Access to Markets: Growing for a Farmers Market

January 10, 2017Beginning Farmers, Blog

By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Coordinator Farmers markets can be an important source of supplementary income and public exposure for both small scale producers and beginning farmers and ranchers. Not only do they provide access to additional markets and new consumers, but they also eliminate the costs of processing, storage, wholesale, and distributing associated with traditional … Read More

Access to Land: Farm Church Q&A

January 5, 2017Beginning Farmers, Blog

By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern Allen Brimer is the farmer/pastor at Farm Church, an agriculturally-minded religious community. Brimer has extensive experience cultivating produce and raising farm animals, as well as over a decade of religious service. In this Q&A, Brimer tells us more about his operation and the challenges and opportunities he has encountered farming for … Read More

Access to Land: Farming for a Paycheck

January 3, 2017Beginning Farmers, Blog

By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern Among the many alternative agricultural economic models that have cropped up in recent years, farming for a paycheck has become increasingly common. Unlike traditional farming models, in which a producer’s self-generated income is contingent on crop yields and sales, in this arrangement, a third party guarantees producers a fixed salary … Read More

Access to Markets: Managing a Farmers Market

December 29, 2016Beginning Farmers, Blog

By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern Nestled next to Basalt Town Hall, with access to main street shops and eateries, the Sunday Market in Basalt, Colorado  is an economic driver for our rural mountain town. To the credit of previous market managers and board members, the 40-plus vendor market is the social occasion of the summer, … Read More

Access to Markets: Introduction

December 27, 2016Beginning Farmers, Blog

By Thomas Driscoll, NFU Director of Conservation Policy and Education Farmers and ranchers need a wide range of abilities and knowledge to succeed. Depending on the operation, a beginning producer may require aptitude in livestock nutrition, tractor repair, meteorology, regulatory permitting, purchase order negotiations, and more… all in the same day! But even the mastery of all … Read More

Access to Capital: Barnraiser Q&A

December 22, 2016Beginning Farmers

By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern David Whittaker, Owner of Oak Meadows Farm in Ferndale, WA, successfully raised $5,365 through a Barnraiser crowdfunding campaign. David raises pastured hens, turkeys and quail for meat and egg production. Read through this short Q&A to find out more about his experience accessing capital to grow his operation. Why did … Read More

Access to Capital: Crowdfunding

December 20, 2016Beginning Farmers

By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern Are you a farmer with a well-considered and lucrative plan for value-added production, but without the business history to secure a loan for the necessary equipment? Do you think your customers would pitch in to help you buy a smaller tractor if they could secure preferred access to the produce you … Read More

Access to Capital: Farm Service Agency

December 15, 2016Beginning Farmers

By Mike Nolan, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union; President, Four Corners Farmers and Ranchers Coalition Three years ago in August, I bought a small, 13-acre parcel of irrigated land in the Mancos Valley of Colorado. I had been farming for 6 years at that point, but paying a mortgage and building permanent infrastructure was completely new to me. … Read More

Access to Capital: Introduction

December 13, 2016Beginning Farmers

By Tom Driscoll, NFU Director of Conservation Policy and Education The stability of the food supply in the United States depends upon farmers’ access to credit. Credit presents challenges to all farmers and ranchers because cash flows differently for farms than it does for many other types of businesses. But obstacles to credit can be especially … Read More

Access to Land: Succession Planning

December 8, 2016Beginning Farmers

For beginning producers who farm and ranch on intergenerational family operations, good succession planning is essential to securing access to land. By Brittany Ann Bula, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Beginning Farmer Institute 2016-2017 As a 4th generation farmer, and as my parents grow older, the touchy subject of secession farming is brought up more often than not. … Read More