Exploring the Small Farm Dream

Have you ever thought about starting a farm?  Whether your vision includes making goat cheese, selling cut flowers, or growing rare tomato varieties, this course will give you the tools to start making that dream come true. Whether you are thinking of going into farming full-time, part-time, or expanding an existing hobby farm into a business, this course will help you turn your farm dream into an actionable farm plan. Participants will discuss current opportunities in small-scale agriculture production; explore personal objectives; assess personal and financial resources; conduct preliminary market research; and develop an action plan for pursuing their interests in food and farming. Presentations by established farmers and tours of local farms will help participants explore their ideas. This class does NOT cover technical production skills.Evening classes online from 7-9 pm on February 9, February 16, February 23, and March 2 2022, as well as an optional daytime farm tour, TBA. Tuition is $350.00/person for NOFA-NJ members including all course materials. Tuition for non-members is $400.  Please Register

About the Instructor: Jess Niederer is a 13^th-generation farmer in Hopewell, New Jersey. She founded Chickadee Creek Farm in 2010, which quickly grew into a thriving business serving 7 weekly farmers markets through a market CSA. Jess completed a BS in Natural Resources at Cornell, after which she worked in ornithology and disaster response in Nicaragua and New Orleans. She returned to New Jersey in 2008 to apprentice at Honey Brook Organic Farm with the dream of starting her own farm. Jess has been teaching Exploring the Small Farm Dream with NOFA since 2008. Jess was the recipient of the 2016 National Outstanding Young Farmer Award.