Helping a new generation of farmers take root is the focus of a new University of Idaho Extension project, which will offer a workshop series beginning Jan. 14 focused on how to start a small farm or ranch.
The workshop series is part of the Cultivating Success Program. Funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, the three-year Cultivating Success program will take a comprehensive approach to train beginning farmers and connect them with experienced mentors.
The first offering of the new project, “Starting Your Sustainable Idaho Small Farm,” begins Jan. 14, 2016, at 10 locations across Idaho.
The five-session series will include six-hour workshops, a webinar and farm tours. This will help those aspiring to operate small farms and ranches take a realistic look at their goals and resources, said Iris Mayes, UI Extension Latah County small farms and horticulture educator in Moscow.
Jan. 7 is the registration deadline for the workshop series, which will run until March 31. Students will visit local farms and ranches and learn about:
* Assessing goals and resources.
* Evaluating crop and livestock options.
* Completing a whole-farm plan.
* Exploring farming and ranching systems.
* Consulting with experienced farmers.
The course fee is $115. Some partial scholarships are available. More information is available online at www.cultivatingsuccess.org. Local sessions will be organized by UI Extension faculty in Boise, Caldwell, Cascade, Coeur d’Alene, Emmett, Hailey, Moscow, Salmon, Sandpoint and Weiser
The $506,122 grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture draws on a 15-year effort by the UI Extension Small Farms Program that has enrolled nearly 600 students across Idaho in the Cultivating Success training program.
Cinda Williams, UI Extension’s Moscow-based small farms specialist for northern Idaho, established the first Cultivating Success classes in 2001. The classes teach aspiring farmers and ranchers how to develop a plan for their operations, strategies to gain land and resources and similar business skills.
Cultivating Success was developed by UI, Washington State University and Rural Roots, which is a member-based nonprofit group geared toward sustainable small farmers and ranchers in the inland northwest.
The workshop series has sites throughout the state to help beginning farmers meet others with the same goals and to connect with experienced farmers and UI Extension educators who help them find other resources.
“The goal is that at each site we build this community,” Mayes said, “that’s very different from just watching a webinar.”
The UI Extension Small Farms Program will help by using its established connections. In many cases, the major obstacle facing small farmers and ranchers is finding land, Mayes said.
The project will establish a land link network to connect small farmers with those who have land available.
“Beginning farmers often don’t have capital to buy land,” Williams said. “Some landowners are willing to make non-traditional farm lease arrangements because they are supportive of beginning farmers. It’s not all about the economic value, it’s about supporting their growth while they get started.”
The new workshop series that begins in January focuses on building a community for beginning farmers locally. The workshops will be facilitated by UI Extension educators and experienced farmers will be present to help the beginners.
“We want to encourage people by equipping them with the right skill set and the right information,” Mayes added. “The overall goal is we’re going to increase the number and success of small farmers throughout Idaho.”