1) The Land Stewardship Project Farm Beginnings^® Program (Southeast MN, Western WI, & NE Iowa or Western MN, Southeast SD, Northwestern IA)

2) Farm Beginnings^® Programs in Other Regions (Greenview, IL; Evanston, IL; Caledonia, IL; Two Harbors, MN; Auburn, NE; Lincoln, NE; Ghent, NY; Medina, ND; & Brookings, SD)

3) The Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (East Troy, WI)

4) The Michigan State University Student Organic Farm Certificate Program (E. Lansing, MI)

5) The Michigan Land Use Institute’s Get Farming! Programs (Traverse City, MI)

6) Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers (Madison, WI & Satellite Locations)

7) Foundation Farm School (Eureka Springs, Arkansas)

9) Penn State Cooperative Extension Beginning Farmer School (Online)

10) UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture

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1) The Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings Program includes:

* 36 hours of seminar time, much of it with established farmers.
* 12 on-farm education events, including farm tours and skills sessions on working farms.
* Course books, binders and other materials.
* Connection to a network of established sustainable farmers interested in helping you succeed.
* A one-year Land Stewardship Project membership.
* Application for a livestock loan for those successfully completing Farm Beginnings.

“The cost for the 10 month course is $1,500. The $1,500 covers the farmer presenter’s time, the materials, on-farm education and a complimentary year long membership in the Land Stewardship Project. There are a limited amount of scholarship dollars available to help if there is financial need.

Through their On-Farm Education “participants spend the spring and summer attending on-farm education sessions. They have the opportunity to tour a wide variety of farms that encompass many different systems of farming.
Tours are arranged to visit a variety of farms during the course… April- August. The purpose is to see many different operations, look at the systems each farm family has implemented, ask questions about production methods, farming techniques and be exposed to creative problem solving. The tours will consist of a tour of the farm, an overview from the farmers and a time for discussion and questions.

Their Skills Sessions were piloted in 2005-2006 and often accompanied a farm tour with a focus on specific hands-on learning. Some examples from the 2005-2006 year were preparing winter CSA shares, weeding techniques on an organic vegetable farms, fence building, calf care, prepping for and attending farmers markets.

Driftless Region (SE Minn., Western WI, NE Iowa)

• Karen Stettler (general information)

E-mail: stettler@landstewardshipproject.org

• Parker Forsell (Farm Beginnings Collaborative)

E-mail: parker@landstewardshipproject.org

• Karen Benson (class registration)

E-mail: lspse@landstewardshipproject.org

Website: www.farmbeginnings.org

Phone: 507-523-3366

Address: P.O. Box 130, Lewiston, MN 55952

Prairie Region (Western Minn., SE S. Dak., NW Iowa)

• Amy Bacigalupo (general information)

E-mail: amyb@landstewardshipproject.org

• Nick Olson (class information)

E-mail: nicko@landstewardshipproject.org

Phone: 320-269-2105

Address: 301 State Rd., Suite 2, Montevideo, MN 56265

2) Farm Beginnings Programs in Other Regions

Central Illinois Farm Beginnings
Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign/University of Illinois Extension
Small Farm and Sustainable Agriculture Extension Specialist/ SARE Coordinator
P.O. Box 410
Greenview, IL 62642
Phone: 217-968-5512
Cell: 217-341-0398
E-mail: cvnghgrn@illinois.edu
Website: http://central.illinoisfarmbeginnings.org

Illinois: The Land Connection
Terra Brockman (through the end of Aug. 2009)/ Kathy McGroarty-Torres
1227 Dodge Ave., Suite 200
Evanston, IL 60202
Phone: 847-570-0701
Fax: 847-570-0711
E-mail: terra@thelandconnection.org
E-mail: kathy@thelandconnection.org
Website: www.thelandconnection.org

Illinois: Stateline Farm Beginnings
Tom Spaulding/Sheri Doyel/Tracey Hall
Angelic Organics Learning Center
1547 Rockton Rd
Caledonia IL, 61011
Phone: 815-389-8455
E-mail: tom@learngrowconnect.org
E-mail: sheri@learngrowconnect.org
E-mail: tracey@learngrowconnect.org
Website: www.learngrowconnect.org

Lake Superior-NW Wisconsin/NE Minnesota
Cree Bradley
Lake Superior Sustainable Farming Association
2995 Hwy 3
Two Harbors, MN 55616
Phone: 218-834-0846
E-mail: cree@lakesuperiorfarming.org
Website: www.lakesuperiorfarming.org

Nebraska
Gary Lesoing
Nemaha County Extension
Nebraska SARE Coordinator
1842 N. Street-Courthouse
Auburn, NE 68305-2395
Phone: 402-274-4755
E-mail: glesoing2@unl.edu

William Powers
Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society
Executive Director
1708 North 32nd Street
Lincoln, NE 68503
Phone: 402-525-7794
E-mail: healthyfarms@gmail.com
Website: www.nebsusag.org

New York
Rachel Schneider
Educational Programs Director
Hawthorne Valley Farm
327 Route 21C
Ghent, NY 12075
Phone: 518-672-7500, ext. 105
E-mail: rachel@hawthornevalleyfarm.org
Website: www.hawthornevalleyfarm.org

North Dakota
Britt Jacobson/Karri Stroh
FARRMS
301 5th Ave. SE
Medina, ND 58467
Phone: 701-486-3569
Fax: 701-486-3580
E-mail: info@farrms.org
Website: www.farrms.org

South Dakota
Frank James/ Heidi Kolbeck-Urlacher
Dakota Rural Action
Mailing Address:
PO Box 549
Brookings, SD 57006
Street Address: 910 4th St.
Old Sanctuary Building, Suite A
Brookings, SD 57006
Phone: 605-697-5204
Fax: 605-697-6230
E-mail: heidiku@dakotarural.org
E-mail: fejames@dakotarural.org
Website: www.dakotarural.org

3) The Michael Fields Agricultural Institute offers training through:

- Their Garden Student Foundation Year, “an exploration into biodynamic and organic agriculture through theoretical and experiential building on core competencies and skills and agro-ecological literacy. The Garden Student Foundation Year prepares students for the challenges of farming, broadens awareness into issues of sustainable agriculture today and penetrates the human spirit with enlivened knowledge.

This four-term immersion program offers a foundation into agricultural study with the flexibility that can be balanced with personal schedules. The Garden Student Foundation Year begins February 3rd with the Pre-Season Term that emphasizes theoretical study.

The Spring, Summer and Fall Terms are each ten-weeks long and are production oriented. The four terms in the Garden Student Foundation Year flow together to create a comprehensive agricultural literacy. Students have the option of taking one full term of choice or completing the whole 9-month Garden Student Foundation Year.”

- Their Stella Gardens Farm Management Apprenticeship which “focuses on the individual’s goals to become a farmer. Two candidates are selected each year from the Garden Student Foundation Year to manage Stella Gardens, outdoor classroom for the Farm & Food Education Program – Garden Student Foundation Year, Whole Farm Workshops and Guided Educational Tours.

The apprenticeship opportunities include free access to cooperating farm tours, Whole Farm Workshops and select conferences as well as individualized mentoring from Janet Gamble, Farm & Food Director.

Program components Include

* Sustainable agriculture business plan development, implementation and evaluation
* Market development
* Provide hands-on, practical experience in managing a small-scale farm enterprise
* Identifying and learning core competencies and skills and time management
* Opportunity to develop educational components with Garden Student foundation Year students and visiting groups, written and oral project presentation, farm-tours by visiting public
* Opportunity to attend any MFAI educational workshops, lectures, and special events”- Their Whole Farm Workshops which “are designed to serve as entry points and pathways at every phase of an agrarian life – newly emerging farmers, farmers in transition and even those who have been farming for many years all benefit from courses.”

They “are also creating opportunities for consumers to enter into farm life through cooking, gardening and farm tours. At MFAI, you will engage in interactive workshops and on-site field trainings presented by experienced farmers offering practical, immediate solutions.”

4) The Michigan State University Organic Farmer Training Program is a 9 month intensive training program in year round organic farming focusing on diversified production of vegetables, flowers, fruits and herbs for local markets. The program emphasizes student learning in hands on farm management and decision making as well as development of necessary farming skills and knowledge.

Students engage in the management of the 10 acre certified organic farm including its 16,000 sqft of passive solar greenhouse space and the SOF production for its primary markets including a 48week CSA, 6 month on campus farm stand, and sales to campus dinning services. Students also develop competencies in farm skills through skills trainings and by engaging in the day to day work and operation of the farm. Hands-on-training is combined with workshops, lectures, readings, and assignments that build participant?s knowledge and understanding of organic farming principles and practices.  Click here to read more: http://www.msuorganicfarm.org/certificateprogram.htm

5) Get Farming! is a project of the Michigan Land Use Institute in Traverse City. Their focus is on beginning farmers and prospective growers as well as established farmers interested in new production or marketing strategies. They are hosting workshops on a variety of subjects, including:

6) The The Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers

The Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers can give you the edge you need to succeed in the pasture-based dairy and livestock industries. It is the only program of its kind in the nation, and your best resource for an education in pasture-based dairy and livestock farming.

The school has been designed to provide the opportunity for motivated individuals to educate themselves about pasture-based dairy and livestock farming. We offer our specialized training through traditional classroom activities, hands-on internships, and farm tours of pasture-based farms managed by successful graduates and mentors. We strongly emphasize the business and financial planning knowledge required to run a successful farm business. Classroom instruction at the school runs from the middle of November through the end of March undefined and our students typically participate in internships from April through July, though those dates are flexible.