What is Farm Beginnings?

Farm Beginnings is Kansas Rural Center’s farmer-led training program to help guide beginning farmers and ranchers on their journey to establishing sustainable and economically sound farm and ranch businesses and achieve their goals. Our program is focused on being farmer led, community based, prioritizing racial equity, and emphasizing sustainable agriculture. Farm Beginnings is designed for new and prospective farmers who want to plan a profitable farm business. Students do not need to currently own or lease land, but some farming or production experience is helpful to get the most out of the class.  KRC is a part of the Farm Beginnings Collaborative, and national network of organizations that offer Farm Beginnings trainings.

What’s in the class?

Class will run during the weeks of January 6 - March 10 (10 weeks). Classes are hybrid, being offered both in-person and online, and generally on Thursday evenings from 4-6:30pm with some out of class reading/planning requested. We will try to meet in-person in a central location for the students a few times throughout the course. Recordings are available for any missed sessions but attendence at each class is highly encouraged. This class builds a farm business plan week-by-week and culminates in presentations of the students' plans to one another and others in the agricultural community for feedback and encouragement.

Tuition is $300 per farm (multiple farm partners may attend) and scholarships are available to assist with the costs of the course. Please email Ryan Goertzen-Regier for scholarship information. View the course schedule here. Tuition includes the costs of course materials and food at any in-person classes. The course is centered around:

Whole Farm Business Planning

You’ll reflect on your past farm experience, set goals, and develop a business plan that you can use to build a strong foundation for your farm. Across the (tentative) 10 session class, participants will:

  • Clarify their values and establish quality of life goals.

  • Learn about whole farm planning, marketing, and financing from experienced farmers and other technical experts.

  • Write a farm business plan.

Cohort Based

Learn alongside and network with other beginning farmers and ranchers from across Kansas.

Learn in a Hybrid Environment

Recognizing that your time is finite and costs are high, we want to remove barriers to participation while also helping you build networks by offering a hybrid curriculum. We’ll meet in person three times at the beginning, middle, and end of the course, with all other lessons available virtually to save you time, gas, and stress.

On Farm Field Days

Visit successful and innovative agricultural producers in the region and learn from their on-farm successes, challenges, and adaptations to keep their businesses running strong.

Farm Beginnings Guiding Principles

• Farmer Led 

Farm Beginnings is a farmer-led training program for new and beginning farmers. It was started by experienced farmers, and farmers participate at all levels as steering committee members, classroom presenters, on-farm presenters, and on-farm mentors. We believe that the leadership of farmers of color is vital to the sustainable agriculture movement.  

• Community Based 

Farm Beginnings offers new and beginning farmers a means to establish strong relationships with local farmers, businesses, resources, and consumers within a community network that supports and strengthens the local food and farming system. This means that the Farm Beginnings Collaborative is looking for interested organizations that are committed to a specific region and building long- term relationships with farmers and other resource people in their region. 

• Racial Equity

We recognize the organizations that are part of the Farm Beginnings Collaborative are predominately white-led and are in different stages of centering racial equity in their work. We hold ourselves and each other accountable to collaboratively commit to this work. The Farm Beginnings Collaborative acknowledges the historical and ongoing racial inequities and oppression towards farmers and communities of color. We commit to furthering our own understanding and supporting the farmers we interact with to do the same. We commit to using the power and influence we have across our organizations to build more inclusive and equitable agricultural systems and implement changes that make it possible for more farmers of color to be successful.  

• Rooted in Sustainable Farming

Farm Beginnings programs support sustainable farming by promoting farming practices that are ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just, and achievable for new and beginning farmers.

This work was supported by Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program grant no. 1027549 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.