Now more than ever, the world needs farmers!
The application process for 2021 is now closed.
Click here to be added to the Farmer Training Interest List and you'll be the first to know when 2022 opens!
Click here to be added to the Farmer Training Interest List and you'll be the first to know when 2022 opens!
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In 2021, we went virtual. Weekly sessions during Winter 2021 were virtual & in real-time. Participants could connect with one another and learn from regional farmers and experts without the commitment and cost of travel, and while in the convenience, comfort, and cleanliness of their homes. 
Stateline Farm Beginnings® is a yearlong course, with 60+ contact hours of class time, designed to help launch or expand your farm business. The program has three components: Farm Dreams Intensive, Skills Building Practicum, and Farm Business Intensive.
We’ll begin in winter, with the shaping of your dream farm into a functional scheme, resulting in a personalized proposal as well as a tailored learning plan. During Spring and Summer, you’ll work with a mentor who is already practicing within the realms of your declared interests. In Autumn, we’ll focus on business development and finance budgeting/literacy, resulting in a submittable business plan. Most sessions feature a farmer or expert panel segment, where you’ll hear first-hand the experiences of innovative Midwest practitioners and professionals. All sessions feature a collaborative, group-learning, virtual space for creating lifelong friendships within a new farming network. Typical presenters include: farmers, University professionals, accountants, attorneys, Extension educations, USDA program personnel, insurance providers, bankers, and more. 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. Veterans and BIPOC are strongly encouraged to apply! |
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. |
Stateline Farm Beginnings® has 3 Sessions:
- January to March - Farm Dreams Intensive
- 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
- New, beginning 2021: Take this as a standalone course or as a part of the complete Stateline Farm Beginnings® program
- March to October - Skill Building Practicum
- 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 mentor who is practicing the work or ethos you’re interested in. Arrangements are flexible, taking location, employment and family into account
- September to December - Farm Business Intensive
- Dive into budgeting, pricing strategies, completing and understanding financial statements, and developing a business plan
Not ready to start a farm business?
Consider joining Upper Midwest CRAFT, our farmer training alliance!
The Stateline Farm Beginnings program is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2019-49400-30072.
The Stateline Farm Beginnings program is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2019-49400-30072.
Additional Partners and Funders:
