CT NOFA is looking for Beginning Farmers!
We have a number of programs coming up specifically for the Connecticut area’s beginning farmers (farmers with less than 10 years of experience). 

Scholarships:
Interested in coming to the CT NOFA 2012 Winter Conference?  If you have been farming for fewer than 10 years, you are eligible to apply for the Beginning Farmer Scholarship using this application. 

Upcoming Beginning Farmer Workshops:
“Soils and Compost Workshop” Saturday March 10, 2012 10:00am – 12:00pm

The Connecticut Journeyperson Program:

We are currently accepting applications for the Journeyperson Program.  The program is a two-year commitment, in which CT NOFa provides educational and business planning stipends, access to all NOFA educational and networking events, and matches participants with a mentor farmer.  The goal is to support farmers in the education gap between apprentice and independent farmer.

For more information on the Journeyperson Program, visit the webpage here.
You can apply with an online form or with a pdf form.

Our Beginning Farmer program is part of a regional project, “Cultivating a New Crop of Farmers from Apprenticeship to Independence” shared between the Northeast Organic Farming Associations of New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.  The project is funded by the National Institute for Food and Agriculture, through the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. 
This collaborative project will allow each organization to boost their Beginning Farmer outreach through educational programs, networking opportunities and overall support to aspiring and beginning farmers and the experienced farmers who help to train them in the art and science of agriculture.

In 2012 CT NOFA will:

• Launch an online apprentice and host farm directory
• Host 5-6 Spring, summer and fall in-field technical skills workshops

Beginning Farmer Resources
Connecticut Farm Resources

• Connecticut FarmLink
• American Farmland Trust “Farmland ConneCTions”
• Connecticut Agricultural Business Management
• New CT Farmers Alliance

New England Resources

• Small Farms Quarterly
• Northeast Beginning Farmers Project
• The Northeast Beginning Farmers Project “New Farmer Hub”

 National Resources

• The Greenhorns
• Center for Rural Affairs