This plain language guide is written for people who want to start a small farm business. This guide will help you think about the benefits and challenges of owning a farm before you begin, and will introduce you to services that will help you put your farm dream into action.
In this guide, you will learn about:
Skills you need to start a small farm
Risks & rewards of owning a farm
Resources for investing in your farm
Making a farm business plan
Marketing your products
This guide was written for small farmers in the Northeast United States, but can certainly be used in other regions - just keep in mind that some of the example figures might be different in your area.
Join the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project and the FIELD Network for our Monthly Networking Session! Connect with staff of land-based farm incubator and apprenticeship training programs! Share challenges faced by land-based training programs supporting a diversity of beginning farmers and brainstorm ideas, solutions, and shared resources. Network in breakout groups to mix and mingle with other incubator farm program staff and apprenticeship staff across the country to connect and share project updates!
Join the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project and the FIELD Network for our Monthly Networking Session! Connect with staff of land-based farm incubator and apprenticeship training programs! Share challenges faced by land-based training programs supporting a diversity of beginning farmers and brainstorm ideas, solutions, and shared resources. Network in breakout groups to mix and mingle with other incubator farm program staff and apprenticeship staff across the country to connect and share project updates!
To a beginning farmer, the project of establishing a working farm at a new site can feel overwhelming. Depending on what resources already exist at the property, the task of identifying, prioritizing, and paying for needed improvements can be a difficult road to cultivate productive farmland.
This tool is designed to help a farmer who is considering establishing a farm at a new site to examine the scope of improvements the site may require, to prioritize which upgrades should be made, and to identify various organizations and funding sources that might offer advice and/or financing for farm-related improvements. Beginning with a section about selecting a farm enterprise, this resource then addresses Land Access, Utilities and Energy, Structures, and Equipment.
This tool is designed with farmers in Massachusetts specifically in mind, but many of the elements considered are applicable to farmers in other states, as many of the MA-based organizations and resources have parallels in other states as well. Each section below will include 1) Key Considerations and Questions, 2) Resources, and 3) Contacts related to that section, and some sections will also have 4) Financing information as well.
This is not an exhaustive list of key considerations and resources associated with starting or improving a farm on a new site. Hopefully the information provided will prove valuable to farmers as they undertake the important and demanding work of creating the conditions by which a property can generate value for the community and provide a sustainable income for the producer.
Between 2005-2020, 60 farmers participated in the New Entry incubator program. This infographic shares results of a survey of graduates and farmer focus groups to share information about program outcomes, and successes and challenges for beginning farmers as they transitioned off the incubator program.
New Entry has worked for over 24 years to establish a model of local, regional, and national programming that strengthens local food systems by supporting new farmers. We serve and collaborate with the people, communities, and organizations in Massachusetts, the Northeast, and beyond.
2022 was a year of resourcefulness and resilience. We worked diligently to improve our capital assets on our incubator farm, support farmers with dozens of workshops on agricutlure technology, food safety, accessing federal programs, and to plan for the 2022 growing season. We faced a debilitating drought which impacted crops and yields, yet we accomplished much and made significant progress supporting new farmers, feeding our community, and bolstering our local, regional, and national food systems. We were able to bring back on-farm community events and host hundreds of visitors to the farm in 2022 through tours, networking events, farm-to-table dinners and our famous Pumpkin Smash. We hosted our national FIELD School in person after two years of virtual conferences with a successful event in Seattle, WA that built new connections and collaborations across the country. These efforts and more helped inform many of the new relationships and future strategic directions we are approaching with our work as we move forward in the year ahead. To dig into what we accomplished in 2022 and learn about our plans for 2023 - enjoy!
