Farm

Countryside Beginning Farmer Program

The Countryside Beginning Farmer Program connects beginning farmers with valuable resources through agricultural technical assistance, business support, farmlink, internship and apprenticeship opportunities.

Countryside Beginning Farmer Intern Program

Countryside launched a Beginning Farmer Intern and Apprentice program during the 2018 growing season. The first pilot year began our work to grow the next generation of food producers and farmland stewards! Our first apprentice was selected and placed at Trapp Family Farm. Katherine Shultz has farming experience and has worked with several local Ohio farms. Aspiring to owning her own farm enterprise someday, Katherine spent her time with Trapp Family Farm honing her skills and learning additional subject matter such as farm business practices and record keeping. The 2018 season welcomed two interns, Elizabeth Koby and Em Evans. The Farm Internships are perfect for people with little experience but a lot of passion for local food and restorative agriculture. Em and Elizabeth developed farm skills while working on a few Countryside Initiative farms in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

This fall, Countryside is expanding the Beginning Farmer Intern Program and welcoming a full-time Farm Educator to work with interns on our partner farm. Working with a partner farm that supplies a school dining hall allows the interns to have an active role in production planning and work directly with their consumers (the students!). The program also includes the care of on-site chickens and heritage breed livestock, as part of a new heritage breed breeding program. Stay tuned for the next application cycle for Countryside Beginning Farmer Interns.

Farmlink

Farmland Owners

If you own farmland in northeast Ohio and would like to sell or lease your land to a new and beginning farmer, we can help connect you. Contact our farm staff at farm@cvcountryside.org.

If you own a farm and are interested in finding out how to preserve your land with succession plans or preservation tools, visit our links below, or call for a free consultation.

Real Estate Agents and estate lawyers do your clients have land that they want to keep in farming? We can help them connect to new farmers looking for land.

Farmland Seekers

Looking for land? Sign up here.

Check out the National Young Farmers Coalition: Finding Farmland Calculator, here. This great tool helps farmers seeking land understand their financial options.

Farmer Education Resources for Beginning and Seasoned Farmers

For programs hosted by Countryside, visit Countryside U for classes and dates here.

Farm Succession and Protection

American Famland Trust- http://www.farmland.org/

Western Reserve Land Conservancy- https://www.wrlandconservancy.org/