A new academic program will take residence at SRJC’s Shone Farm beginning March 30.
In collaboration with the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), SRJC and the Latino Service Providers, the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) is a USDA grant-funded project that hopes will increase the number of farmers and ranchers in Sonoma County.
The nine-month program will provide customized training for up to 75 beginning farmers and ranchers over the next three years. Classes for the program will be taught once a month, likely on the last Friday of the month.
At the end of the nine-month course, students will receive a certificate and are eligible to lease county land that is feasible for food production.
The program’s goals are to teach students to launch or grow a successful farm or ranch operation, increase food production and access to fresh, local and sustainable food, create more farmers and ranchers and offer them an opportunity to farm on county lands. Students will also have hands-on mentorship with master farmers located around Sonoma County.
“There are farmers who have established their farms and businesses, and they’re pretty successful here in Sonoma County,” said Fabiola Espinosa, community health manager at Latino Service Providers. “So they have agreed to help us by mentoring some of these [new] farmers and ranchers and provide them with any insight and any resources that they may have.”
Participants who want to be one of 25 students in the program should have a passion or dedication for farming and ranching and a desire to start their own business. Espinosa said that although experience isn’t required to get into the program, it helps.
Sustainable Agricultural instructor Laura Mendes and Small Business Development Center advisor, Paul Bozzo, are providing guidance to students regarding the educational and business aspects of the program. Participating organizations are committed to having up to 25 percent underserved population in the BFRDP.
“Students will get the hands-on aspects of farming and ranching, the classroom experience on Shone Farm and then working with our masters farmers and ranchers at their location,” Bozzo said.
Bozzo stressed the importance of reinvigorating the local farming and ranching population and to understand the business side of starting their own business. “This program is unique in that it blends the technical aspects of farming and ranching with the practical aspects of starting and running a successful operation,” Bozzo said.
On a broader level, there also seems to be a growing need for more farmers and ranchers. “Nationally and locally, the age of farmers is a problem, with a big gap between the number of aging farmers versus new farmers starting up,” said Linda Peterson, Sonoma County UCCE Beginning Farmer and Rancher coordinator. Peterson also said that there aren’t enough educational opportunities for farmers and ranchers starting out, so these types of programs are a great way for beginners to get a start, learn from each other and be in contact with a wide variety of master farmers and ranchers.
Also providing support to the BFRDP are the County of Sonoma, Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, California FarmLink and the Redwood Empire Food Bank.