Beyond Agri-Curious:Training New Farmers in the Business of Farming

View the project final report

Commodities

Practices

• Education and Training: farmer to farmer, networking, technical assistance, workshop
• Farm Business Management: agricultural finance, budgets/cost and returns, business planning, financial management

“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 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 22 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.

1. 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.
2. Increase knowledge of the business aspects of farming. By providing farmers with the needed business management skills, they will be more profitable in farming.
3. Increase knowledge of conservation practices on farms. Through peer-to-peer learning, farmers increase their knowledge and resources for conservation BMPs. 
4. 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.
5. Certify new farmers as River Friendly Farmers. New farmers will complete certifications to allow them to market their products as River friendly.