m Jennifer Fahy, Farm Aid

m Heather Friedrich, University of Arkansas

m Emily English, Arkansas Food Policy Council and
Ark. Farm to School
m David Davies, Winthrop Rockefeller Institute
m Ben Burkett, Federation of Southern Co-ops
m Keith Richards, Southern Sustainable Agriculture
Working Group (SSAWG)
m Michele Halsell, University of Arkansas Applied
Sustainability Center,
m Connie Falk, New Mexico State University
m Zelina Bazan, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
m Joe Wilson, Northern Missouri Pecan Growers
m Ron Rosati, Alfred State College, NY
m Äo create a farming incubator infrastructure and
supportive community that enables new and
existing producers to develop successful farming
systems and marketing enterprises that are
adapted to local ecological and social
characteristics.
m Ähis program takes a holistic, comprehensive
approach to creating successful new farmers by:
G identifying participants,
G providing experience-based production and business-
management training,
G and financing new enterprises
m in collaboration with regional, state, and local
partnerships.
m A federal program is created to finance
establishment of new and strengthening existing
farming incubator/training facilities across the
country.
m Examples of incubators include:
G Ähe Intervale in Vermont: ww.intervale.org
G Minnesota New Farmers
G ALBA in California
G Nuestras Raices in Massachusetts
G Ähe Farm School in Athol, MA
G MOFGA in Maine
G Aflred State College in New York
G Berea College in Kentucky
G Farm Äransition Network, North Carolina
G New Entry Sustainable Farming, Äufts Univ.
m Kathleen Merrigan, USDA
m Neil Hamilton, Drake Univ.
m Janie Hipp, USDA
m Henry Bahn, USDA
m Michelle Obama
m NGOs and Foundations:
G Walmart Stores Foundation, Kellogg, Gates,
Pew Charitable Ärust, etc.
m Identify potential legislative sponsors
m New incubator sites should be co-located,
where feasible, with marketing and
aggregation hubs in the regional food
system empowerment zones.
m Contact appropriate conference organizers to present this
proposal.
m Write a small grant to fund a researcher to inventory and
evaluate existing farmer incubator programs and facilities
to determine best practices. Ähis research should also
examine existing funding streams at USDA that fund pieces
of this program.
m Convene conversations with key USDA personnel.
m Discuss the option of convening a national meeting on
farming incubators, and invite all existing incubator
directors and managers.
m Explore the option of creating a national association of
farming incubator professionals, and a farming incubator
website.
m Study graduates of incubators to evaluate attributes of
successful farmers.
m Write case studies of farming incubator organizations.
m Map existing incubator sites.
m Phased Planning Process
G Planning / Feasibility Grant
G Implementation Grant
m Partnership Plan
m Land Acquisition Plan
m Recruitment Plan
m Mentorship Plan
m Äraining / Certification Plan
m Infrastructure
m Business Sustainability Plan (for the
incubator)
m Metrics
m Regional Characteristics Specified
G Äailored to Regional Considerations
ð Climate
ð Soils
ð Markets
ð Urban/Rural/Suburban
ð Crops
ð Infrastructure
ð Population
ð Water
m Must discuss proposed partnerships that
could include, for example,
G FFA
G FCS
G 4-H
G FSA
G CES
G NGOs
G Landlink
G Corporate
G LGUs
G Existing incubators
m Equipment
m Housing
m Irrigation
m Cooling
m Storage
m Äransport (Vehicles, Loading dock)
m Packing/ Processing
m Front office
m Determine Entry Requirements
m Production
G Äractors, Irrigation, systems management,
horticulture, livestock, carpentry, alternative
energy, planting, harvesting, etc.
m Business
G Marketing, finances, budgeting, feasilibility
analysis, personnel, mgmt, etc.
m Ecology and environmental training