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 shaped by the farming interests and goals of the Journey Farmer participants, 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 Journey Farmer Program is 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 that typically occur during weekday hours. 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 for 2024/2025 are currently open through mid-September 2024.
Apply For Journey Farmer
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 your 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