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Description of Beginning Farmer Services

Apprentice Program Each year, we welcome several apprentices to our farm in Cold Spring, New York – three vegetable (8 months) and two livestock (10 months). In addition to hands-on experience, including formal training in the safe operation of farm machinery, our apprentices complete a comprehensive classroom curriculum geared toward farm management. A private room in-residence at Glynwood, a weekly stipend and workers compensation insurance are all provided. Hudson Valley Farm Business Incubator Our Farm Business Incubator provides a stepping stone for farmers ready to build their own agricultural enterprises. We offer technical assistance, mentoring and advanced practical skills workshops for new farm businesses. Our program has recently been augmented to serve farm businesses with independent land access who benefit from the same technical support provided to on-site participants, tailored to their specific needs.

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Specific Program Goals/Challenges

Our apprentices are our primary farm enterprise labor, so it is often challenging to meet in-field labor needs while providing 60 hours of dedicated classroom time. We prioritize the latter, which is sometimes hard on our managers. We'd train more, but it is expensive to do so. Another challenge is that we are training people who have different pre-apprenticeship experiences. It is hard to offer the right mix of 101 and 201 level classes that satisfy people on different points of the learning curve.