National and State Networks

New Entry is a local, regional, and national leader in the field of sustainable food systems…

Since our founding in 1998, New Entry has collaborated with dozens of organizations throughout Massachusetts, New England, and across North America, to nurture healthy and vibrant local food systems through the training and support of beginning farmers.

About New Entry's National Programs

New Entry works to create a resilient food system by providing professional development, capacity building, and network support to programs that train beginning farmers or those that work to promote their success through activities that mutually benefit agricultural producers and consumers of all socio-economic backgrounds. Read more about our initiatives and programs below.

For more information on our National Programs, please contact Jennifer Hashley, jennifer.hashley@tufts.edu.

National Networks

The FIELD Network (Farm Incubation and Education through Land-Based skills Development)

A nationwide network of agricultural training programs that share a common purpose of using land-based experiential learning to create new pathways to careers in agriculture and farm ownership.  The network is comprised of private farms, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and other champions of next generation farmers and ranchers. Program models include incubator farms, apprenticeship training programs, campus farms, demonstration farms, and other experiential land-based farm and ranch training programs. The FIELD Network is a recent (2020) merger of the National Incubator Farm Training Initiative (NIFTI) and Ag Apprenticeship Learning Network (AgALN) facilitated by the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project.  We host an annual FIELD School (conference) that supports professional development of staff operating land-based training program models.

  • The National Incubator Farm Training Initiative (NIFTI): Provides training, technical assistance, and a community of practice model to organizations that operate land-based beginning farmer training programs.

  • National Ag Apprenticeship Learning Network: New Entry works in partnership with commercial farms and organizations coordinating apprenticeships across the country to build an active learning network for Apprenticeship Training Programs. This work is geared towards formalizing a set of shared standards or best practices for meeting the learning goals of beginning farmers and ranchers who are looking to gain management and production skills by participating in apprenticeships on commercial farms.

 

Resources for the USDA's Community Food Projects (CFP) Grant Program

 

New Entry served as the training and technical assistance provider to CFP grantees and applicants from 2014-2019 on a wide range of issues related to community based food systems. In December, 2019, we hosted the Community Food Systems Conference in Savannah, GA, a national conference exploring the themes of Sustainable Agriculture, Social Justice and Food Security.  We hosted a similar national conference in December 2017 in Boston, MA.  Resources developed to support CFP applicants and grantees can be found in our resource library.

 

Resources for Applicants of the USDA's Beginning  Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP)

New Entry developed tools to support inexperienced BFRDP applicants learn more about the application process, and prepare themselves to submit successful applications. We served as a technical assistance provider for BFRDP applicants from 2016-2018. The tools include an online-self assessment tool and a frequently asked questions portal.


State Networks

The Beginning Farmer Network of Massachusetts (BFN Mass)

A collaborative network of farmers and service providers that works together to improve the quality and accessibility of resources for beginning farmers in Massachusetts.

Consulting Services

New Entry offers organizations a wealth of knowledge and information based on our two decades of work:

  • Training beginning farmers
  • Starting and operating a multi-producer Food Hub serving a 400 member CSA and working with dozens of community partners serving low-income communities
  • Building and managing a Mobile Poultry Processing Unit licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  • Helping farmers identify and access affordable farmland, and
  • Building strong relationships and community connections

We emphasize practical and innovative solutions that provide measurable impacts for organizations and the communities they serve.

To find out more about how New Entry can support your work, contact Project Director, Jennifer Hashley at jennifer.hashley@tufts.edu