Small Farm Fund Finder
All opportunities
Private / NonprofitRolling / continuousTechnical assistanceNationwide

Beginning Farmer Institute

National Farmers Union

Free multi-session training cohort for new farmers covering business planning, financing, land tenure, and farm policy, with travel stipends and a national peer network.

Typical award
No cost to participants; travel support provided
Deadline
Annual cohort application, typically summer
Type of support
Technical assistance · Beginning farmer & land access
Who can apply
Beginning / underserved, Individual producer
Fits these operations
Vegetables & produce, Cut flowers, Orchard & fruit, Mixed / diversified, Value-added & food business, Urban farm

Am I eligible?

  • Farming fewer than roughly 10 years, or preparing to start
  • Able to attend the full session schedule
  • Any production type or scale

How to apply

  1. 1Watch for the cohort application to open on the NFU site
  2. 2Submit the application describing your operation and goals
  3. 3Complete the interview if selected
  4. 4Attend all sessions and build your business plan through the program

What you'll need

  • Short description of your farm or farm plan
  • Goals for the next three years
  • Reference or two if requested

Timeline & contact

Cohort runs across roughly one year
Get help: National Farmers Union education staff

Ready to apply?

Applications go through National Farmers Union, not through this site. Open the official page below for eligibility rules, forms, and contacts. For federal programs it's worth calling your local USDA Service Center or Cooperative Extension office first — they help with paperwork for free and know what your county actually funds.

Open official page

This listing was last hand-checked August 2026.

Similar opportunities

FederalRolling / continuousAnnual payment / contract

CRP Transition Incentives Program (TIP)

USDA Farm Service Agency

Apply before the CRP contract expires (sign up in the final year)

Pays retiring landowners two extra years of CRP rental payments for selling or leasing expiring CRP land to a beginning, veteran, or underserved farmer — one of the few federal programs that directly moves land to new growers.

  • Land is in the last year of an expiring CRP contract
  • Buyer/renter is a beginning, veteran, or socially disadvantaged farmer

Two additional years of CRP annual rental payments to the landowner

Beginning farmer & land accessBeginning / underservedIndividual producerTribal
Official pageFull detailsChecked August 2026
Private / NonprofitRolling / continuousTechnical assistance

Annie's Project — Farm Business Risk Management for Women

Annie's Project (delivered through Cooperative Extension)

Rolling — courses scheduled by state, mostly winter

Six-week course for farm women on financial records, crop insurance, leases, estate/succession planning, and negotiating with lenders — delivered locally by Extension at low cost.

  • Women involved in farm or ranch decision-making
  • Any experience level, from prospective to multigenerational

Course fees typically $75–$200, scholarships common

Beginning farmer & land accessIndividual producerBeginning / underserved
Official pageFull detailsChecked August 2026
Private / NonprofitRolling / continuousContract / agreement

New Agrarian Program Apprenticeships

Quivira Coalition

Applications typically open in the fall for the next season

Paid, full-season apprenticeships placing aspiring regenerative farmers and ranchers with experienced mentors, including housing, a stipend, and a structured curriculum.

  • Committed to a career in regenerative agriculture
  • Able to relocate for a full season

Paid stipend plus housing for the season

Beginning farmer & land accessBeginning / underservedIndividual producer
Official pageFull detailsChecked August 2026