Beginning Farmers and Ranchers

Beginning farmers and ranchers hold the key to agricultural revitalization, but it can be hard for them to find affordable land at the urban edge. SAGE’s innovative land tenure models can be applied on public or private lands to help new and beginning farmers and ranchers get established and existing small producers to scale up.

Despite the decline of the farm population in the U.S., a new generation is showing increasing interest in sustainable agriculture; as are immigrant farmers looking to start farming anew. However, without family connections to farming, would-be farmers often lack access to farmland and farming knowledge. Beginning farmer and rancher land access and mentoring programs are central to agricultural revitalization strategies, especially at the edges of cities.

Creating new models

SAGE is creating new models of how to foster land access and pass on associated farming knowledge through our place-based work at Sunol AgPark, Coyote Valley and in Brentwood.

Providing technical assistance

SAGE partners with other organizations to support beginning farmers and ranchers through providing training and technical assistance.

Fostering the use of tools and resources

SAGE helps create and disseminate the use of tools and resources to support beginning farmers and ranchers.

Subscribe to Bay Area Farmers and Ranchers Network Google Groups List-Serv to receive information about events, opportunities, news and discussions for beginning farmers and ranchers in the Bay Area.

You can also sign up to receive Beginning Farmer & Rancher opportunities directly from SAGE. Please provide some information on your farming operations or interest below:

Other useful online resources and organizations for beginning farmers and ranchers:

Growing Roots– Growing Beginner Farmers through Agricultural Learning Hubs. See their Calendar of Events for workshops and events for beginning farmers.

CA FarmLink – A nonprofit organization that provides farmers with the tools they need to lease and purchase land, access capital, and improve business and financial management skills.

NCAT-ATTRA – A program of the National Center for Appropriate Technology providing information and technical assistance regarding sustainable agriculture to farmers, ranchers, Extension agents, educators, and others in the US.

CA Farm Academy – A non-profit educational program dedicated to training, mentoring and providing access to land for motivated, hard-working farm entrepreneurs.

ALBA – A non-profit organization that provides educational and business opportunities for farm workers and aspiring farmers to grow and sell crops grown on two organic farms in Monterey County, California

National Young Farmers Coalition – a national farmer led partnership bringing farmers together in person and online to learn, share and build a stronger community.

Greenhorns – An organization dedicated to recruiting, promoting and supporting the new generation of young farmers through avant-garde programming such as video, audio, web content, publications, events, and art projects.

Farms Reach – Dedicated to growing farmer networks through providing practical tools, services, and connections so farmers can learn from each other and optimize their operations.