March Madness
March madness has a different meaning for the farming community. March is when all of…
Growing Farmers In The Heart of Appalachia
The Farmer and Rancher Mentoring Program was established in 2017 and is the region’s first on farm internship program for beginning farmers. Since its inception, the FARM program has trained and hosted 32 local mentor farmers, helped match 35 beginning farmers with local mentors and aided in 25 new farm startups in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
If you’re interested in participating in the Farmer and Rancher Mentoring program, view the mentor profiles and complete the registration form.
200 Hours of Hands-On Learning
Beginning farmer interns will work closely with their mentors on-farm for a minimum of 200 hours. Interns and Mentors will log their time and submit to Jenni Roop.
Intern Blogging
FARM Interns are required to submit at least 2 blogs during their time on the farm. This is a great tool for tracking their progress as well as sharing their experience with others.
Individual Learning Goals
Mentors and Interns work together to develop individualized learning goals intended to inform lessons learned on the farm. These written goals serve as a road map to guide them through the growing season.
March madness has a different meaning for the farming community. March is when all of…
The struggle was real… It’s a bit surreal that our first cohort of mentors/interns are…
The past couple of years I have begun to delve into gardening and sustainability in…
I grew up in the foothills of east Tennessee on my grandparents farm, so I’ve…
Click here to read more blogs from the FARM.
The Producer Pathway was created in 2021 to help local farmers and gardeners of all skill levels understand the programs we offer and how we can help based on the knowledge they currently have and their educational goals. Explore the Producer Pathway and find out more about what programming is right for you.
View our Programs | Check out our Resources| Complete the Intake Survey
The Field School is a beginning farmer training program created by our partners in Northeast Tennessee, Appalachian RC&D. Now we are working together to expand the program to SWVA. Sessions will include business planning, finances, and marketing all geared toward helping beginning farmers create sustainable and profitable small farms. The Field School is made up of two sessions: the Summer Field School and the Winter Business Intensive.
We strive to offer educational, networking, and financial growth opportunities in agriculture production to all those who aspire to create a viable farming career, but especially to the brave men and women who have served our country.
The Producer Pathway was designed in 2021 by ASD program managers to help local farmers and gardeners of all skill levels understand the programming offered and how we can help based on the knowledge stakeholders currently have and their educational goals. Explore the Producer Pathway and find out more about what programming is right for you.