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Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment

Integrating research and outreach education from UMass Amherst

  • About
    • Overview of CAFE
    • Be Ambitious!
    • History
    • Strategic Directions
    • Research & Outreach Interest Areas
    • UMass Extension Board of Public Overseers (BoPO)
    • Partners
    • Locations
    • Faculty & Staff Directory
    • Contact Information
    • Civil Rights Information
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Extension
    • Extension Outreach Overview
    • UMass Extension In Your Community
    • CAFE Extension Faculty
    • Extension Outreach Projects
    • Extension Initiative Reports
  • Programs
    • Extension Programs Overview
    • 4-H Youth Development
    • Clean Energy Extension
    • Climate Change
    • Cranberry Station
    • Crops, Dairy, Livestock and Equine
    • Food Science Extension
    • Fruit
    • Greenhouse Crops and Floriculture
    • Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry
    • Nutrition Education
    • Turf
    • Value-Added Food
    • Vegetable
  • Research
    • Mass Agricultural Experiment Station
    • Information About Accessing Research Funds
    • Research Projects
    • NIFA Integrated Research and Outreach Initiatives
    • Civil Rights Information & Resources
    • Summer Scholars Program
    • REEU Internship Program
  • Resources
    • Resources Overview
    • Interest Areas
    • Extension Sales Portal
    • Agriculture & Commercial Horticulture
    • Community & Economic Vitality
    • Disaster Preparedness
    • Food Safety
    • Home Lawn & Garden
    • Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
    • Land Conservation Tools
    • Pollinators
    • Tick Testing Resources
    • Urban Agriculture
  • Services
    • Services Overview
    • Pesticide Education
    • Plant Diagnostics Laboratory
    • Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory
    • Hot Water Seed Treatment
    • Environmental Analysis Laboratory
  • Farms
    • Farms and Facilities Overview
    • Cold Spring Orchard Research and Education Center
    • Cranberry Station
    • Crop and Animal Research and Education Farm
    • Equine and Livestock Research and Education Farm in Hadley
    • Joseph Troll Turf Research Center
  • News & Events
    • Center News
    • Upcoming Events
    • News from the Media
    • Faculty/Staff Brief Bios
    • Spotlight Stories
    • Video Gallery

Beginning Farmers Resources

Resources for beginning farmers and existing farms are available through the UMass Extension program, part of the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As the state's land-grant institution, the University of Massachusetts in Amherst has the technical resources, faculty and professional staff to provide the research-based assistance needed by farmers of all backgrounds. This includes diagnostic services for pest and soil management, technical guides on all aspects of sustainable production and marketing of food crops and two research farms where new crops and production practices are constantly evaluated and refined. We draw upon our Extension history, a body of experience with a wide range of educational apporaches to adult learning, from one-on-one training on the farm, to interactive workshops and academic coursework. Our goal is to enhance the likelihood of success of new agricultural enterprises by making the best resources and training available to all new or diversifying farmers in Massachusetts.

Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment and UMass Extension, UMass Amherst

  • Calendar of Events: educational opportunities throughout the year
  • The Green Directory: annually updated directory of resources for farmers and Green Industry professionals.
  • Pest Alerts/Messages: timely notices about pests on specific crops.
  • Mass Aggie Seminars: Annual entry level workshops and training sessions by UMass Extension Fruit Program. Held on a variety of topics such as growing and pruning tree fruits and small fruits.
  • Green School: Annual comprehensive educational training program for Green Industry professionals and beginning vegetable farmers from UMass Extension, which includes a 60- hour training program for garden center managers and employees, private or municipal grounds managers and personnel, landscape and lawn care operators, growers of nursery crops and vegetable crops and professional gardeners.

Stockbridge School of Agriculture at UMass Amherst

  • Stockbridge School of Agriculture website
    • Two-year Associates Degree: Programs in Arboriculture and Community Forest Management, Equine Management, Sustainable Food and Farming, Sustainable Horticulture, Landscape Contracting, Turfgrass Management.
    • Four-year Bachelors Degree: Programs in Plant & Soil Sciences, Horticultural Science, Sustainable Food & Farming, and Turfgrass Science and Management.
  • Sustainable Food and Farming Certificate program: 15 credit program
  • Online courses: Courses offered by the UMass Sustainable Food and Farming Program
  • The Student Farming Enterprise: In-depth course for undergraduate beginning farmers taught at UMass Amherst

Cornell University

  • Beginning Farmer training courses.

Massachusetts Department of Agriculture Resources

  • MDAR’s Agricultural Business Training Program
    This program has been around for many years and offers a five-session course “Exploring Your Small Farm Dream.” MDAR offers another course, “Tilling the Soil of Opportunity,” for farmers who have been operating for two or more years and want to make new investments or expand.

New England Small Farm Institute

  • New England Small Farm Institute website
  • Exploring the Small Farm Dream: course or self-directed workbook to help use decide if agriculture is the right path for you.

New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, Tufts University

  • Farm Employment Directory: listing of available farm jobs arranged by county to make it easy to search. Updated regularly.
  • Training Farm Program: for those who have completed a farm business plan as part of New Entry’s Farm Planning Course.
  • Explore Farming!” course: offered by New Entry Sustainable Farming, Tufts University. This is the first in a series of courses available through New Entry to take you from making the decision to be a farmer through planning, apprenticeship and so forth.

The Farm School

The tuition based Learn to Farm program at the Farm School blends classroom and field instruction in vegetable crop production, livestock management, business planning, product marketing, and a variety of practical skills including carpentry and welding. Must be college age or older to apply. UMass credit possible. Located in Orange, Massachusetts.

Seeds of Solidarity Education Center, Inc.

Seeds of Solidarity Education Center, Inc. is a nonprofit organization providing internships and apprenticeships, located in Orange, MA.

Beginning Farmers Resources

  • Overview
  • Best Management Practices (BMPs)
  • Nutrient Management
  • Management Guides
  • Pest Alerts/Messages
  • Newsletters
  • Food Safety for Farmers
  • Business Resources for Farmers
  • Beginning Farmers Resources
  • Pesticide Education Training
  • Farm-Specific FAQs
  • Commonwealth Quality
  • Agricultural and Commercial Horticulture Organizations in Massachusetts
  • State and Federal Government Agencies
  • Massachusetts Agricultural Data
  • Swarm Removal

Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment

 

Stockbridge Hall,
80 Campus Center Way
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA 01003-9246
Phone: (413) 545-4800
Fax: (413) 545-6555
ag [at] cns [dot] umass [dot] edu (ag[at]cns[dot]umass[dot]edu)

 

Civil Rights and Non-Discrimination Information

College of Natural Sciences

Login for faculty and staff

CAFE Units

Mass. Agricultural Experiment Station

UMass Extension

UMass Research and Education Center Farms

UMass Cranberry Station

Water Resources Research Center

Interest Areas

Agriculture

Commercial Horticulture

Energy

Environmental Conservation

Food Science

Nutrition

Water

Youth Development & 4-H

Services

Pesticide Education

Plant Diagnostics Laboratory

Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory

Hot Water Seed Treatment

Water Testing / Environmental Analysis Laboratory

Projects

Conservation Assessment Prioritization System (CAPS)

Extension Risk Management/Crop Insurance Education

Mass. Envirothon

Mass. Herp Atlas

Mass. Keystone

MassWoods

North American Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative

RiverSmart

UMass Design Center in Springfield

Resources

Extension Sales Portal

Agriculture & Commercial Horticulture Resources

Community & Economic Vitality

Disaster Preparedness

Food Safety

Home Lawn & Garden

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Land Conservation Tools

Pollinators

Tick testing

Resources for Faculty and Staff

Extension Programs

4-H Youth Development

Agriculture

Crops, Dairy, Livestock and Equine

Fruit

Greenhouse Crops and Floriculture

Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry

Pesticide Education

Turf

Vegetable

Clean Energy

Climate Change

Food Science

Nutrition Education

Value-Added Food

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