Farmers Set to Attend the NFU Beginning Farmers Institute

The National Farmers Union says twenty beginning farmers and ranchers from across the United States will participate in the 2018-2019 Beginning Farmers Institute Program. The institute is designed to help the next generation of farmers to succeed by providing mentorship, technical training, as well as leadership development for participants.

NFU President Roger Johnson says his group is happy to welcome another large, diverse class of Beginning Farmer Participants to the Farmers Union family. “Ensuring the hands of a well-equipped next generation of farmers and ranchers is a top priority for Farmers Union,” he says.

Class sessions will take place in Washington D.C., Washington state, and California. Those sessions include hands-on training that will emphasize many of the challenges beginning farmers will face in their careers, including business planning, access to capital, land acquisition, marketing, and many more.

Participants in this year’s class come from a wide variety of operation types, ranging from two-acre farms to large grain operations. Women and veterans have been some of the most active participants in the program, and they make up 14 of the 20 classroom participants in 2018.

The farmers selected to participate in the 2018-19 Beginning Farmers Institute program are:

Deanne Boyer, Pennsylvania
Rachel Brann, Minnesota
Leslie Caccamese, California
Jill Chi, Minnesota
Konnor Dehmlow, Colorado
Danielle Endvick, Wisconsin
Jesse Endvick, Wisconsin
Kat Johnson, Virginia
Amanda Martin, North Dakota
Tyler Neubauer, North Dakota
Christina Pegg, Hawaii
Sarah Rachor, Montana
Elliott Salazar, Colorado
Rebecca Sheahan, Delaware
Melanie Shepherd, Indiana
Sara Stenuf, New York
Dion Stepanski, Michigan
Molly Stepanski, Michigan
Olivia Terry, Colorado
Jeffrey Werner, Alaska

From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.