GrowNYC Farm Beginnings
Intro to Farm Business Planning

About

GrowNYC Farm Beginnings is an high-participation foundations course developed for participants with farming experience to begin the process of building their own farm businesses. Participants will focus on learning foundational components of building a farm business, apply their learnings through developing concepts for their business, and learn in community with peers, subject matter experts, and experienced farmer-owners. This program has provided foundational training and support for many farm businesses who supply our Greenmarkets and grow food for New Yorkers, and we are excited to welcome the next cohort.

Course format

Our annual course includes 10 class sessions that culminates in a presentation of learnings at the course graduation. For accessible community building, our course will be a mix of 7 virtual 2-hour classes and 3 in-person 5-hour workshops in January through March. 

→ View Course Schedule 

Cohort Size

5-10 applicants per year

Course fee

This is a free course for accepted applicants.  

Who this program is for

Our program is designed for a range of individuals with significant experience in agriculture and who are ready to take the next step toward starting a farm business, including but not limited to: field workers, farm managers, high-production gardeners ready to expand, farmer-owners in early stages of their business, and immigrants with agricultural experience from their home countries – all with ambition to farm in the Northeast. Our program is primarily focused on serving BIPOC and historically underrepresented communities in agriculture and farm business ownership.

→ View Eligibility

*Production agriculture involves the growing and selling of plants and livestock at scale (at least .5 acres). 

What this program is not for

• This course does not provide training in agricultural production.

• This course is not for people without farming experience who want to start a farm.

• This course is not for passive theoretical learning.

• Please see Eligibility and FAQ for more detail.

Develop a foundational understanding of the components involved in building a farm business.

• Understand journey from farm worker to farm ownership

• Holistic visioning and goal setting

• Strategic business planning 

• Marketing and branding

• Legal regulations and considerations

• Sales operations and logistics

• Financial planning

• Land access

• Capital and resource access
  
  

Demonstrate comprehension of course learnings and present back to class as evidence of growth and understanding.

1 presentation about course learnings

This presentation will be publicly presented at the course graduation, where you will discuss your learnings, refined goals and ideas for your business, plans for immediate next steps, and a high level roadmap of your future journey.

Network of farm business support

Classes will include guest teachers that represent a range of subject matter expertise and organizations, who will serve as valuable network connections in your journey. Your experience will also offer the opportunity to bond with a cohort of like-minded peers to learn and grow beyond the course.

Hybrid classes for accessible community building
7 virtual 2-hour classes and 3 in-person 5-hour workshops in January through March (see Curriculum for detail).

Learn from experts with field experience
Each class will be facilitated by a GrowNYC Beginning Farmer program specialist, accompanied by guest teachers who will provide expertise on the class subject.

Participatory engagement
Guest teachers will prepare substantive material, discussion questions, and activities for effective learning. Homework will be assigned and reviewed to expand upon the learnings from each class.

Community learning
Time will be provided for peer collaboration to explore and workshop ideas together.

Equity lens interwoven throughout course
Each area of agriculture in the Northeast (and the world) is deeply impacted by systemic inequity. Subject matter will be introduced through the lens of equity to acknowledge inherent biases and structural racism that uphold white supremacy and barriers that impact BIPOC and historically marginalized communities.

3 years of technical assistance for your business from the GrowNYC Farmer Assistance team

Presentation of course learnings.
Prepare and present a summary of your course learnings at course graduation

Attend at least 7 of 10 classes.
This course will involve 7 virtual classes, 3 in-person classes in NYC, and 1 in-person graduation.  

Openness to using computers
Comfort and openness to using computers will support success in this program. We will be meeting virtually and sharing working documents through Google classroom. Fluency with computers is not a requirement, but openness to learning is expected (and will be supportive of your entrepreneurial journey). 

Openness to verbal and written communication
As course material includes reading and writing to learn, communicate, and develop ideas, comfort with writing in English will support success in this program. Fluency with writing in English is not a requirement, but openness to learning is expected (and will be supportive of your entrepreneurial journey).

Committed attendance
If 2 or more no-communication absences occur for classes or workshops, students will be disqualified from graduation. 

This is a free course with limited space, and students unsure of their ability to attend or participate should provide space for students who are confident in their commitment to participate. This course occurs annually, and we encourage students to plan to take this course when they are available to focus and commit to their farming goals.

Experience

• You have at least 1 full season of production farming experience. 

• You have been paid to do production farming part-time or full-time for at least 1 full season.

Directional clarity

• You have a clear sense or idea of the type of farm business you want to workshop throughout this course.

• You have a sense of short-term and long-term goals for your farm business.

• Have a desire to develop a business idea that pursues viability.

Program goal alignment

• You want to start a farm business in the GrowNYC Greenmarket Producer region (~200 mile radius from Poughkeepsie).

• You want to start a land-based farm business that grows food and products on farmland for communities in the Northeast.

Mindset alignment

• You have an understanding of the lifestyle involved in farming for work (e.g. living in proximity to farmland, what a realistic commute means to you, working with your body full-time, personal financial goals).

Committed intention to farm

• You are committed to the idea of exploring farming as a job.

• You do not view farming as a part-time hobby.

Our Beginning Farmer program provides training, resources, and technical assistance to a limited scope of enterprises. Based on our network of resources, priority will be given to the categories we are resourced and equipped to support. Priority will also be given to enterprises who are aligned with GrowNYC Food and Agriculture’s mission to keep farmland in production in our region (~200 miles from Poughkeepsie) and provide food to New Yorkers.

Enterprises we are resourced to support:

• Food, herbs, and flowers for communities in the Northeast.

• Land-based by-products (such as honey, maple syrup, cheese)

• Aquaculture (such as oysters, kelp)
  
  

Enterprises we are not resourced to support at this time:

• • • Non-food by-products (fibers)

    • Indoor/rooftop urban agriculture businesses (capital intensive)

  • Cannabis farms

  • Majority fundraising-dependent organizations

  • Therapeutic farms
    Vermiculture/compost businesses

    • Hydroponics/aquaponics

(We suggest → Oko Farms, Farm School Public Course)

• • • Farms focused primarily on education as opposed to production

(We suggest → GrowNYC Green Space)

• • • Value-added businesses for producers that are not using farmland/plants/fungi/animals/insects/sea life to produce their own products

(We suggest → Hot Bread Kitchen)

The following variables will be the main determining factors in application evaluation:

• Regional relevancy (within 200 mile radius to Poughkeepsie)

• Course participation commitment and availability

• Sufficient farming experience

• Clarity about business direction and goals

• Eligibility of enterprise

• Commitment to farming path

• Openness to learning

If our program sounds like the right fit for you, we welcome your application and look forward to meeting you! 

Sept 1, 2023: Applications open

Oct 29, 2023: Applications close

Nov 10, 2023: Notification of acceptance, offers

Nov 17, 2023: Offer acceptance due

Jan 6, 2023: Course begins