Farmer Resources
Countryside Courses and Workshops
Winter Roundtable Series
Winter is the best time to develop your farm knowledge and network with local farmers and gardeners. Each year, the Farmers Roundtables explore a variety of topics, meeting once or twice each month. Topics from the 2018/19 season was done in partnership with Portage Soil and Water Conservation District and included: Direct Marketing and Identifying your Core Customer Base; Finding and Funding your Farm; Seed Starting and Soil Preparation; Integrating Cover Crops and No-Till Practices into your Market Farm; Savings for your Pocket and the Planet: Creating a Closed Loop Farming System; and Savings for your Pocket and the Planet: Fertilize Right. In 2021 our Winter Roundtable discussions were virtual due to COVID-19 considerations, but still provided a great opportunity for local farmers to connect. Discussion topics included “Creative Farm Collaborations” and “Record Keeping Best Practices.
Farm Tours
Educational farm tours often occur through other workshops. If you or a group would like help planning an educational tour of a local farm, please contact farm@countrysidefoodandfarms.org.
Farmlink
Farmland Owners
If you own farmland in northeast Ohio and would like to sell or lease your land to a new and beginning farmer, we can help connect you. Real Estate Agents and estate lawyers: do your clients have land that they want to keep in farming? We can help them connect to new farmers looking for land. Contact our farm staff at farm@countrysidefoodandfarms.org. You can also explore OEFFA’s Heartland FarmLink Program to find a farmer.
Farmland Seekers
Check out the National Young Farmers Coalition: Finding Farmland Calculator, here. This great tool helps farmers seeking land understand their financial options. You can also explore OEFFA’s Heartland FarmLink Program to find a farm. Email farm@countrysidefoodandfarms.org to be added to an inquiry list for land opportunities.
Farmer Education Resources for Beginning and Seasoned Farmers
Farm Succession and Protection
American Famland Trust- http://www.farmland.org/
Western Reserve Land Conservancy- https://www.wrlandconservancy.org/
Additional Resources
Center for Rural Affairs – www.cfra.org
Central State University Extension – https://www.centralstate.edu/academics/cse/agriculture/
Farm Aid – www.farmaid.org
Farm and Dairy – www.farmanddairy.com
Growing for Market – http://www.growingformarket.com
Local Food Systems – http://localfoodsystems.org
LocalHarvest – http://www.localharvest.org
Local Matters – www.local-matters.org
Mesothelioma Center – www.asbestos.com/occupations/farmers
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) – http://www.oh.nrcs.usda.gov
New Farmers USDA – https://newfarmers.usda.gov/
Ohio Department of Agriculture – http://www.ohioagriculture.gov
Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) – http://www.oeffa.org
Ohio Farm Bureau Federation – http://www.ofbf.org
Ohio State University Extension – https://extension.osu.edu/
One Good Idea – https://goodideafarm.org/
OSU – Agroecosystems Management Program – https://amp.osu.edu/
Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education – https://www.sare.org/
U.S. Census Bureau National Ag. Statistics Service – Quick Stats – http://quickstats.nass.usda.gov
USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) – http://www.fsa.usda.gov
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) – http://www.nass.usda.gov
USDA Rural Development in Ohio – https://www.rd.usda.gov/oh