Beginning Farmers
Learning to Farm the Land!
Blog by: Zian Bustamante, Groundswell Communications Intern As spring unfolds, so has the pilot Farmer Training Program! At the end of March, Groundswell launched the Farmer Training Program which facilitates connections between BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) aspiring farmers and the land. Over the course of the last month, the cohort spent time learning…
Read MoreSmall Farmers Join Together
In 2020, Groundswell teamed up with a regional organization, Headwater Food Hub, to connect more buyers to local farmers. Groundswell Incubator Farmers also collaborated to grow a few select crops for the Full Plate Farm Collective CSA (weekly veggie subscription). Groundswell served as an intermediary between distributors and farmers, working closely with small farmers to…
Read MoreJanuary Farming for Justice RECAP – Federal Farm Program Access for POC Farmers
This January, we welcomed Ariana Taylor-Stanley, Northeast Regional Organizer for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, to inform us about Federal Farm Program Access, specifically for farmers of color, and other historically marginalized groups. It was an incredible informative session about USDA programs, like EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) or CSP (Conservation Stewardship Program). These are…
Read MoreConnecting Community Through Food: An Interview With Up-and-Coming Local Farmer, John Whitmore
Dirt under his nails and a warm smile behind a scraggly beard, John Whitmore of Shagbark Gardens in Danby, NY sat down with me on Tuesday to reflect on his experience in the “Grow Your Farm Business Course”, held every winter here at Groundswell. Situated atop the Autumn Leaves Book Store in a cozy little…
Read MoreThe Learning Farm: Connecting Kids to the Land
Connecting children and families to the land is a primary goal of the Learning Farm. Based in Ithaca, the farm focuses on exposure to the outdoors and education about the natural world. It is also a juicery, and the Learning Farm Juicery grew out of a desire to see healthier juices on the market for…
Read MoreCentering Equity at Groundswell Center – September FFJ Recap!
This month our Farming for Justice Discussion Group featured us here at Groundswell Center, speaking about the work we’ve been doing around Equity in the organization. The presentation and discussion was recorded, which you can view here. In short, we center equity in our organization because that is the future of farming and a sustainable…
Read MoreThe 2017 Ag-Census, and You.
The San Diego Food System Alliance put out a brief article, that begins by succinctly describing the 2017 Ag-Census, and why its now 2019 and we’re only talking about it now: “This is an 820-page report that boasts 6.4 million new points of data about America’s farms and ranches and those who operate them. You…
Read MoreInstant Inspiration: An Interview with Sara Sirois
Sara Sirois is the owner and operator of Georgic Farm located in beautiful Virgil, New York. This is Georgic Farm’s first operational year, mainly driven by CSA sales. Sara’s journey into agriculture is one we can all relate to – and of course, be inspired by. A recent grad of Groundswell’s Grow Your Farm Business…
Read MoreNew Matched Savings Program!
Ithaca, NY– Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming is offering an Ag-Individual Development Account (IDA) Matched Savings Program, in collaboration with Alternatives Federal Credit Union (AFCU). Groundswell Center’s Ag-IDA program offers a 3:1 match on savings from $250-$1,000 over 7-13 months to individuals from marginalized groups looking to start-up or expand an agricultural business.…
Read MoreA Groundswell of opportunities for beginning farmers!
December 14, 2018 The Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement of the USDA awards Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming* $199,000 for the Project “Every Farmer at the Table: Expanding access and opportunity for underrepresented farmers in Central New York.” This funding enables Groundswell Center to continue to provide their comprehensive suite of technical…
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