LEXINGTON, KY. – The average age of American farmers is steadily rising, raising concerns about the future of agriculture. For this reason, the University of Kentucky has started KY Farm Launch, a program designed to support aspiring first-time farmers. The program is free to participate.

Funded by a $750,000 USDA grant, KY Farm Launch is a collaboration between UK, the Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development and the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Organization.

The program offers nine months of intensive training, covering a wide range of topics including sustainable vegetable and livestock production, business planning and marketing. The program runs March to November.

Participants can choose from one of two tracks: a Diversified Livestock Production Track and a Diversified Vegetable and Small Fruit Production Track. The livestock track will offer hands-on skills in raising beef cattle, sheep and goats, as well as small flocks of poultry. The vegetable track will focus on year-round production of many varieties of vegetables and berries at commercial scale.

“Structuring a farm business is overwhelming and scare,” said Krista Jacobsen, associate professor in the UK Department of Horticulture. “Production is why people get started, but the business is a tough spot for some. We hope to take away some of the barriers that discourage people from getting started.”

KY Farm Launch distinguishes itself by providing personalized mentorship and fostering a supportive community among participants.

Unlike traditional extension programs that often focus on specific crops or locations, this program prioritizes individual needs and connects participants with a cohort of fellow aspiring farmers.

“Farming is always challenging, but there is great technical assistance and marketing demand for produce and livestock products that can be a great start for beginner farmers,” Jacobsen said.

“The goal of this project is to develop a cohort-based, mixed modality beginning farmer training program that kick-starts the development of this small farm business and accelerates their pathway to the land.”

Participants will meet once per week for the duration of the program, on Mondays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Gatherings will be held at UK farms, on farms of supporting mentor farmers, and field trips will be included, all in the greater Lexington area. The visitation at farms allows participants to observe large-scale operations and cutting-edge research firsthand.

According to Jacobsen, there are four objectives to this program, the first being to increase the knowledge in production skills among program participants across the types of enterprises most common to beginning farmers in Kentucky.

“Second, we want to enable farmers with the business planning, financial goal setting and resources to develop their farm business in the first five years after graduating from the program, and the resources to serve them as their farm business grows,” Jacobsen said.

The third objective is to create a pathway to the land for all program participants that is appropriate to their farming goals for their first three-five years of farming based on their goals, resources and business plan. The fourth objective, Jacobsen said, is to embed program participants in technical assistance networks for ongoing production, business planning, food safety and marketing development support.

“The ultimate goal of this program is to develop beginning farmers who are ready to farm and market their products immediately upon graduation. However, the pathway to the land for each participant may be different based on their individual life circumstances and goals,” Jacobsen said.

“As we meet each participant ‘where they are,’ we will also work them on ‘where they will go next.’ For participants that do not already own land, this may require additional steps on their path to farm proprietorship. The program will offer graduates access to organic ‘incubator farms’ in the Lexington area, with technical support for farmers to get started on their own with diversified organic vegetable production. Placement in farm management positions in the area will also be facilitated for participants who have financial and professional development goals that may be well suited to such positions.”

Jacobsen added that participants must have the ability to participate in weekly, in-person activities for one full day per week and commit one additional day per week to deepening their knowledge in areas tailored to their farming and business goal.

Applications will be accepted through the end of February 2025. Once accepted into the program, organizers will set up a time to talk with applicants about the program to make sure it is the right fit for their farming goals. In the event the class for 2025 fills, a wait list will defer participants to the program for 2026.

For more information and to apply for the program go to:    https://uky.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8phSczYURDEDavA.