Progress report for EDS23-049
Project Information
“Terra Firma: A Course to Build Your Farm Business on Solid Ground” is an annual class for beginning farmers who sell directly to the local market to support their farming business and management skills. It was launched in 2024 with grant funding through Southern SARE.
With this course, the Cumberland River Compact demonstrates a commitment to helping the next generation of agricultural water stewards succeed not only in their conservation initiatives but also in their business goals. Farms cover about 40% of Tennessee and Kentucky’s landmass, so those farms have a huge impact on our groundwater, streams, and rivers.
Terra Firma has provided training on financial resources, budgeting, logistics and other business needs key to running a farm. One unique aspect of the course is that every teacher is also a direct-market farmer, so each one brings an understanding of the challenges and niche opportunities available to beginning, sustainable farmers.
Terra Firma is an extension off the Cumberland River Compact’s successful “River Friendly Farms” certification program (originally developed by the North Jersey RC&D). The Compact has certified 21 farms "River Friendly" since launching the program in 2020. This certification evaluates farms in five areas of practice: Soil Health and Erosion, Nutrient Management, Pest Management, Farmstead Management, and Waterway Protections. After successful certification, the Cumberland River Compact helps promote and market these farms and their practice to consumers. The Terra Firma program teaches farmers who utilize these kinds of BMPs to succeed not only in their conservation initiatives but in their business initiatives as well.
According to the USDA, the number of farmers has been in a decline since its peak in 1935. Since 2007, the number of farmers has declined by nearly 200,000. All the while, the population in the United States has increased by over 20 million in the last decade (US Census). Farms are being lost due to career changes and family farms are being sold to development. It is imperative that we increase the number of farmers and ensure that new farmers learn sustainable agriculture practices from the beginning to protect water and soil health. As land value in Tennessee skyrockets, the struggle to maintain a profitable farm for new generations increases. The Cumberland River Compact’s program—Terra Firma: A Course to Build Your Farm Business on Solid Ground—teaches new farmers who use sustainable methods to create a business model that increases profits and the chances of long-term success.
- Create a training program that will benefit all Beginning farmers. New farmers will participate in a comprehensive training to prepare themselves to become profitable farmers and better stewards to the land they farm.
- Increase knowledge of the business aspects of farming. By providing farmers with the needed business management skills, they will be more profitable in farming.
- Increase knowledge of conservation practices on farms. Through peer-to-peer learning, farmers increase their knowledge and resources for conservation BMPs.
- Remove or lessen barriers to entry- Specifically for historically underserved communities. Farmers learn about alternative land access opportunities as well as sources of start up capital.
- Certify new farmers as River Friendly Farmers. New farmers will complete certifications to allow them to market their products as River friendly.
Cooperators
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
- - Technical Advisor
- - Technical Advisor
- - Technical Advisor
- - Technical Advisor
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
- - Technical Advisor - Producer
- - Technical Advisor
Education
Over a two-year period, the Cumberland River Compact’s Terra Firma class successfully recruited and educated a cohort of Beginning farmers who value conservation and needed an opportunity to “look under the hood” of their business. A total of 46 farmers were educated over the period, many of whom returned from the previous year for at least one of the six classes offered in 2025.
Our inaugural cohort of twenty-six farmers from Middle and East Tennessee met every Tuesday evening for six weeks in The Nashville Food Project in January and February. Holistic farm planning, accounting, record keeping, labor and project management, National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) programming, capital financing for land access, marketing, and social media were the main topics covered.
The 2025 class met at the Nashville Farmer’s Market. Topics included record keeping and accounting with spreadsheets, developing “habit” systems for easier farm season flow, and labor and project management, and the role Soil & Water Conservation Districts play in conversation. Harpeth Moon Farm—a certified River Friendly and USDA organic farm—taught one class focused on the Middle Tennessee marketplace and the benefits of sustainable agriculture when it comes to farm management and sales.
A standout feature of Terra Firma is that every class included a farmer-teacher, someone who not only possesses business expertise but also has been “in the trenches” and knows the difficulties of managing a farm. Mirroring the farmer-teacher approach, the course facilitated student-to-student support. Farmers were encouraged to share how they have managed their farms.
Feedback from surveys indicated that the time of year worked well for students. One to two classes were virtual; this option was important to have for teachers from very far away and in the event of inclement weather. Survey feedback indicated that students enjoyed having a hybrid approach. Classes were held on Tuesday evening from 4-7pm. Most felt like 5-6 workshops per course were sufficient, but some indicated they would have preferred more classes.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
For a second year in a row, the Cumberland River Compact’s Terra Firma class successfully recruited and educated a cohort of Beginning farmers who value conservation and needed an opportunity to “look under the hood” of their business. The 2025 cohort included 31 farmers, many of whom returned from the previous year for at least one of the six classes offered in 2025.
Terra Firma was developed to help small, Beginning farmers who prioritize conservation sharpen their business acumen. The course was designed to fill a knowledge gap and meet the unique needs of a specific type of farmer: one who has been in business for fewer than ten years, prioritizes conservation practices, and sells into the local market.
One change from our original proposal is the name of the course itself. We changed the name from "Beyond Agricurious" to "Terra Firma." Terra Firma is Latin for "solid ground," and we thought this name better reflects the "solid ground" on which the Beginning farmers who take the course will stand.
Our inaugural cohort of twenty-six farmers from Middle and East Tennessee met every Tuesday evening for six weeks in The Nashville Food Project. Holistic farm planning, accounting, record keeping, labor and project management, National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) programming, capital financing for land access, marketing, and social media were just some of the topics covered. All of the farmers who participated were Beginning farmers (have farmed for 10 years or less), so they are all considered Historically Underserved.
The 2025 class met at the Nashville Farmer’s Market. Topics included record keeping and accounting with spreadsheets, developing “habit” systems for easier farm season flow, and labor and project management, and the role Soil & Water Conservation Districts play in conversation. Harpeth Moon Farm—a certified River Friendly and USDA organic farm—taught one class focused on the Middle Tennessee marketplace and the benefits of sustainable agriculture when it comes to farm management and sales.
All of the farmers who participated in Terra Firma strive for sustainable farm systems– one that minimizes inputs and focuses on soil and water health. We need farmers who put soil health at the center of their operations to fulfill production goals and thrive as business owners if we are to have the clean and abundant water that the Cumberland River Compact envisions.
Several of the participants have also received the Cumberland River Compact’s River Friendly Farm certification. This certification assures the consumer that the certified farmer uses practices that promote healthy soil and protect both groundwater and streams.
A standout feature of Terra Firma is that every class included a farmer-teacher, someone who not only possesses business expertise but also has been “in the trenches” and knows the difficulties of managing a farm. Mirroring the farmer-teacher approach, the course facilitated student-to-student support. Farmers were encouraged to share how they have managed their farms. Conversations revolved around the use of cover crops, the best place to buy certified organic compost, favorite labs for soil testing, nurseries selling riparian plants, attended local Soil & Water Conservation District meetings, and general access of NRCS services and funds.
The Cumberland River Compact values small, sustainable farmers and the people they feed. We want to see these farmers flourish and share their knowledge and ethos with more people and the next generation. We developed Terra Firma to fulfill this goal.
To spread the word about our course, the Cumberland River Compact published a blog in 2024 about the course (approximately 500 reads), included it in six newsletters, wrote two press releases to promote it, created a web page dedicated to content from the course, and posted about the course on social media channels before and during the course. Following the 2024 class, the Compact published a blog written in conjunction with The Nashville Food Project. The blog ties together the importance of the Terra Firma course, Beginning sustainable farmers, and the food system at large. The Compact presented on the Terra Firma course at a NRCS-hosted small farm expo for beginning farmers in April 2024.
The Compact plans to take a presentation entitled “Lessons Learned from Terra Firma” on the road to teach farmers in surrounding counties who may not have been able to travel into Nashville about the incredible tools and resources made available to our farmer cohorts over the past two years.
Learning Outcomes
Project Management
Financial Management and record keeping
Creating positive farm labor experiences
Marketing and social media
Whole-farm planning
Grants and NRCS cost-shares
Spreadsheets and record keeping
Developing and integrating habits into your farm system for improved efficiency
Project and Team Management with Scrum
Success in the Middle Tennessee Marketplace
Project Outcomes
The Compact wants Beginning farmers who value conservation to flourish and share their knowledge and ethos with more people and the next generation. We developed Terra Firma to fulfill this goal.
All of the farmers who took our course follow-up survey (32 farmers in total) said they feel more prepared to tackle the unique challenges of running a farm business. These farmers also describe their practices as sustainable and regenerative. Bringing these farmers together to learn from experts, teach each other, and build relationships is a crucial part of building a resilient, regional, and sustainable food system.
We have been thrilled to see many of the tools shared and skills learned during Terra Firma already benefitting the farmers who took the course. Even farmers who didn't take the course are benefitting as they hear about the skills and tools from the farmers who did.
In the 2024 class, the agile project management tool, Scrum, was the most popular class of the series. Farmers shared it far and wide, on text messages and on social media. Hayley, co-owner and operator of Harpeth Moon Farms and one of our River Friendly Farms, shared with a group of other farmers: "I love Scrum because it seems like you can kind of make it match your system." Several farmers like Hayley returned in 2025 to take the Advanced Scrum course we offered in order to scaffold farmers’ knowledge of this system.
In 2025, the class taught by Taylor Mendell on developing habit systems was the most popular class. This class encouraged farmers to devote a large chunk of time in the winter to reflecting on past systems and making a plan for improvement in the following year. In addition to the reflection and action plan Taylor taught, she gave small tangible tips for farmers. For example, put a checklist in places where things often go wrong.
When describing the course benefits, the farmers say it best. Here is some of the feedback we got from Terra Firma participants:
“This class was so helpful! As farmers we have limited time to allow for continuing education so taking this time to deep dive on some farming business essentials was so helpful. In addition to supporting continuing education it was wonderful to come together as a community of farmers and connect with other people in this field. We greatly appreciate the Cumberland River Compact taking the initiative to put on this incredible resource.” -Christa Bentley, Sweeter Days Farm (2025)
“The Terra Firma course is a resource that I would recommend for all farmers, current and prospective, who are ready to gain clarity about the business end of farming. When it comes to working ON the business, there’s no experience level, great or small, that doesn’t benefit from an opportunity to check the vitals of their farm. Having access to insight from professionals who have been through it, and a chance to step away from the isolation of field work to network and problem solve with peers is invaluable. Terra Firma provided me with concrete tools and solutions that I’m already applying to my business, and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of it.” -Max VanderBroek, Harpeth Moon Farm (2024)
Again and again, we heard how valuable this course was for farmers. It was developed by farmers and taught by farmers, so it precisely catered to what farmers need to know.
A few students expressed to us the need to “scaffold” the information they had learned. They needed “homework” to have throughout the year and accountability partners and check-ins to see how it was going. Stipends for farmers and a grant to develop this program would be extremely helpful to move the needle.
Farmers constantly feel a pressing need to be *in* the farm business, rather than working *on* it. The need to harvest a crop or move the sheep always seems to take priority over spending time at the desk, doing something like recording data or marketing themselves. However, the farmers in our course learned the vital nature of this less appealing side of the business. Even still, holding yourself to account in the thick of farm season is tough, so providing follow-up support from an organization like the Compact would be very valuable to these farms.