Beginning Farmer Resources
So you want to start a farm? Lucky for you, there are a lot of great resources available for NY aspiring farmers to get hands-on training. We recommend connecting with your local National Young Farmers Coalition chapter for peer-to-peer networking and programming.
The USDA and NY Department of Agriculture and Markets both have excellent resources on starting a farm, along with ATTRA Sustaintable Agriculture, beginningfarmers.org, and the New England Beginning Farmers Institute.
You will absolutely need some hands-on training in order to start your farm. Below is a short list of organizations dedicated to training (both in person and online):
You can also look for a formal apprenticeship program or a job on a farm:
Finally, you will want to establish a solid business plan right from the jump. Even if you’re in too early of a planning stage to need a full plan, CADE’s FREE Business Planning course can help you to understand the full picture of planning for and running a business. Click here to find out more.
