Finding land, where do you begin?
Our beginning farmers have ranked access to farmland as their second largest barrier to getting started or expanding their farming operation. Practical Farmers of Iowa recognizes this challenge and wants to ensure aspiring and beginning farmers have all the resources available to them to overcome this barrier. In this issue of the beginning farmer update we are sharing some of these resources with you. In addition, we have revamped our beginning farmer resources on our website. Check out the resources available for everything from business planning to accessing land. 
This month we re-launched FindAFarmer.net with a new and improved website, which is easier to use for both land seekers and land owners. If you have already created a profile in the past, you will need to log-in to update your password and profile details. If you are seeking land you should create a free profile to start searching for available land.
“I started a conversation with the seller and explained our dreams and how we wanted to farm. They received a few other offers but came back to us because they liked our vision.”
- Rory Van Wyk and family
Found their Madison County farm on FindAFarmer.net
The Farmland Access Hub was created to help new farmers navigate the increasingly difficult process of finding affordable land to farm in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. Practical Farmers of Iowa is one of many partners in the Farmland Access Hub.
Farmland Access Navigators are available to help. They are trained to guide beginning farmers through the process of finding property and securing land tenure. Navigators provide individualized assistance to farmers in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Click here to learn more about connecting to a Farmland Access Navigator.
Take the Beginning Farmer Survey TODAY!  
As a member-driven organization, your feedback is very
important to us.

In order to deliver the most effective programming, we need input from beginning and aspiring farmers.  Please take this  survey  to help us serve you better!
Complete your survey by March 10 to be entered into a drawing for a PFI hat or t-shirt; ten winners will be selected.
Check out these resources for beginning farmers
We have recently updated our collection of business, financial, production, and technical assistance resources to help aspiring and beginning farmers further their business goals. You can access them by clicking on the icons below.
We will continue to build this list and add new resources as they are available. If you see any resources missing that you find helpful please share them with us. You can send them to Greg Padget at greg@practicalfarmers.org .
This presentation will provide an introduction to getting started by using social media to set up a digital marketing plan for the 2019 season.

National Farmers Union's Beginning Farmer Institute (BFI) is a free training program that prepares beginning farmers of all ages and operation types for a successful future in agriculture.
Discover how to create and use financial statements such as balance sheets, cash flow and income statements.
This spreadsheet tool is designed to help livestock producers calculate their cost of production and marketing.
Learn about tools and best practices to help you find access to farmland.

Land for Good has created Build-A-Lease, an online tool to learn about and craft farm leases.
UPCOMING PFI EVENTS
Feb. 19:   Farminar -   Precision-Seeded Cover Crops
7 p.m. |  Tune in here!

Feb. 26:   Farminar -   Proper Planning for Farmland Succession
7 p.m. |  Tune in here!

Feb. 26:  Social -   Fruit and Vegetable Farmer Meet-Up
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Solon

Feb. 26:   Social -   Flower Farmer Meet-Up
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Solon

Feb. 28:   Social -   Fruit and Vegetable Farmer Meet-Up
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Decorah

March 8:   Play -   Map of My Kingdom Performance
7 - 8:30 p.m. | Iowa City

March 9:   Play -   Map of My Kingdom Performance
 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Jefferson

March 12:   Social -   Fruit and Vegetable Farmer Meet-Up
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Des Moines

March 14:   Social -   Fruit and Vegetable Farmer Meet-Up
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Algona
Labor4Learning 
Labor4Learning helps beginning farmers get paid on-the-job training with experienced farmers, and pays experienced farmers for their time and effort.

Saving Incentive Program
Savings Incentive Program is a 2 - year program that pairs beginning and aspiring farmers with experienced farmer mentors; provides targeted learning and peer networking opportunities; offers business planning support and guidance. All this while you save money and then we match is dollar for dollar up to $2,400, to use toward the purchase of a farm asset. 

Find A Farmer
Find A Farmer allows for a comfortable place to start anonymous conversations with land-seekers or landowners. Search for users in a particular area that fit your specifications and begin the discussion.

Find A Farmer is FREE and available for anyone with internet access! No membership is required.
 
Looking for more? Contact us today!
Greg Padget
Next Generation Director
(515) 232-5661
Steve Carlson 
Next Generation Coordinator
(515) 232-5661