Other Ag News: Meet Your Farm Goals for the New Year with Our Online Courses

Is your New Year’s resolution to grow your farm business? Consider registering for our next block of online farming courses, which begin in live instruction in mid-January. These courses cover a range of topics any farmer needs to succeed, such as access to capital​, ​holistic financial planning​, ​sheep production​, vegetable production, and so much more.

Our suite of online courses is offered on a user-friendly platform, which grants registrants permanent access to their course content. Also, courses have tiered pricing based on household size and income to make access to the courses more affordable and equitable for everyone.

Registration is open for all courses, with live content starting in January for our third block of courses.

Access to Capital

Mondays: January 13 – February 17

It can be very difficult to navigate the process of getting grants or loans, especially if you did not come to farming with a background in finance. This course will cover the various aspects of seeking funding for a farm enterprise.

Holistic Financial Planning

Tuesdays: January 14 – February 18

If you’ve been struggling to make your farm operation profitable without driving yourself into the ground, this financial planning course is for you. You will learn how to make financial decisions toward farm and family values and goals.

​Indoor Specialty Mushroom Production​​​

Tuesdays: January 14 – February 18

Mushrooms are an emerging niche crop and can easily be grown. This course trains new and experienced farmers in the background, techniques, marketing, and economics of farm-scale indoor commercial production.

​Mercados y Rentabilidad​

Martes: 14 de enero – 18 de febrero

¿Tiene una idea para una empresa agrícola pero no está seguro de si es factible? Este curso le ayudará a explorar los mercados potenciales y la rentabilidad de sus ideas, retomando el punto donde lo dejó BF 101: Como Iniciar su Negocios Agrícola. (Si no tomo BF 101, no hay problema, aun así puede tomar BF 102).

​Goat Production​​

Wednesdays: January 15 – February 19

Interested in incorporating goats for dairy, meat, or fiber? Goats can function as a profitable stand-alone enterprise or can be integrated into your existing farm structure to provide a variety of products and make use of marginal lands that would otherwise go unused.

​Vegetable Production II​

Wednesdays: January 15 – February 19

Continue where Vegetable Production I leaves off – expand upon production from transplanting to harvest, including information on in-season fertility, integrated pest management, weed control options, harvesting strategies, and tips for marketing your products.

​Exploring Markets and Profits​

Thursdays: January 16 – February 20

Have an idea for a farm enterprise but not sure if it’s feasible? This course will help you explore the potential markets and profitability of your ideas, picking up where BF 101: Starting at Square One (not a prerequisite) left off.

Sheep Production

Thursdays: January 16 – February 20

Have sheep or thinking about getting a flock? Producers of all experience levels will find something for them in this lively, wide-ranging course. There is no one right way to raise sheep — this course covers many of these different options.

Our program offers nearly three dozen online courses to help farmers improve their technical and business skills. These courses cover a range of topics any farmer needs to succeed, such as grazing management, soil health, writing a business plan, and so much more.

Experienced farmers, extension educators, and agriculture service providers guide students through course content, including weekly live webinars, videos, and resources. We offer scholarships for eligible farmers in New York who face an entry barrier to farming, and for military veterans in New York.

In recent years we added “Growing Uncommon Fruit,” which will help you determine whether incorporating uncommon fruit into your operation is the right decision for you, and “Stress Reduction for Farmers,” which offers strategies for streamlining your farm. Other newer additions include “Cut Flower Production” on the business of flower farming; a course on “Beef Cattle Management;” a primer on “Social Media & Online Marketing” for your farm business; and a 4-week intensive in how “Reading the Land” can help you monitor its health.

In addition to new courses, we have expanded our Spanish-first online course offerings with our “BF 101: Cómo Iniciar su Negocio Agrícola” and “BF 102: Mercados y Rentabilidad.”

The bulk of the course happens on your own time, with discussions, readings, and assignments in Teachable, our online course platform. To add to the experience, webinars will be woven into the interface of the course for a dedicated time slot each year to allow you to meet on a weekly basis to learn from presenters and ask questions in real-time. If you miss one, they are always recorded and posted for later viewing.

You can browse all of our course offerings on our website. You can learn more about our courses, including answers to common questions, on our course FAQ.

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