The Savings Incentive Program is a two-year program that pairs beginning and aspiring farmers with experienced farmer mentors; and offers business planning support and guidance.

This year we are welcoming nine farmers from across the state of Iowa and three farmers joining from the Global Greens Incubator Farm program run by Lutheran Services of Iowa. They come with a variety of farm businesses ranging from vegetables to direct-marketed meat and wool. Click here for more information on the program, and to learn more about the farmers.
Take a peek at our 2022 spring magazine!
If you haven’t received it in your mailbox, give the digital verision a read online! Explore the issue with some of our featured articles:
Introduced virtually in 2021, PFI’s farmer storytelling feature was so well received, we brought it back for our 2022 annual conference. The event embodies a fundamental aspect of PFI culture: sharing experiences to learn, connect and expand our horizons.  

The theme of this year’s storytelling event was water. Five members – Levi Lyle, Air Philavanh, Cathy Lafrenz and sisters Maja and Carmen Black – shared memories demonstrating water’s healing, harrowing and humorous potential.
We can’t wait to get back on the farm this field day season – our first full, in-person season since 2019. 

At PFI field days, farmers believe in sharing their knowledge, discoveries, mistakes and successes so you can learn and grow your own operation.
Check out our newly updated local foods directory! We currently have 115 PFI-member farms listed, plus eight organizations that offer local foods and products. Check out the substantial list, with links and information that connect you directly to farmers.

Don't see your farm listed but want to be included? Please fill out and submit this form to be added. (You must be a member of PFI to be listed.)
Friendly reminder that specialty crops, grazing lands, and organic field crops can (and should) be listed on DriftWatch, which replaced the older (and less user-friendly) Sensitive Crops Directory.
This service is free through the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), and helps pesticide applicators know where specialty & organic crops (and other no-spray zones) are located so they can practice further caution near those areas. 
 
The more visible your farm and your crops are, the better. Being listed helps protect your farm, but also shows applicators and regulators the growing presence of specialty crops in Iowa ag. 
 
For more information about pesticide drift, check out PFI's Pesticide Drift webpage. Honey producers may also be interested in BeeCheck. Please note that you do not need to be an organic producer to register for DriftWatch.
Join us for a screening of our feature-length film, "Livestock on the Land," on Saturday, May 21 from 7:30-10 p.m. in Harlan, Iowa.

The film goes beyond the science to show how livestock are central threads connecting people, diversifying farms, protecting soil and water and anchoring rural communities.
BEGINNING FARMER RESOURCES
We have recently updated our collection of business, financial, production and technical assistance resources to help aspiring and beginning farmers further their business goals. You can access them by clicking on the icons below.

We will continue to build this list and add new resources as they are available. If you see any resources missing that you find helpful, please share them with us. You can send them to Celize Christy at celize@practicalfarmers.org.
Check out these resources for beginning farmers
Online | May 12
Prairie View A&M University is presenting a monthly series of free, online workshops. Topics include heirs' property, estate planning, forest management, timber harvesting, and technical assistance and financial resources available through USDA NRCS and FSA. > Learn more and register
Scientists at Iowa State University examined a range of environmental impacts of vegetable production and distribution and found that local production offers significant benefits. The study involved life-cycle analysis for 18 types of vegetables in large-scale conventional production, medium-scale direct-to-consumer production, and individual household production. 
Are you a Black, African American or Hispanic high school student aspiring to be a farmer? And, are you committed to working on a family farm after graduation? The National Black Farmers Association is offering up to 10 four-year scholarships at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for Black, African American, or Hispanic high school student farmers committed to farming their family farms upon college graduation. Applications are due by May 15, 2022.
Using Comfrey in Poultry Production | Regenerative Agriculture Alliance
In-person workshop | May 27th 
Are you interested in learning about regenerative poultry and highly nutritious animal feed alternatives?! If so, Clean River Partners and the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance (RAA) invite you to attend a workshop on May 27th from 11am-2pm in Northfield, Minnesota.

This workshop will feature RAA producers discussing recent research and the values of comfrey as feed for chickens within a regenerative system, a tour of a comfrey planting, information about comfrey root extraction, and a complimentary lunch. You'll also get a chance to obtain comfrey roots to plant on your own poultry farm! > Learn more and register
Turning your beekeeping hobby into a business | Michigan State University Extension
Online | June 8 
Beekeepers who started keeping bees as a hobby and who hope to turn their operation into a business will need to consider organizational structures, record keeping, and more. Join us for an informative webinar about how to transition from hobby to business! Join Jon LaPorte, Michigan State University Extension Farm Business Management Educator, for a presentation on how beekeepers can turn their beekeeping hobby into a business.
Finding Financial Success in Uncertain Times | Michigan State University Extension
Self-Paced Online Course
The D2L course “Finding Financial Success in Uncertain Times” is designed to help producers identify the uncertainties that exist within the farm business and how to achieve financial success through planning for and reacting to that uncertainty. The course provides a roadmap for the journey ahead and helpful information will be available at several stops along the way. 
North Central SARE announced the availability of CSA Starts Here, a series of 12 educational videos for aspiring and beginning CSA farmers, developed by five CSA farmers in the North Central Region. These free videos will help you evaluate whether or not CSA farming is a suitable model for you while also explaining the skills you need to nurture to be successful at CSA farming.
Advanced Grazing for Regenerating Soil and Enhancing Animal Nutrition | National Center for Appropriate Technology
NCAT is presenting a free, four-part webinar series led by agriculture specialists Justin Morris and Lee Rinehart. The series focuses on advanced concepts in taking regenerative grazing to the next level. Sessions are April 21, May 12, May 26, and June 9, 2022. Register online for any or all sessions.
Funding Opportunities
Farmer Advancement Funds | Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service 
The MOSES Farmer Advancement Fund assists historically underserved farmers and ranchers in fully participating in activities to help create and sustain their transition into farming, assisting in strengthening the future generation of farmers and ranchers. Funds are awarded in amounts ranging from $250 to $2,000 for Black, Indigenous, people of color, Beginning (farming 10 years or less), and Veteran farmers. > Learn more and apply
Looking for more?
Greg Padget
Beginning Farmer Viability Manager
(515) 232-5661
Celize Christy
Beginning Farmer Education Coordinator
(515) 232-5661
Martha McFarland
Farmland Viability Coordinator
(515) 232-5661