HMI and our collaborators are now accepting applications for our Beginning Women Farmer programs in Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Maine, and Texas.
HMI’s Holistic Management® whole farm/ranch planning curriculum focuses on business planning skills, time management, soil fertility management, and profitable sustainable livestock and crop farming practices.
Join the Program
If you are a beginning (less than ten years experience) women farmer or rancher in Texas or the Northeast and you are interested in joining the program, please contact the individuals below. While there is a small fee to join the program in the Northeast, scholarships are available for those in need of financial assistance. The program is free in Texas. Program applications are currently being accepted, so contact these state coordinators now!
- New York—Lauren Lines, Central NY RC&D, llrlines@aol.com (deadline October 15, 2012)
- Connecticut—Deb Legge, CT NOFA, deb@ctnofa.org (deadline September 15, 2012)
- New Hampshire—Kate Kerman, Small & Beginning Farmers of NH, kkerman@phoenixfarm.org (deadline November 15, 2012)
- Vermont—Jessie Schmidt, New Farmer Project UVM, Jessica.a.schmidt@uvm.edu (deadline November 1, 2012)
- Massachusetts—Devon Whitney-Deal, Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA), devon@buylocalfood.org (deadline October 1, 2012)
- Maine—Gail Chase, Women’s Agriculture Network (WAgN) ME, gchase@kvcog.org (deadline October 1, 2012)
- Texas—Peggy Cole, Holistic Management International, pcole@holisticmanagement.org (deadline is July 31, 2012)
More Information About the Program and our Women Farmers
If you’d like to learn more about our Beginning Farmers & Ranchers program and the women whose lives we’ve changed, please check out the following….
Beginning Women Farmer Conference: Exploring Whole Farm Planning – Conference Proceedings. This successful two-day conference was attended by farmers interested in improving quality of life, profitability, and land health. We’ve collected all of the presentations, videos and handouts and put them in one convenient location.
Here’s a fact sheet documenting the outcomes of our previous USDA NIFA funded grant in the Northeast.
Many of the women whose lives we’ve changed have are making a difference and people are taking notice. Check out these women featured in the press…
HMI New York Beginning Women Farmer founds Daily Harvest Farm
Our Beginning Women Farmers continue to inspire bloggers and receive press
HMI’s Connecticut Beginning Women Farmer 2012 Program Graduation
HMI Beginning Women Farmers Making News
HMI program participant, Tricia Park in the news
Making a Difference in the Lives of Women Farmers & Ranchers
HMI serves a valuable role in training more farmers and ranchers in ways that not only create healthy land – but also improve the profitability and quality of life of the people who live on that land. We’re proud to help these women realize their dreams of becoming self-sufficient farmers and ranchers in sustainable agriculture.
HMI’s work will also helps address the shortage of farmers and ranchers in the United States. You can read more about that in a recent blog post from HMI’s CEO Peter Holter.
I live in Alabama and am finding little to no resources for beginning women farmers here. Could ANYONE suggest ANYTHING to help me, please?
Hi Charity,
I see that Alabama A&M also received a new award for their beginning farmer program so there may be new opportunities there. There is also a women’s ag group in Alabama that you can learn more about at: http://www2.aamu.edu/saes/sfrc/pdf/AWIABrochure.pdf
I am in New York. Will I have to attend these classes in Norwich?
Della, you need to contact Lauren Lines to find out where the classes are being scheduled. They are held in different places around the state.
dear sir,
i am a farmer with social worker and established a societies help to small women farmer utilize compost organic fertilize to minimize nitrogen in drinking water and general additional income to reduce poverty in the poor community.
please could you add us with your programe .
truly,
pearls,
srilanka.
Sounds like important work. Unfortunately, we do not have funding for a program in Sri Lanka. However, we do offer free downloads of our educational material so others can learn around the world. We also have a distance program where you can learn from anywhere in the world. Please feel free to download the materials and use tem to educate the farmers you are working with.
Hello,
I came across this page from another website for young farmers. I am 28, female and would like to start a urban farm.I noticed there are very limited resources for women farmers. I’m glad I found this site!! Huge inspiration. I currently reside in GA. Are there any chapters in Georgia?
Thank you,
Bekah
Hi Bekah,
Unfortunately we don’t have a Georgia chapter. However, we do have some free download materials you can access from our home page and we also have distance learning programs so you can learn from anywhere in the world. I encourage you to begin your Holistic Management training. If you find other women farmers in your region, we can develop a small program for your group. Contact us directly if you’d like to explore that option. Glad to hear you are on the farming path. We need more women farmers! Good luck!