MOFGA’s Apprenticeship Program

connects people wanting to learn

organic farming with experienced

farmers willing to share their expertise.

• In 2013 175 apprentices and 105 mentor farmers participated in the program

• Since 2000 a total of 1,475 new farmers have participated in the program

• Established in 1975 the Apprenticeship Program has now been modeled in 7 other states

These workshops are designed for and targeted to participants in MOFGA's Apprenticeship Program,but are free and open to anyone interested. They are intended to give apprentices and other young, beginning, and aspiring farmers the chance to visit other farms, learn from farmers about their areas of expertise, and socialize with peers.

Farm Training Projects

MOFGA’s Journeyperson

Program provides hands-on

support, training, and

mentorship for people who are

serious about pursuing

careers in organic farming in

Maine.

Participants are awarded a 2-year package of support, including:• Mentorship with a farmer or farm business.• FREE access to MOFGA resources and farm visits from

MOFGA staff.• An educational stipend of $500 per year• Access to MOFGA Farm Beginnings© whole-farm planning

curriculum• Group discount with FEDCO and Organic Growers Supply• Assistance and support for land access & tenure issues through

partnerships with Maine Farmland Trust and Land For Good

• Potential opportunities include:• 3 acres of flat, irrigable, certified organic sandy loam for

market gardening or row crop production (with the potential for off-site expansion)

• organic seed production, breeding, and variety selection• value-added processing

Journeyperson Program Graduates98% are farming

Program Impacts• Percentage of farmers at the Portland Farmers

Market who are current or past participants in MOFGA’s New Farmer Programs: 49%

• Percentage of Community Supported Agriculture, (CSA) Farms that are current or past participants in MOFGA’s New Farmer Programs: 50%

• Annual Economic and community development value of each new farm operation : $63,000

• Percentage of Journeyperson farms that are partly or wholly woman-owned: 68%

New Farmer Programs: Goals and Vision for the future

• Expand the Journeyperson program to support 75 farmers per year.

• Develop and strengthen support for Journeyperson and Apprentice mentors.

• Expand and develop market access for new farmers through multiple strategies.

• Establish an Individual Development Account (IDA) matching savings program for participants in the Journeyperson Program.

• Establish a travel fund for new farmers to learn from peers in other regions and countries.

Beginning Farmer Resource Network of Maine

The Beginning Farmer Resource Network is a coalition of Maine agriculture agencies and organizations working together

to connect aspiring, beginning, and transitioning farmers to resources for farm business success.

http://umaine.edu/beginning-farmer-resource-network/

Partner Organizations

Land For Good ensures the future of farming in New England by putting more farmers more securely on more land. We take a systems view of farmland access that engages multiple stakeholders and works at multiple levels. Our strategy is structured around three programs:● Farm Seekers Program● Farm Legacy Program● Working Lands Program

www.landforgood.org