New and transitioning farmers, this “Farminar” is for you!

Beginning at 7 p.m. CST on Tuesday, November 3rd and continuing each Tuesday through December 22^nd, there will be a series of eight, 90-minute “Farminars” for beginning and transitioning farmers. Our friends at Practical Farmers of Iowa and the Iowa Beginning Farming Center are collaborating on the series, and each Tuesday’s Farminar will focus on a topic relevant to new farmers and farmers in generational transition: whole farm planning, legal issues in succession, estate planning, enterprise and market identification, enterprise budgeting, product placement/pricing/promotion, and financing your enterprise. Every Farminar will include farmer presenters who will share their experience and expertise on these issues.

What’s a “Farminar,” you ask? A farminar is a farm-focused “webinar,” an interactive presentation broadcast over the internet that includes both visual and audio elements, with live presentations coupled with slideshow images. What this means, of course, is that anyone anywhere with internet access can click on their browser to watch, listen, learn, and take part. To participate, simply click here at the time of the broadcast. Or visit this page to get more information prior to the first broadcast.

Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) is one of the nation’s outstanding non-profit, educational, farmer-controlled organizations, and Farm Aid is proud to include them in our own nationwide Farmer Resource Network. PFI emerged out of the mid-1980s farm crisis with a mission to “research, develop and promote profitable, ecologically sound and community-enhancing approaches to agriculture.” The “Farminar” series is just one of the many excellent programs PFI offers.

Besides, PFI has great hats! Check ’em out in this photo of me and my old Iowa buddies who volunteered at the Farm Aid concert in St. Louis on October 4^th. Thanks to PFI’s Suzi Bernhard for her good fashion sense, and for her work with Leigh Adcock of the Women, Food, and Agriculture Network in co-creating an excellent exhibit for our HOMEGROWN Village at this year’s show!