Help for New Farmers

There’s certainly a lot more to farming than just getting your hands dirty. A successful farming operation includes handling financing, dealing with government programs, bookkeeping, business planning, and marketing. Yes, farming is a real job, with all the real headaches that go along with it. That’s why the National Farmers Union will be offering a new Beginning Farmer Institute to persons who are considering starting up a farming operation, or who are in the stages of transferring a family farm from a relative. NFU President Roger Johnson says that “the program is designed to answer any and all questions new farmers may have, and most importantly share farming expertise to answer questions that people don’t always think of asking when they’re first starting out”. The new program is based on applicant acceptance, and those applicants that are accepted will able to attend two education sessions, one this summer, and one this fall. But hurry, applications need to be in by April 30, 2011. So new farmers, don’t be discouraged, help is out there. Remember: if you don’t ask, you don’t get.