Entering Farmer 20179
I am a new farmer. Last two years we leased a five-acre farm and a fifty-acre farm site in NJ. These properties had irrigation, high tunnels and barns. We farm with the purpose of offering fresh fruit and vegetables to underserved communities. I believe in less inputs and a healthy regenerative process to growing food. Prior to this I have worked in regional hospitals as Culinary & Nutritional Manager, and I have 30+ years in the gourmet restaurant and resort industry. We currently operate an online marketplace which features home delivery to try to get nutritious foods into the hands of those who need it most.
I am seeking either a smaller parcel to grow vegetables and herbs, to supply my customers and a farmers’ market. Or I would like to take on another larger parcel but with support to help make the venture successful.
Entering Farmer 20178
My name is Jacqueline and I’m a first generation farmer interested in livestock production as a means to improve land and mitigate climate change. I dived headfirst into farming in 2020 when I took an internship in the Adirondacks of New York on a goat dairy and diversified livestock farm. At the peak of the pandemic, I moved to live and work as an intern at Asgaard Farm & Dairy in upstate NY. My responsibilities there varied widely and I improved my skills in many areas: animal husbandry rotational grazing and pasture management, making and packaging hundreds of pounds of cheese daily, operating farmers’ markets and managing online sales and marketing, record keeping from animal chores to inventory upkeep, and more. It was during this season that I discovered my love of farming and committed to a lifelong career of producing and promoting food made well.
The next season, I was accepted into the Rodale Institute’s Farmer Training Program and relocated to the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania to work on this highly respected and well-known organic research farm. With a team, we grew a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers and served a 100 member CSA and a couple of markets in underserved communities in surrounding cities. This work was supplemented with educational experiences: classes on topics from soil health to financial management and drawing up a business plan, as well as visits to surrounding farms, retailers, and food system operations. My first year here was an absolutely incredible experience but I especially gravitated towards the livestock component of the program. I helped raise pastured pigs, broilers and laying hens, Thanksgiving turkeys, and a small herd of steers under the guidance of my mentors.
For this upcoming season, I am planning on following through on the second year track of the RIFT program. The second year will hone in on team management and tractor skills and further develop my business plan and strategy for my own operation. With all the connections I have made at the Rodale Institute, I intend to find the right opportunity to develop a profitable and sustainable business. While the specific details of the future remain open-ended, I have a very clear idea of my values and goals and trust that my previous experiences will guide me along to the right situation.
Entering Farmer 20177
I am Enthusiastic student of small scale organic agriculture, self sustaining
homesteading and wildcraft practices.
skills:
*only organic growing experience, focus on soil health
*orchard management
*greenhouse/high tunnel
*planting times /rotation
*seeding: direct/flats
*seedling care and transplant
*harvest/clean/sort/pack/preserve
*electric fencing /staking
*low impact land usage
*physical labor/hand tools
*farm and excavation equipment usage & maintenance
*construction of ponds and irrigation systems
*building maintenance/repairs
Proposal for Use of Land:
We are going on our third year as market farmers participating in our county’s local farmer’s
markets. We intend to spend the rest of our professional careers operating a market garden /
small farm in order to provide quality products to the consumer that are responsibly produced.
We would like to find land to facilitate this. As we have no mechanical equipment at this time, we can only care for small acreage.
We would prefer a land opportunity with housing. We are open to lease or trade.
Allowing the opportunity for consumers to
buy directly from the farm on which it is grown is high priority. In the future we envision
sharing our passion of working with the earth, especially with youth.
Entering Farmer 20168
Hello,
My name is Arielle. In doing research about the various programs I found this organization. I am very much interested in working with FarmLink and the USDA to apply for a loan to buy a farm operation and make a difference in Pennsylvania. I am new to this process and wondering who I need to be in contact with and how to apply to various programs to buy property. We would like to be at most 2.5-3 hours away from Philadelphia where our families are located.
About me, I am a recent graduate from Pennsylvania State University. I am a person of color. My partner Edwin and I have an immense interest in farming and entrepreneurial spirit towards natural solutions to existing problems. Our family is in the midst of learning how to care for alpacas and goats to produce yarn, wool, Goat Milk and Cheese. We are also learning to produce herbs and local honey by planting gardens, building and maintaining an apiary. We have a small business collective where we vend our artisanal natural products at local farmers markets in Philadelphia. This is the specific type of production we are looking for assistance. We have the skill set to sustain our growing family by farming.
Please reach out with more information on applying for assistance to begin building a black owned farm in Pennsylvania. All assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated.
Attitude of gratitude,
Arielle Reid