeast Beginning Farmer Project hosted by the Cornell Small Farms Program at Cornell University The Greenhorns … Read More
1. THIS LAND IS OUR LAND
Click on the categories below to navigate quickly to a certain section! 1.1 Stories from the Field | 1.2 Farming Futures | 1.3 A Brief American Farm History | 1.4 A Farm Career | 1.1 Stories from the Field Farming is a valuable part of our economy and daily life, but we don’t often hear … Read More