Farmers Rising's Take Root: Business Course for Beginning Farmers

Two Virtual Classes a Week for 10 Weeks Starting September 14

My friends at the Farmers Rising farm education non-profit are keeping me busy.

On Sunday (August 16), Local Food Forum published an article (click here) that included a Farmers Rising essay about the organization's farmer incubators and why incubator programs are important. The article also included a plug for this Saturday's Alfalfa Festival, Farmers Rising's annual outdoor music fundraising event.

Then, on Monday, I received their email about their upcoming Take Root virtual farm business class for beginning farmers. The course — which features twice a week online classes from September 14 to November 19 — is a partnership with two other non-profits: The Land Connection, based in Champaign, Illinois, and Food Works, based in Carbondale in southern Illinois.

Here is how Farmers Rising describes it:

Take Root is a comprehensive farm business accelerator designed to help aspiring and beginning farmers turn their ideas into sustainable, profitable businesses. Whether you're dreaming of your first acre, expanding an existing operation, or figuring out how to make farming financially viable, this program provides the roadmap to get there.



Throughout the program, you'll develop a clear vision for your farm, validate your business idea, identify your ideal customers, build a business plan, create a marketing strategy, understand your finances, and learn how to grow with confidence. Every lesson focuses on practical, real-world application, giving you tools you can immediately use, not just theory.

By the end of Take Root, you'll leave with a clear vision and mission for your farm, a complete farm business plan, a marketing and sales strategy, financial projections and pricing tools, the confidence to make informed business decisions, and a supportive community of fellow farmers and mentors.

Whether your dream is vegetables, livestock, flowers, honey, agritourism, or another agricultural enterprise, Take Root helps you build the business behind the farm so you can spend less time guessing and more time growing.

Your farm deserves more than passion. It deserves a plan.

Take Root has financial support from Food:Land:Opportunity, a collaboration between Kinship Foundation and The Chicago Community Trust that is funded by the Searle Funds at Chicago Community Trust.

Early-stage farmers (0-10 years experience) are invited to click the button below to register for the course.

TAKE THE COURSE AND TAKE ROOT

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