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Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment

Integrating research and outreach education from UMass Amherst

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    • Crops, Dairy, Livestock and Equine
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    • Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry
    • Nutrition Education
    • Turf
    • Value-Added Food
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  • Research
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  • Services
    • Services Overview
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    • Plant Diagnostics Laboratory
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  • Farms
    • Farms and Facilities Overview
    • Cold Spring Orchard Research and Education Center
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  • News & Events
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Beginning Farmers

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SWOT Analysis cover

Risk Management/Crop Insurance Education Program

Beginning farmers face tremendous risks in establishing and maintaining farming operations.  Two tools that can greatly assist beginning farmers are the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis and the Risk Management Checklist.  Click here to access the SWOT Analysis and click here to access the Risk Management Checklist.  

Spanish version of the SWOT Analysis

Spanish version of the Risk Management Checklist

UMass Extension

UMass Extension has a variety of information and resources for beginning farmers.

Further Assistance for Beginning Farmers,

UMass Extension, in cooperation of the USDA Risk Management Agency, provides new and immigrant growers with tools to assist in evaluating and managing potential risk.  To learn more, visit the USDA New Farmers website

The following links may also provide valuable resources or information for farmers starting out in Massachusetts:

Beginning Farms

Center for Rural Affairs

Land for Good

Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

New Entry Sustainable Farming Project

Rural Information Center

World Farmers

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Beginning Farmers
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Beginning Farmers

Risk Management

  • Program Overview
  • Aquaculture
  • Beginning Farmers
  • Cranberries
  • Dairy/Forage/Grain/Silage
  • Fruits/Vegetables
  • Immigrant Farmers
  • Nursery
  • Organic Farmers
  • Tobacco
  • Whole Farm Revenue Protection

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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