Farm Beginnings is a year-long program for aspiring and beginning farmers that is designed to help participants launch or grow their farm business. The course is focused on sustainable agriculture and is led by Vermont-based farmers and service providers. Applications for the 2025/2026 cohort will open in late August 2025. Read below for more details, including schedule, topics covered, and more.
Please complete this interest form to express interest in participating in future Farm Beginnings cohorts and to be notified when applications open.
What to Expect
The Farm Beginnings program starts in the fall with a series of in-depth business-planning modules taught by experienced Vermont-based farmers and service providers who will offer first-hand knowledge on topics such as goal-setting, land access, farm financing, recordkeeping, and marketing. Participants will increase their knowledge on all aspects of farm management, improve their decision-making skills, and develop a holistic business plan for their farm or future farm. Farm Beginnings is also designed to build supportive connections and relationships among the aspiring and beginning farmers in each cohort.
Farm Beginnings is great for both aspiring farmers who have farm experience and a goal of starting their own farm business as well as beginning farmers who are in their first few years of running their own business and looking to enhance their skill sets, with an emphasis on business management skills. Applicants should be seeking support to refine their farm vision, apply whole-farm planning practices, overcome barriers they face, and have the time to fully utilize the resources of the program. Participation in Farm Beginnings is a first step toward participation in the NOFA-VT Journey Farmer program.
This is a hybrid virtual and in-person program. From October through March, participants will meet for nine online learning modules, including video lectures, assignments, and live virtual meetings. Live virtual meetings are 2 hours (every other Wednesday), with approximately 2-4 hours of work on your own time in between live sessions. A Farm Plan Show & Tell will be scheduled in-person in March. In the summer, participants transition from the virtual classroom into the fields to work one-on-one with an experienced farmer mentor and attend a series of on-farm workshops.
Program Objectives
- Establish quality of life goals and identify your farm values, vision, and goals
- Assess your resources, skills, and markets and how these fit into a profitable farm business
- Write a farm business plan, including a financial and marketing plan
- Learn critical farm management and record-keeping skills
- Meet and learn from innovative, local farming practitioners in class and at on-farm workshops
- Develop your farm business and production skills by working one-on-one with a farmer mentor
- Learn how to access resources and programs at NOFA-VT and throughout Vermont that can help bring your farm vision to fruition
Farm Beginnings Principles
- Farmer-led: Class participants will learn directly from Vermont farmers about their farms and farming experience.
- Focused on Sustainable Agriculture: Participants are encouraged to create a farm plan that is economically, socially, and ecologically sustainable.
- Racial Equity: We acknowledge historical and ongoing racial inequities that disproportionately affect BIPOC farmers and land stewards. We commit to furthering our own understanding and supporting the farmers we interact with to do the same. We commit to using the power and influence we have across our organization to build more inclusive and equitable agricultural systems and implement changes that make it possible for more farmers of color to farm.
- Community Based: Because NOFA-VT is best able to provide resources and connections in this area, applicants living in Vermont will be given priority. If you are located elsewhere, check out the Farm Beginnings Collaborative website to see if there is an organization near you offering Farm Beginnings.
