When: October 28-30, 2024

Where: Madison, WI with visits to Farley Center, Squashington Farm, and Crossroads Community Farm

Cost: $45-$325 (see link below for registration fee details)

Join your peers for the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project’s 13th annual National FIELD School and enjoy some professional development targeted to incubator and apprenticeship program staff operating land-based farmer training programs.  The event will be held in partnership with FairShare CSA Coalition and University of Wisconsin-Madison-Dane County.  Plan to arrive Sunday evening so you get a seat on the bus for our exciting day of farm tours first thing on Monday morning!  The 2024 conference will offer attendees the opportunity to connect with colleagues, learn and develop new skills, share challenges and strategies, and build community with peers across the country.

They are putting the final touches on our workshop lineup and will have four concurrent tracks each day focused on incubator programs, apprenticeship programs, resource showcases, and discussion sessions on topics relevant to beginning farmer training.  Proposed workshops will cover the topic areas listed below.

•   Land access, racial justice, and transition planning off the incubator / post-apprenticeship

•   Program design, and program management

•   Evaluating the economic impact of programming

•   Mentorship programming

•   Lessons from established programs

•   Wholesale marketing for incubator farmers

•   Collaborative land management strategies

•   Data for long term farm viability 

•   Fundraising and advocacy

•   ….and much, much more!

About the FIELD School: The FIELD School is targeted to staff of incubator farm and apprenticeship training programs who operate land-based, experiential beginning farmer and rancher training programs and who support the business development of new farmers and ranchers.  The FIELD School is an opportunity for staff who operate incubator farm and apprenticeship training programs to share best practices, challenges, assess the needs of new farmers, and plan program strategies to allow for collective impact among beginning farmers and ranchers.  There are scores of programs working across the country to offer quality experiential learning to new farmers (check out the FIELD Network Map and email them if you’d like to be added or see a correction to your listing), come meet your peers and build community!