Stateline Farm Beginnings - 2022 Cohort 2 Applications are CLOSED!

INformation Packet

F.A.Q's

Apply Now!

Stateline Farm Beginnings® is a yearlong program, with 100+ contact hours of class time, designed to help launch or expand your farm business. The program has three courses: Farm Dreams Intensive, Skills Building Practicum, and Farm Business Intensive.
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​The first course begins in Winter by shaping your dream farm into a functional farm proposal and a personalized learning plan. During Spring and Summer, you’ll work with an experienced farmer in the region toward specified goals in your declared interests. In Autumn, we’ll focus on business development and finance budgeting, resulting in a business plan developed around your farm proposal.

Most sessions feature a regional farmer or expert panel segment, where you’ll hear first-hand experiences of innovators and professionals. Sessions feature a collaborative, group-learning space for creating lifelong friendships within a new farming network. Presenters include: farmers, university professionals, accountants, attorneys, Extension educations, USDA program personnel, insurance providers, bankers, and more.

​In 2021, we went virtual. Participants connected with one another and learned from regional farmers and experts without the commitment and cost of travel, while in the convenience and comfort of their homes. We currently offer a hybrid of virtual and in-person sessions.

Stateline Farm Beginnings® is open to anyone within the stateline area, including both rural and urban participants from Chicago, Rockford, Milwaukee, Madison, and everywhere in between. 
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BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and US Military Veteran community members are strongly encouraged to apply!

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​Three Courses

Farm Dreams Intensive
Cohort 1: January to March | Cohort 2: May to July

• Focus on goal-setting, writing a mission & vision statement, learning marketing strategies, planning for profit, creating a personalized learning plan, and developing a farm proposal

⇢Take this as a standalone course or as a part of the complete Stateline Farm Beginnings® program

Skill Building Practicum
Cohort 1: March to October | Cohort 2: July to October

• Visit farms in Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin, and the Chicagoland area during UM CRAFT Field Days
• Work one-on-one with an experienced, sustainable farmer in your areas of interest. Arrangements are flexible; taking location, employment and family into account

​Farm Business Intensive
Cohorts 1 & 2: October to December

• Dive into budgeting, pricing strategies, completing and understanding financial statements, and developing a business plan

Why Farm Beginnings® ?

The Farm Beginnings® model has emerged as an effective method of increasing the number of beginning farmers who are interested in building farm & food economies which are ecologically sustainable, equitable, and health-conscious.

​Stateline Farm Beginnings® (SFB) uses the Farm Beginnings® model and is a part of the Farm Beginnings Collaborative®.
​SFB has graduated nearly 300 sustainable farmers in the stateline region!

Farm Beginnings® is approved as an educational provider through the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency
(USDA - FSA).

Completion of this course fulfills the educational requirements for FSA loan applicants.

 Not ready to Break ground on your farm dream?

Consider joining Upper Midwest CRAFT, our farmer training alliance