COCKEYSVILLE, Md. — Future Harvest, the Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, is now accepting applications for its 2022 Beginner Farmer Training Program (BFTP), which provides free, year-long training in sustainable agriculture to the next generation of Chesapeake region farmers.
The program (BFTP) offers three tailored levels of training designed to meet the needs of beginning farmers at different stages in their careers, from entry-level to advanced. Each level combines a comprehensive classroom curriculum with hands-on learning at the Chesapeake region’s most successful farms that employ practices that are profitable, protect land and water, and build healthy communities. Program requirements are designed with scheduling flexibility to allow new farmers to further their agricultural knowledge and networking while still maintaining their own farms or other work.
“The Beginner Farmer Training Program is strategically built around support systems,” says BFTP Director, Amyrose Foll. “We cultivate the next generation of farmers and ranchers through careful mentorship matching, hands-on learning opportunities, and in-depth coursework. We are proud to see the impact our graduates have on the regional foodshed.”
The program has undergone exponential growth since it began 12 years ago. Including the 2021 class, the program has trained about 400 new farmers. The BFTP has helped launched dozens of notable farms and careers in the region, many of whom have continued on as mentors for new farmers in the program.
The BFTP application period for 2022 is now open to new or beginning farmers in urban, suburban, and rural settings, across the Chesapeake region: MD, VA, DC, WV, and DE. The deadline for applications is Friday, October 22, at 11:59 pm. With a limited number of spots available each year, interested applicants are encouraged to begin filling out their applications soon, allowing ample time for thorough answers.
To make the program accessible to a broad range of aspiring farmers, enrollment in the BFTP is free thanks to annual fundraising through the Tipper-Gurley Fund, named for the program’s founding farmers. Trainees receive a host of additional benefits: a complimentary annual Future Harvest membership and free access to Future Harvest Field Days and webinars throughout the year, online and in-person classroom series, and admission to Future Harvest’s large annual conference.
To learn more, apply, or donate to Future Harvest, visit www.futureharvest.org
–Future Harvest