New Farmer Program
Please note: as of 2017 the New Farmer Program is not fully active due to budgetary and staffing reductions. The reductions specifically affect the land matching and mentorship components of the program. The other program areas are still available.
The New Farmer Program is unlike many farm incubators across the country. The New Farmer Program provides mentoring and specialized business training like marketing, accounting, business planning, and advanced sustainable farm practices for new farmers. What makes our project unique is our “leapfrogging” of the physical incubator phase, and getting you onto a private, long-term leased site right away.
Our farmers will only have to go through the start-up phase once.
Most incubator programs place farmers on shared space for a limited amount of time—usually about three years.
Upon entering these programs, the farmers must almost immediately start preparing for the end of their terms, which includes finding a more permanent location, soil conditioning at the new site, and planning their plots….all while operating their brand new businesses at the incubator site!
By matching new farmers with private landowners throughout the Agricultural Reserve from the beginning, our farmers are singularly focused on growing their businesses instead of finding new real estate. Montgomery Countryside Alliance (MCA) also offers a land link program to assist farmers with finding land.
The day you start the project you’ll begin negotiations with a landowner, be matched with an experienced mentor and have access to business planning and technical resources that will help you make the most of your enterprise concept. You'll also have access to shared equipment that can often be cost-prohibitive for a new farm enterprise.
This program is important because our region has an ever-increasing demand for sustainable, local food that nourishes our children, reclaims our environment, and provides meaningful employment within the county.
Other Beginning Farmer Resources created by the University Of Maryland Extension include:Beginning Farmer Resource Guide
Interactive Beginning Farmer Guidebook: this online, self paced course. You will need to create a free account to access the course.