Protected: Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program — Developing the Next Generation of Sustainable Farmers in Georgia

General Instructions

Across the United States and in Georgia, the number of small- and medium-sized farms is declining and the average age of farmers is on the rise. Although we need new farmers, the barriers would-be farmers face when trying to grow new agricultural businesses from the ground up can be formidable. UGA Extension and partners have developed a new Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program to provide a comprehensive training program for beginning farmers. This project is funded by USDA NIFA Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program and includes three training steps.

Agents have the option of just running Step 1 and/or 2. It is not required to include the Hands-On Production Training. If you want to offer the Hands-On Production Training, you must offer Steps 1 and 2 first. Agents must work to coordinate the Hands-On program by finding locations for internships and/or mentorships and administering knowledge matrices.

  1. Small Farm Business Planning,
  2. Small Fruit and Vegetable Production or Small Ruminant Production, and
  3. Hands-on Production Training.

For a more detailed introduction to the program, see this document: Journeyman Farmer Info for Agents.

The Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program has been offered in several counties around the state, see table below for more information.

 

Previous Journeyman Trainings

County where trainings were held

Agents Involved (* Indicates lead agent)

Year offered

Programs offered
Habersham Steven Patrick*, Nathan Eason, Forrest Connelly 2015 AgAware, Small Fruit and Vegetable Production, Hands-On Program
Oconee Amanda Tedrow*, Monte Stephens, Adam Speir 2015 Small Farm Business Training, Small Ruminant Production, Hands-On Program
DeKalb Lynwood Blackmon*, Ted Wynne 2016/2017 Small Farm Business Training, Small Fruit and Vegetable Production, Hands-On Program
Carroll Paula Burke*, Mary Carol Sheffield, Stephanie Butcher 2016/2017 AgAware, Small Ruminant Production, Hands-On Program
Screven Ray Hicks * 2016/2017 AgAware, Small Ruminant Production, Hands-On Program
Dougherty James Morgan* 2016/2017 Small Farm Business Training, Small Fruit and Vegetable Production, Hands-On Program
Walker Katie Hammond, Charles Lancaster, Norman Edwards 2017 Small Farm Business Training, Small Ruminant Production, Hands-On Program
Lowndes Joshua Dawson* 2017 AgAware, Small Ruminant Production, Hands-On Program
Gwinnett Tim Daly*, Heather Kolich, Tony Gobert (Gwinnett Tech Horticulture Professor) 2017 Small Farm Business Training, Small Fruit and Vegetable Production, Hands-On Program
Houston Charlotte Meeks* 2017 AgAware, Small Fruit and Vegetable Production, Hands-On Program
Banks Bob Waldorf*, John Scaduto, Greg Pittman 2017 Small Farm Business Training

Please review this “Train the Trainer: Small Farm Business and Production Training” video to help you lead the Journeyman Program. Please also view the “Train the Trainer: Hands-On Program” if you are interested in running the Hands-On portion of the program.

Train the Trainer: Small Farm Business and Production Training

Steps 1 and 2 of Teaching the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program

Please contact Sustainable Agriculture Program Assistant (sustainag@uga.edu or 706-542-8084) if you have questions about the program or would like to run the program in the future.

Please use this signup sheet to track participant information. There are tabs for you to keep track of everyone and printable sign-in sheets to have at each session.

Small Farm Business Planning

  1. Facilitator Notebook
  2. Participant Notebook

Please print in black and white to save on printing costs.

Session 1: Lessons from Small Farm Success; Considerations Before Starting; Market Feasibility

Session 2: Financial Feasibility and Record Keeping Agenda

Session 3: The Business Plan; Developing Financial Projections; The Farmers’ Perspective

Session 4: Selling Your Product; Licensing, Regulations, and Certifications; Risk Management; Financial Resources and Obtaining Credit

Link to Online Learning Evaluation

Paper Evaluations for Locations Without Online Access

After Completion of Small Farm Business Planning

Small Ruminant Production

  1. Facilitator Notebook
  2. Participant Notebook

Please print in black and white to save on printing costs.

Session 1: Breeding and Breeding Stock Selection; Small Ruminant Nutrition

Session 2: Pasture Management; Predator Control

Session 3: Health and Diseases; Breeding; Kidding/Lambing

Session 4: Integrated Parasite Management

Session 5: Meat Production and Marketing

Session 6: Hands-on Demonstration (All Material is in the Notebook)

Link to Online Learning Evaluation

Paper Evaluations for Locations Without Online Access

After Completion of Small Ruminant Production

Small Fruit and Vegetable Production

  1. Facilitator Notebook
  2. Participant Notebook

Please print in black and white to save on printing costs.

Session 1: A Systems Approach, Soil Health, and Fertility

Session 2: Soil Amendments, Cover Crops, Groundcovers for Small Fruits

Session 3: Crop Rotation, Pest Management

Session 4: Seasonality, Crop Selection, Crop Propagation and Management

Session 5: Irrigation, equipment, tillage

Session 6: Postharvest Handling, Food Safety

Session 7: Marketing, Crop Plans

Link to Online Learning Evaluation

Paper Evaluations for Locations Without Online Access

After Completion of Small Ruminant Production

Hands-On Resources

  1. Example knowledge matrix Small Fruit and Vegetable Production
  2. Example knowledge matrix Small Ruminant Production

 

  1. Example Participant and Farmer Agreement forms from Georgia Organics
  2. Example Participant agreement forms from Fort Valley State University
  3. Example Grievance Policy from Georgia Organics
  4. Example Overview of program and removal procedure from Georgia Organics
  5. Example Hands-On manual from Georgia Organics

 

  1. Example application for Fruit and Vegetable Hands-On
  2. Example application for Small Ruminants Hands-On