Beginning Farmer Resources

The websites in the following list are beginning farmer resources that we have pulled together from our partner website, BeginningFarmers.org, and updated for 2025. 

At the federal level, beginning farmers are defined as those having 10 years or less experience in the field. According to 2022 Census of Agriculture data, those who are newer to farming account for 1 million of the nation’s 3.4 million producers, with an average age of 47.1. Their farms were smaller than average in both acreage and sales. The top states with beginning farmers are Alaska, Georgia, Maine, Hawaii, Florida, Rhode Island, West Virginia, New Hampshire, and Colorado.

Some of the resources listed below are broadly applicable while others are more geographically focused. They are not listed in any particular order, so we encourage you to survey the list in its entirety and discover what is most applicable to you, your agricultural aspirations, or your budding farming operation.

And, of course, if there are other resources that you recommend and think should be included here, we’d love to hear about them! Please email us at social@agdaily.com.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers dedicated help to beginning farmers and ranchers. The USDA considers anyone who has operated a farm or ranch for less than 10 years to be a beginning farmer or rancher. Additionally, the USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture highlights a key funding opportunity. 
• Farms for a New Generation is a national initiative from American Farmland Trust that supports new and next generation farmers and ranchers to gain access to land, steward it well, and succeed in agriculture. This is done through trainings, partnerships, and research. AFT also has a new Land Transfer Navigators program in partnership with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Services that helps exiting farmers and landowners retire with confidence and help new, beginning and underserved farmers gain secure, equitable land access. Lastly, be sure to zero in on the Brighter Future Fund for financial opportunities from American Farmland Trust.
• New England Small Farm Institute (NESFI) is a land-based, non-profit organization founded in 1978. And they have an extensive collection of fantastic resources for aspiring and beginning farmers. Their comprehensive website includes “an extensive resource collection; produce publications; develops and offers innovative, farmer-guided programs; and advocates for policies that encourage sustainable small-scale agriculture.”
• The Northeast Beginning Farmer Project From Cornell University Cooperative Extension, offers online courses, interactive farm planning tools, a new farmer discussion forum, and lots of useful information and links.
• The Virginia Beginning Farmer & Rancher Coalition Project is a collaborative effort represented by beginning farmer stakeholders across the Commonwealth of Virginia. The project is housed in Virginia Tech’s Department of Agricultural and Extension Education. The state of Virginia also has a resource guide with helpful links for beginning farmers.
• The Beginning Farmer Center at Iowa State University provides a number of helpful resources for the next generation of farmers.
• Penn State University has a Beginning Farmers Page with plenty of useful information. The page offers case studies, publications on Farm Decision Making; Marketing Opportunities For Small Farmers; Managing Risks; Farm Succession Strategies; Farmer Cooperatives; Alternative Production Processes, and more.

• The Center For Rural Affairs offers a number of Programs and Resources Specifically for Beginning Farmers.
• The Land Stewardship Project offers all sorts of resources for beginning farmers. In addition to their Farm Beginnings training program, they are a great source of information for farm policy and activism, promoting sustainability, developing farmer resources, and much more.
• The Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) is a great resource for beginning and aspiring farmers. ALBA ‘generates opportunities for farm workers, limited-resource, and aspiring farmers’.  Their mission is ‘to advance economic viability, social equity and ecological land management’. ‘ALBA aims to contribute to a more just and sustainable food system through the development of: 1) human resources that will be tomorrow’s farmers and sustainable agriculture leaders; 2) growing marketing alternatives for small-scale, limited-resource farmers; and 3) the enhancement of biological diversity and protection of natural resources — all necessary components of such a food system’. Their ‘overall goal is to create greater economic opportunities for small farms while promoting ecological land management and healthy local foods. Objectives accomplished in pursuit of this goal include training in organic farm production, marketing, record-keeping, labor law, pest management and numerous other topics related to operating a small farm business’.
• The New Entry Sustainable Farming Project has the following mission: ‘to improve our local and regional food systems by training the next generation of farmers to produce food that is sustainable, nutritious, and culturally-appropriate and making this food accessible to individuals regardless of age, mobility, ethnicity, or socio-economic status.  In doing this work, we provide critical training, career development, and economic opportunity to new farmers.’
• The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) is a great regional resource. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, they are dedicated to “expanding local food markets that will preserve our agricultural heritage, give everyone access to fresh, healthy food, and keep our farmers farming.” Among the many things they offer are Farm to Business, Farm to School, and Farm to Hospital resources; Conferences and Educational Programs; Farmer Grants; Family Farm Tours; Research; Publicationa; and many useful Links. A great resource for farmers and others in the area.
• FamilyFarmed.org is based in the Chicago area. Their ‘Mission is to expand the production, marketing and distribution of locally grown and responsibly produced food and goods, in order to enhance the social, economic and environmental health of our communities’. They offer Market Development programs, an annual Expo, and other useful information.
• Farm Credit has an article titled, 17 Tips for Getting Started in Agriculture, to help break down some of the preconceptions and needs of those looking to enter the farming and ranching spaces.
• Vermont’s New Farmer Project has lots of tools and information for beginning farmers in Vermont and beyond.
• The University of Arkansas has put together a series of modules to help beginning farmers find information on topics including business planning, poultry production, goat and sheep production, basic agroforestry, farm safety and sustainable agriculture. All these materials are available free of cost in English here and also in Spanish.