“So, You Want to Farm in Maine?” Course

A course to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to start, adapt, and maintain a profitable land-based business.

Woman farmer standing in feild with a full tray of fresh lettuceThis multi-session course is designed for people who want to start a profitable farm or expand their farm hobby to a profitable business.

Successful completion of this course qualifies participants for FSA Borrower Training Credit.

Textbook: Starting and Running Your Own Small Farm Business by Sara Aubrey

Cost: $50 per person* (includes textbook)

*Except where indicated below

Objectives:

  • ­Participants will feel comfortable starting a land-based business.
  • ­Participants will understand the need for and have a framework for a business plan.
  • ­Participants will select and use a record keeping system.
  • ­Participants will understand how to use Cooperative Extension and other agencies as a resource for their land-based business.
  • ­Participants will understand the importance of and basics of marketing their products, including customer surveys.

Staff Resource:

So you want to offer a SYWTFIM course? Here are some key documents and plans to help you succeed.

Schedule:

March 7, 14, 21, 28, 2019
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Gardiner Area High School (through Gardiner Adult Ed.)
40 W Hill Rd, Gardiner, ME
Instructors: Caragh Fitzgerald, Associate Extension Professor, Agriculture, and Rick Kersbergen, Extension Professor, Sustainable Dairy and Forage Systems, UMaine Extension
*Cost is $59 (includes textbook)

October 2, 9, 16, and 23, 2018
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
UMaine Extension Penobscot County
307 Maine Avenue, Bangor, ME
Instructors: Donna Coffin, Extension Educator, Erin Roche, Crop Insurance Education Program Manager, and Kathy Hopkins, Extension Educator, UMaine Extension

October 9, 16, 23, 30, and November 6, 2018
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM
UMaine Extension Cumberland County
75 Clearwater Drive, Suite 104, Falmouth, ME
Instructors: Jason Lilley, Sustainable Agriculture Professional, Tori Jackson, Extension Educator: Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Frank Wertheim, Extension Educator, Agriculture/Horticulture, UMaine Extension

November 5, 8, 13, and 15, 2018
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Canceled due to low enrollment.
UMaine Extension Washington County
28 Center Street, Machias, ME
Instructors: Lily Calderwood, UMaine Wild Blueberry Specialist and Assistant Professor of Horticulture, and Marjorie Peronto, Extension Educator, UMaine Extension

November 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2018
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
UMaine Extension Aroostook County — Presque Isle
Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) 735 Main Street, Presque Isle, ME
Instructors: Suhkwinder Bali, Assistant Extension Professor and Assistant Professor of Sustainable Agriculture, and Linda Tricky, Agricultural Assistant, UMaine Extension

For more information or a reasonable accommodation, contact Emily Dow at 207.532-6548 or 1.800.287.1469 (in Maine) or emily.dow@maine.edu.

Northeast DARE: Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education

This project was supported by Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education