Monthly Archives: February 2015

Join Vermont Organic Farming certified producers Rachel Schattman of Bella Farm, Geo Honigford of Hurricane Flats, and Kristan Doolan of Does’ Leap as they discuss why they choose to be certified organic. View the excerpt from the 32nd annual NOFA-VT Winter Conference here.  Also check out the NE Beginning Farmers online course BF 106: The What, How and Why of Organic Certification.

The Cornell Small Farms Program is excited to announce that we have been awarded a 3-year grant from the USDA’s Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program (BFRDP) that will enable us to provide new support services for military veterans seeking to farm, and for “advanced beginning” farmers who have 3-9 years of farming experience. Matching funds are provided by our collaborators at the NY Farm Viability Institute and the Local Economies Project. Since 2009 we have operated the Northeast Beginning Farmer Project, a vibrant educational and social network that delivers mentoring, information resources, and training to beginning farmers and service providers who support new farm viability. Our long-term goal is to ensure access to resources, education and supportive networks to all who are interested in farming in the Northeast. With these new funds we will create training programs and farmer-to-farmer networks to address the needs of two under-served farmer groups: military/veteran farmers and individuals who have been farming for 3-9 years. Our team of collaborators includes: Cornell Cooperative Extension, National Center for Appropriate Technology, NY Farm Viability Institute, Farmer Veteran Coalition, NY FarmNet, NY Dept of Veterans Affairs, Local Economies Project, Institute for Veterans and Military Families, and Heroic Food Farm School. Together we will:

• Offer annual 5-day intensive entrepreneurial “boot camps” to military veterans seeking to farm
• Develop approved on-the-job training opportunities on farms, allowing military vets to use GI benefits to get hands-on farm experience
• Create regional farmer veteran networking groups
• Provide 40 advanced beginning farmers with intensive support from a “New Farmer Profit Team” of advisers
• Develop 8 new online courses geared toward advanced beginners seeking to diversify with new enterprises
• Design intensive trainings on scaling up, including wholesale marketing and equipment decision-making

If you’re a veteran interested in upcoming programs, click here to fill out our short interest form.