Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** uconn extension's long-term goal is…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** uconn extension's long-term goal is to strengthen the durability of the next generation of connecticut's beginning farmers by improving their ability to withstand disruption and setbacks (weather-related, environmental, financial, personal) and giving them tools to thrive.since 2012, uconn extension has soughtto help BF improve their production knowledge and find stable tenure on farmland. The target audience focuses on small scale, majority food-producing farmers that come from non-farming backgrounds and had no formal agriculture training. As our programming grew, so did our understanding of the different needs of beginning farmersbased on the number of years of farming experience and type of farm operation. Beginning farmers with 1-3 years of experience are typically isolated from each other and are farming on a very part-time basis; in the 2017 census of agriculture, only 32% of beginning farmersreported farming as their primary occupation. As they encounter skill gaps, they have limited time and must be selective about which trainings to attend. This is an important time to acquire fundamental skills in farm business record-keeping and production basics (e.g., how to use a caterpillar tunnel or high tunnel for season extension). BFS in year 4-6 have more clarity of what they enjoy about farming, are enthusiastic about the availability of free trainings, and are making critical decisions about their farm operation that will impact their business for years ahead. At this stage, beginning farmersare looking to build inexpensive infrastructure projects on the farm, an ideal time to level up their skills in carpentry and safe operation of power tools. With a few seasons of experience behind them, beginning farmersat this stage are strategic planners and are eager to improve their production systems. Beginning farmersin year 6-10 are the most selective about which trainings they want, looking for high value trainings delivered by experts in advanced financial management, access to credit financing, farm crew management, and innovative technologies.beginning farmersneed foundational management systems to be profitable. This includes production, financial, and marketing management. Years ago, a beginning farmerwould start out selling in a farmers' market and pocket the cash each week. Now beginning farmershave more options and programs to choose from, and IT's easy to mix and match. In addition to farmers' markets, and csas, beginning farmersmay choose to reach customers for local seeking online sales, curbside pick-up, and delivery. Beginning farmerscan directly sell to CT foodshare and other emergency food providers who are using USDA-AMS local food purchasing assistance program funds to buy local. Beginning farmerscan sell to school food service providers that are looking for local farm products using new federal and state incentives for local purchasing. Grant writing assistance is needed so beginning farmerscan take advantag, e of several new micro-granting programs, including the CT dept. Of agriculture's new farmer microgrant (up to $5,000) and the american farmland trust brighter future fund (up to $5,000). Beginning farmersalso need guidance about the potential support available to them through USDA's nrcs environmental quality incentives program.unfortunately, the limited availability and high cost of farmland continues to present a major challenge for beginning farmersin connecticut. The situation has grown more acute as farmland owners look to solar modules for income. With the nation's fourth-highest farm real estate values at $13,700 per acre (MA and RI are higher),a beginning farmerwithout land tenure faces extremely limited options to finding affordable farmland. The effort to find stable land tenure near their base of customers is emotionally draining. With 22% of farms with beginniing farmer principal operators relying on rented land, the number of farmland seekers continues to rise. There are currently 500 farm seekers and 80 farmland owners listed on CT farmlink -- an online listing service funded in part of CT dept. Of agriculture and administered by connecticut farmland trust (CFT).our proposal: uconn extension with its partners and collaborators will implement a robust suite of training opportunities for connecticut's beginning farmers over the next 3 years (2023 - 2026).we plan to make strategic investments in business and financial training, one-on-one business technical assistance, cohort-based training in production and agriculture mechanics, farmer-to-farmer learning events that build strong peer networks, and enhanced services to help BF in their search for farmland. All project activities will be delivered through uconn extension's solid ground farmer training program that was launched in 2016 to meet the needs of connecticut's 2800+ beginning farmers.first, we aim to improve business and financial management skills of beginning farmers. We will accomplish this through the delivery of essential new training and TA in farm business basics targeted for category 2 beginning farmers, and high impact trainings to help farm business owners improve their farm management skills and profitability targeting category 3 & 4 beginning farmers. Second, we will accelerate beginner farmer skills using the latest production systems and equipment by creating access to talented, knowledgeable experts and peer farmers. We will accomplish this through hands-on and in-the-field training to increase production skills and self-reliance, as well as unique learning events with structures that build peer-to-peer social networks, all targeting category 2 & 3 beginning farmers. Finally, we will address farmland access needs by increasing the likelihood of finding suitable farmland through farmland matching events and one-on-one farmland consulting. The expected number of beginning farmers who will improve their farming success is 500: by MAK, ING beneficial changes to their business & financial systems (150); by applying new production skills and knowledge (250); by building stronger peer-networks (60); and by accessing stable land tenure (40).