Online courses help beginning farmers

Northeast Beginning Farmers Project online courses help beginning farmers organize records and plan for the next growing season.

Selections

Courses include:

BF 102: Markets and Profits: Exploring the Feasibility of Your Farming Ideas helps people who are exploring the feasibility of farming as a business, or who are committed to the idea but haven’t yet determined how to proceed. The course helps producers understand markets and the potential to make money growing various crops. (http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/all-courses/bf-102-markets-profits/)

BF 201: Pricing, Positioning in the Market, and Guerrilla Marketing benefits farmers seeking to grow their farm or inject some new life into their marketing. (http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/all-courses/bf-201-making-money/)

BF 104: Financial Records: Setting Up Systems to Track Your Profitability helps farmers determine if their farm business is profitable and gives guidance setting up or organizing financial recordkeeping systems. (http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/all-courses/bf-104-financial-recordkeeping/)

BF 121: Veggie Farming: From Season-Long Care to Harvest is the second half of the Veggie Farming courses, but can be taken as a stand-alone course if you missed BF 120. This course takes participants through fertility, pest management, harvest, post-harvest handling and marketing. (http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/all-courses/bf-121-veggie-farming-part-2/)

BF 122: Berry Production: Getting Started with Production and Marketing describes site selection and preparation, planning and marketing, and production considerations for strawberries, blueberries, brambles and lesser-known berry crops. (http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/all-courses/bf-122-berry-production/)

Details

The courses are taught by experienced Cooperative Extension educators, farmers and other specialists. Courses are typically six weeks long, cost $175, and include both real-time meetings (online webinars) and on-your-own time reading and activities.

Academic credit is not offered, but those who successfully complete a course will receive a certificate and may improve their eligibility to receive a low-interest Farm Service Agency loan.

For more information and to learn more about each course, visit http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses.