Released Feb. 27, 2008
ITHACA, N.Y.- Aspiring, new and diversifying farmers now have the opportunity to receive farm enterprise start-up training online. The NY Beginning Farmer Project, a collaborative effort of the Cornell Small Farms Program and Cooperative Extension educators, has developed a 9-week online course. The course is designed to benefit participants from a diversity of backgrounds, from those just exploring a new idea to those seeking to diversify or expand existing farm operations.
Cornell Cooperative Extension offices have long offered high-quality courses for beginning farmers, designed to help participants build a foundation for their business plan. But many aspiring farmers live in urban areas or counties where demand isn’t high enough for such courses to be offered. Educators have observed that new farmers tend to be relatively Internet-savvy, yet while they can easily Google their way to mountains of farming information, few online sources exist to guide decision-making and new farm planning. The NY Beginning Farmer Project seized this opening to create a new learning opportunity for aspiring, new and diversifying farmers.
Course content is drawn from a stand-alone, publicly accessible Web site at http://beginningfarmers.cce.cornell.edu, while the course (and all its activities, forums, and homework assignments) is housed in a virtual “classroom” that can only be entered by registered participants. The lesson plan is similar to other new farmer trainings and curricula, starting with an assessment of goals and resources, moving through marketing, enterprise selection, and environmental stewardship practices, and ending with taking a hard look at profit potential and business planning. Along the way, participants interact with each other through discussion forums, post questions for the instructors, collect resources relevant to each lesson, and complete activities like helping a fictional new farmer make decisions about his business.
Jefferson County CCE Educator Molly Ames, along with Franklin County Educator Jessica Prosper, will be teaching the next run of the online course starting the third week of March 2008. The beauty of online courses is that you can do them from the comfort of your own home, at whatever time of day suits your schedule. So sit down at the computer, grab a cup of coffee, and get ready to start making your farm dreams a reality.
Course Outline and Specifics: • Nine weeks starting the week of Wednesday March 19, 2008 with introductions and orientation to the on-line course structure, then 7 units covering the basics of building a business plan. Final week ends May 21st with a quiz and review. • What’s covered: Goals, Skills & Resources, Marketing, Evaluating Land, Equipment, and Facilities, Choosing an Enterprise, Land Stewardship, Profitability, Regulations, Taxes and Legal Issues. • Discussion and Feedback through online forums, email and phone support. • Opportunities to interact with agricultural entrepreneurs from around the state, to get feedback and offer input on other ideas and issues encountered in the exciting markets of today’s changing food and agriculture systems. Course size is limited so call soon to reserve a spot. Cost is $200 with $50 due at registration. You will receive a Letter of Successful Course Completion that can be included in your business plan documenting your course work.
To register, call Kristen at 315-788-8450 and ask to be registered for the On-Line New Farmer Training.
The NY Beginning Farmer Project was funded by the NY Farm Viability Institute and Cornell Cooperative Extension.
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http://www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/wiki/news/
Contact: Erica Frenay, (607) 539-3246, ejf5@cornell.edu
