The Journey Farmer Program is a year-long program for farmers who are in the first few years of running their own farm business in Vermont. The program is largely shaped by the farming interests and goals of the Journey Farmers, and enables new farmers to advance their farming skills and experiences while being a part of a cohort learning community of other beginning farmers and farmer mentors.
This program is built to be a “next-step” for graduates of the NOFA-VT Farm Beginnings program. Other beginning farmers with similar skills and experience are also encouraged to apply. The program is built for participants who are actively farming and selling products, and have a foundation of basic farm financials and record keeping. See more information on qualifications below.
The time commitment is roughly one meeting each month from November through March that includes farmer presenters as well as working sessions and relationship building with fellow participants. These are a mix of virtual and in-person sessions. During the growing season participants work with a farmer mentor and receive one farm visit from a NOFA-VT business advisor. The program wraps up the following fall with a closing session to reflect on the previous season and set goals for the future. More details on program offerings and schedule are below.
Applications are now closed for the 2023/24 cohort! Contact Megan Browning at 802-434-7184 or [email protected] with any questions or to express interest in applying in the future.
Program Objectives
- Identify your farm, business, and quality of life goals over the next 3-5 years
- Create an implementation plan to support you in meeting your goals
- Refine you approach to business and financial planning
- Further develop your marketing plans and your systems for implementing the plan
- Build relationships with a cohort of beginnings farmers at similar stages of business development