Exploring the Small Farm Dream with Jess Niederer, in Princeton

Have you ever thought about starting a farm? Whether your vision includes making goat cheese, selling cut flowers, or growing rare tomato varieties, this course will give you the tools to start making that dream come true. Whether you are thinking of going into farming full-time, part-time, or expanding an existing hobby farm into a business, this course will help you turn your farm dream into an actionable farm plan.

Participants will discuss current opportunities in small-scale agriculture production; explore personal objectives; assess personal and financial resources; conduct preliminary market research; and develop an action plan for pursuing their interests in food and farming. Presentations by established farmers and tours of local farms will help participants explore their ideas. This class does NOT cover technical production skills.

About the Instructor: Jess Niederer is a 13th-generation farmer in Hopewell, New Jersey. She founded Chickadee Creek Farm in 2010, which quickly grew into a thriving business serving 7 weekly farmers markets through a market CSA. Jess completed a BS in Natural Resources at Cornell, after which she worked in ornithology and disaster response in Nicaragua and New Orleans. She returned to New Jersey in 2008 to apprentice at Honey Brook Organic Farm with the dream of starting her own farm. Jess has been teaching Exploring the Small Farm Dream with NOFA since 2008. Jess was the recipient of the 2016 National Outstanding Young Farmer Award.

When: Evening classes from 6 to 9 p.m. on March 14, 21, 28, and April 4, as well as an optional daytime farm tour TBD.

Where: D&R Greenway Land Trust, 1 Preservation Place, Princeton NJ 08540

Fee: Tuition is $300.00/person for NOFA-NJ members including all course materials. Tuition for non-members is $350. Two people from the same family or working on the same farm business plan may attend for a combined tuition of $450.00 which includes two copies of all course materials. NOFA-NJ members who have been farming for five years or less may be eligible for a 50% scholarship through our Beginning Farmer program. Apply for a scholarship on our website.