Beginning Farmer Institute accepting applications through July 1

Improve the health of your farm or ranch business by participating in National Farmers Union’s Beginning Farmer Institute. The free, online, 10-week intensive program is open to producers ages 18 and up and is inclusive of all operation types and scales of production.

“BFI is not just for the beginning farmer. We all come from a very diverse background – from young farmers just starting out to very remote generational farmers. The diverse background and knowledge pool really helped everyone with ideas and comradery, listening to struggles and how they worked through them, and the opportunities to be found,” Kimberly Robinson, a second-career farmer who raises Dorper sheep.

The program was broken into bite-size chunks and was helpful for setting plans in motions, setting goals and next steps, and learning more about paperwork, Robinson said.

“Accounting, bookkeeping, and taxes was and are my largest fear. But through the course, I was able to take the information taught to us, apply it to my daily or weekly, bookkeeping and when I took our 2024 taxes to our accountant, we had almost everything done for them. We didn’t struggle, and I wasn’t brough to tears over taxes. What a huge relief!” she added.

From October through December, participants who are selected through the competitive application process will have weekly online trainings led by farm business management experts and engage in peer-to-peer learning.

Participants who complete all necessary course requirements will be considered for an additional in-person session the following spring, to include additional trainings, farm tours, and networking opportunities with Farmers Union leadership.

The Beginning Farmer Institute is open to any U.S. producer over 18. Applicants must be currently farming or ranching, and operation must be for-profit. Operations of any size and type may apply. You do not have to be the owner of the operation, but must be considered a key decision-maker.

“I was on the fence, but the best decision I made was to apply,” Robinson said. “I left each class excited about the possibilities we can do to bring income to my farm through business planning, the knowledge my family is on the right path, reduce the stress of bookkeeping and taxes. BFI also helped me to start the more difficult conversations of our operation with the family and turn those conversations into creative plans.”

Applications close July 1. Apply today at: https://www.eventcreate.com/e/bfi.