Join the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project and the FIELD Network for our January Monthly Networking Session to connect with staff of land-based farm incubator and apprenticeship training programs!  Share challenges faced by land-based training programs supporting a diversity of beginning farmers and brainstorm ideas, solutions, and shared resources.  Network in breakout groups to mix and mingle with other incubator farm program staff and apprenticeship staff across the country to connect and share project updates!

This month's topic is:  Markets Markets!  Farms are businesses and they rely on a solid customer base and markets that pay fair wages.  How are land-based farmer training programs supporting their farmers with market access in an increasingly competitive world and where income inequality puts fair prices for farmers in contrast to local, fresh healthy food accessibility?  Hear an overview from two organizations about how they build market connections and sales opportunities for the farmers they work with. Our presenters will initiate a conversation with participating organizations and we can all learn together the best practices and how we provide support and resources to farmers selling their produce. We will discuss with your peers the following questions:

• What marketing strategies and supports have we tried with our farmers?
• What markets work better, what markets provide more challenges?
• How are the farmers organizing around market engagement?
• How do we support farmer livelihoods and promote food justice and accessibility?

Presenters:

Summer Badawi, Program Manager of Big River Farms:  Big River Farms is an incubator farm near Marine on St. Croix, MN. Farmers have access to land, farm resources, and education to build their businesses, learn, and grow sustainable, organic foods. Vegetables grown by emerging farmers at Big River Farms are sold through multiple channels based on their independent business plans and needs.  They sell through independent farmer CSAs, through The Food Group’s grocery programs, through The Food Group’s food access partners, at several local farmers markets, including the Kingfield farmers market in south Minneapolis, and through various farm-to-table restaurants, farm-to-school meal programs, food co-ops, and other local food access partners.  Summer Badawi is a Minneapolis-based plantswoman, designer and educator with a particular passion for farming, food, and flowers. She has a degree in European History from University of Minnesota and is a 2011 graduate of Longwood Gardens’ Professional Horticulture Program. Until very recently Summer was running her own flowering farming business, Ladyfern Flowers, prior to joining Big River Farms, she worked for Urban Roots, a non-profit based in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Kristin Selby, Program Manager of New Roots / Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas:  New Roots is a training program that empowers refugees, immigrants and English Language Learner farmers to develop sustainable businesses. The collaboration between Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas and Cultivate KC helps individuals with an agricultural background in their home countries adapt to Kansas City climate and culture while supporting their families.  New Roots trainees and graduate farmers use organic principles and sell their produce to local restaurants, at farmers markets and through Farm Share subscriptions.  Kristin Selby has worked in the New Roots program for over 4 years and has been working with refugees and immigrants in the Kansas City community for the past 8 years. She currently manages the program and previously developed New Roots’ English for Farming curriculum and coordinated volunteers and farmers’ markets. She is a TESOL certified instructor, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from Kansas State University.

Even if you don’t have all the answers, come and learn and share challenges with your peers.  We host monthly networking sessions throughout the year (First Fridays of the month at 1pm EST) as a way to connect, continue to learn from one another, build the network, and engage in topic-based discussions of interest (bring your enthusiasm for a topic you’d like to discuss). If you have new staff working with your incubator farm program or your apprenticeship training program, please invite them to come and network and meet their peers across the country to build connections.   Learn more about the FIELD Network here.

Come with questions you’d like to get diverse perspectives from peers across the country.  We are open to a diversity of conversation topics – come ready to share and/or gain new perspective on some of your sticky programmatic challenges!  If you have a topic you’d like to host at a future session, please email Medina at medina.korajkic@tufts.edu or Jennifer to discuss ideas:  jennifer.hashley@tufts.edu.If you have a topic you would like to discuss with your peers, feel free to email Medina Korajkic or Jennifer Hashley to