$20 for PFI Members | $30 for Non-PFI Members 

Getting started in farming can be hard, but with a solid understanding of your purpose and readiness you can create a plan to guide you into farming. The Explore Farming workshop series will walk you through the process of understanding what your path looks like. 

Explore Farming is an online workshop series for aspiring farmers, helping them discover what it would really take to start a farm business. Each session includes exercises to help assess skills and resources, and provide direction for next steps in building a farm business. We’ll be joined by local farmers to share their experience in turning their farm dreams into farm reality!

Thursday, Nov. 4 | Establishing your Purpose 
Thursday, Nov. 11 | Assessing Readiness
Thursday, Nov. 18 | Creating a Plan
Land Connection meet-ups are a place for landowners to welcome land seekers to their farms for a conversation around land access. The event is two-fold, where our host landowners share with land seekers what they are looking for in potential tenants or successors and a place for land seekers to share what they are looking for in accessing land.
John Hogeland & Beth Hoffman
Lovilia, IA
Saturday, October 23 | 2 - 4 p.m.
 
Dennis McLaughlin
Cumming, IA
Saturday, October 30 | 2 - 4 p.m.
 
Denny Kasparbauer
Manning, IA
Saturday, November 6 | 2 - 4 p.m.
To RSVP for this event and receive full event details, email Celize Christy at celize@practicalfarmers.org or call the PFI office at (515) 232-5661.
Practical Farmers and Farm Commons are teaming up to offer a legal workshop just for farmers and ranchers starting TODAY, Oct. 19 at 5:30 pm CT. 

Because of our partnership with Farm Commons, we are able to offer the workshop at a discounted rate of $49, which includes a one-year membership and access to Farm Commons’ guides, webinars, resource library and more!

October 19: Farm Law as Your Creative Power
October 26: Organize Your Farm Business for Legal Success
November 2: Growing a Legally Resilient Workforce
November 9: Access Farmland with Legal Confidence
November 16: Diversify Farm Enterprises Without Adding Legal Risk

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
FACT offers free webinars on a variety of topics from marketing, farm financials to humane animal production, take a look at their upcoming webinars.

During fall 2021 and winter 2022 FACT will offer financial training for livestock and poultry farmers. FACT is partnering with Food Finance Institute (FFI) based out of the University of Wisconsin, Madison to provide three levels of programming: free webinars, subscriptions on-demand online courses, and a Boot Camp intensive workshop. They are currently accepting applications for on-demand subscriptions and Boot Camp (you can use the same application for both opportunities).
The guide is an open source document listing POC-led food organizations and farms. Add yours!
We’ve officially launched our online course season, and webinars start at the beginning of November for our second block of courses. This block focuses on production strategies, from berries and veggies to cattle and cut flowers.
The National Young Farmers Coalition is offering an online, four-part workshop series that deepens our individual capacity, collective joint struggle, and solidarity to unpack, resist, and intervene in anti-Blackness. The workshop offers participants access to political education, grassroots teach-ins, intentional reflections, and an empowering space to foster clarity and direction around our collaborative strategies to engage in joint struggle to resist and heal from anti-Blackness in our communities. Part One will be held on Wednesday, October 20, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. PST.
New Farmer U | MOSES 
Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Services (MOSES) presents a course on farm financial and business management. New Farmer U covers farm financial and business management for intermediate beginning farmers—3-6 years of farming experience—or anyone who is ready to plan for future success. > Register here
Funding Opportunities
FACT will award scholarships of up to $400 for livestock and poultry farmers to attend educational events - including virtual events - to learn knowledge, skills and best practices related to humane animal management, business and farm finance, and/or value-added production processes.
Debt Forgiveness for BIPOC Farmers
Back in March, Congress designated $4 billion in loan forgiveness for pandemic-affected, “socially disadvantaged” farmers under a provision of the American Rescue Plan Act. While these payments for BIPOC farmers have been held up, National Young Farmers Coalition is offering support to BIPOC farmers who have questions about eligibility for FSA debt relief and the effects of the payment freeze. Contact their Grassroots Manager at faith@youngfarmers.org. Also, the USDA is still asking potential beneficiaries to update their AD-2047 form in their local FSA office and return their signed letters of eligibility back to their local FSA office.
AGRI Livestock Investment Grant | Minnesota Department of Agriculture 
The AGRI Livestock Investment Grant encourages long-term industry development for Minnesota livestock farmers and ranchers by helping them improve, update, and modernize their livestock operation infrastructure and equipment. This grant program reimburses investments in buildings or facilities for the production of livestock or livestock products, development of pasture for use by livestock (lanes, watering systems, and fences), and equipment for livestock housing, confinement, feeding, and waste management. > Proposals must be received by November 17, 2021.
Organic producers and handlers can now apply for funds to assist with the cost of receiving or maintaining organic certification. This program provides cost-share assistance to producers and handlers of agricultural products for the costs of obtaining or maintaining organic certification under the USDA’s National Organic Program. > Learn more and apply by November 1.
Farmer Rancher Grant | North Central SARE
North Central Region - Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) Farmer Rancher Grant Call for Proposals is now open. Farmer Rancher grants are for ideas initiated by farmers and ranchers and are offered as individual grants ($15,000 maximum) or team grants for two or more farmers/ranchers who are working together ($30,000 maximum). NCR-SARE expects to fund about 40 projects in the twelve-state North Central Region with this call. Proposals are due on December 2, 2021, at 4 p.m. CST.
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is offering Choose Iowa Marketing and Promotion grants for Iowa producers. The grant program matches up to $25,000 per project to help farmers, businesses and non-profits increase or diversify their agricultural product offerings. Applicants can use the Choose Iowa grants to try new processing, packaging and sales techniques that add value to the commodities that they produce. For example, a dairy farmer may invest in on-farm processing or packaging equipment to sell cheese to grocery stores and farmers markets. Grant funding can also be used for employee training and continuing education programs.
Applications should be submitted through the online portal and are due by 5 p.m./CT on Dec. 15, 2021. Grant recipients will be announced in early 2022.
Questions about the Choose Iowa Marketing and Promotion grant can be directed to chooseiowagrants@iowaagriculture.gov.  
 ¿Tienes una visión para comenzar una granja o un jardín?

El taller le ayudará a tomar su visión y a cultivar un camino para convertir las metas de su granja o jardín en una realidad. Las cuatro sesiones del taller serán gratis y alojado virtualmente por Zoom.
Sesión 3: Planificación
Jueves, 21 de Octubre | 6 – 7:30 p.m.
 
Este taller lo ayudará a comprender sus necesidades y recursos agrícolas; y establecer objetivos comerciales. Con nuestro orador invitado, Victor Oyervides de extensión de la universidad estatal de Iowa. 
Sesión 4: Producto
Jueves, 28 de Octubre | 6 – 7:30 p.m.
 
Este taller lo ayudará a determinar qué planeas producir y cómo venderlo. Con nuestro orador invitado, Rodrigo Cala de Cala Farms en Wisconsin.
Field Day: "Meat Marketing Endeavors"
Friday Oct. 22 | 4-6 p.m.
Keystone, IA

Visit Nick Wallace’s farm to hear about his past, present and future endeavors in meat marketing. We’ll tour the cooler and freezer space where he stores and packs orders, and discuss the infrastructure and organization it takes to aggregate products from multiple farms. After the tour and discussion, he’ll fire up his food truck for dinner!
RSVPs are required for all "Catching Up" events to ensure we maintain the small, conversational environment these events are designed for.

Anyone is welcome to RSVP for a "Catching Up" event! To learn more about a specific event or to RSVP, email the PFI staffer indicated, or call the PFI office at (515) 232-5661.
Friday, November 12 | 1-3 p.m.
Host: Lee Matteson, Lee’s Greens | Story County
Oct. 19: Workshop-Discovering Resilience
5:30-7:30 pm | Online

Oct. 19: Livestock on the Land Film Screening- Pioneer Ridge Nature Area Haybarn Shelter
6:30 pm | Bloomfield, IA
Oct. 21: Explorando la Agricultura- Sesión 3: Planificación
6-7 pm | Online

Oct. 23: Land Connection Meet Ups- John Hogeland & Beth Hoffman
2-4 pm | Lovilia, IA
Looking for more?
Greg Padget
Next Generation Director
(515) 232-5661
Celize Christy
Next Generation Coordinator
(515) 232-5661