Free Finances and Management Worksheet for New Farms
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has put out a management and finances worksheet for organic farmers to test where they stand, entitled “Organic Farmers: Steps to Success.” The tool first takes you through a series of questions on management skills and personal qualities needed to run the business so that you can see what needs […]
Hudson Valley Farmers Speak Up at the Farmers' Forum
A US Farm Bill potentially worth nearly one trillion dollars over ten years has stalled in Congress, and with it the hopes of young farmers, conservationists and agriculturalists in general have stalled as well. When Congress returns to Washington in September, they have only until the end of the month, September 30th, before the current […]
Upcoming Online Business Seminars through the National Good Food Network
Feeling like you want to brush up your farm-business skills? A few online educational opportunities are coming up from the Wallace Center’s National Good Food Network – check them out! May 31, 2012 at 9 AM Eastern: The One Page Business Plan and One Page Financial Plan No matter what type of farm or food […]
UVM Releases New Guide to Help Farmers Find Financing
The University of Vermont Extension has just released a 62-page guide for farmers seeking alternative ways of raising financing for land acquisition, operations, and expansion. Entitled The Guide to Financing the Community Supported Farm, it explores a series of different models, ranging from promissery notes to owner-financed sales to multi-year CSA’s, and much more. It […]
Oregon's Rogue Farm Corps Now Accepting 2012 Participants
Rogue Farm Corps Farms Next internship program provides beginning farmers and ranchers entry-level training in sustainable agriculture. Through an innovative cooperative education program, Farms Next combines hands-on training, classroom learning and farm-based education on a diverse network of commercial family farms in Southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley. Participants in the Farms Next internship program live and […]
USDA Announces Value-Added Producer Grants
Earlier this month, the USDA announced the awarding of over $40 million in grants through the Value-Added Producer Grant Program. The funds went to 298 recipients in 44 states. In announcing them, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan drew a connection between the grants and President Obama’s call for promoting American jobs and economic growth, but […]
Time to Apply for the NRCS Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative
Towards the end of 2011, the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service announced the opportunity for farmers to apply for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative. February 3rd marked the end of the first application period for the application. While applications can be submitted continually, there are two more evaluations coming up […]
Organic farming profits improve in Minnesota in 2010
The profitability of organic farms in Minnesota improved in 2010 after a tough year in 2009, according to a new report by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA). The median organic farmer received an income of $62,463 in 2010, which was more than six times the median income in 2009 and consistent with those in […]