connect with intensive training programs
around the state.
“We encourage young and beginning
farmers to join our Facebook groups, where
training and job opportunities are posted
to help them connect with folks throughout
the state already in the field,” says Scrofano.
The Beginning Farmer Program also
offers transition services to complement
the work of on-farm training programs.
“As young farmers matriculate out of
training programs or apprenticeships,
they need services if they’re going to start
farming,” says Scrofano. “The resources
farmers may need include but are not
limited to help with finding land, getting
business training, financing a farm, con-
necting with other farmers in their com-
munity or specialty, locating markets and
borrowing, buying or leasing equipment.
We are happy to talk one-on-one with
farmers to help them find trainings, con-
nect them with experts and work through
any obstacles they may encounter.”
The WVFFC also coordinates the West
Virginia Incubator Farm Network, an
inclusive network of West Virginia agri-
culture training programs that train and
educate the next generation of farmers.
“The network encourages collaborative
efforts of program representatives to offer
the most effective and supportive training
to beginning farmers,” says Scrofano.
“The network will continue to grow as
we are planning to include farms that
take on interns and provide hands-on
experience for aspiring farmers.”
In addition, the WVFFC coordinates
the West Virginia Collaborative Regional
Alliance for Farmer Training, or WV
CRAFT, a farmer-led, farmer-to-farmer
learning community for young, beginning
and established farmers from around
the state. Each farm tour or round table
ends with a potluck meal made with home-
grown edibles and provides space for net-
working and organic community building.
“We are partially through our second
year of WV CRAFT, and our communities
have started to request offering more
tours locally or within their regions,” says
Scrofano. “This may be our next step in
the program, piloting multiple local WV
CRAFT tours in a community to help
build the network and mentorships for
farmers in the area.”
Addressing the Obstacles
One of the biggest challenges faced
by beginning farmers is locating afford-
able land to start their businesses. In fall
2018, the WVFFC scheduled a series
of planning meetings to discuss bigger,
more robust land access options to op-
timize the resources and partnerships
within the state.
“Creation of a land access program will
help provide beginning farmers guidance
on the next step to owning their own farm
business after training,” says Scrofano.
“We are currently exploring different
strategies we can bring to the program,
including a series of meetings with com-
munities, organizations and businesses
that have insight and innovative ideas
to create a robust land access program
in our state. If we can help farmers find
affordable land, we are breaking down
one of the barriers farmers have with
entering this industry and maintaining
a sustainable business.”
In the meantime, the WVFFC also has
land seeker and landowner intake forms
on its website to collect requests from
individuals seeking land as well as indi-
viduals seeking farmers to lease their land.
“The land seeker and landowner pro-
gram is in the beginning stages, and while
we do not have a large database yet, we
do have a handful of properties that
have been submitted,” says Moss. “We
have also been contacted by a number of
farmers looking for land, and we handle
intake on a farmer by farmer basis.”
According to the 2016 West Virginia
Annual Food Systems Impact Survey,
the WVFFC and its partners identified
139 new farmers contributing to various
local food hubs in the state. During that
year, $1.19 million was put back into the
hands of 1,064 producers.
“It is evident that new farmers can
have a significant impact on their local
economies,” says Scrofano. “If we want
to increase the health of our state, not
only economically but also physically,
we need to promote farming as a viable
option as well as help folks interested in
agricultural pursuits succeed.”
Solving the Food Desert Challenge
In addition to working to grow and
diversify West Virginia’s economy, the
WVFFC and its partners aspire to im-
prove food shortages and food deserts in
the state’s most rural locations.
“If we can increase the number of people
in our state who have the knowledge,
skills and resources to farm, we can in-
crease the amount of food available in
our state, especially considering that for
the folks in rural areas like McDowell
County, grocery stores are few and far
between and the increase of farmers in
that area could be revolutionary in feeding
the community,” says Moss.
Additionally, the WVFFC and several
of its partners are committed to creating
pathways for Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program, or SNAP, users to
access fresh farm food. The WVFFC
received a grant from the U.S. Department
Harmony Farms Owner Sky Harmon
speaks during the 2017 WV CRAFT tour.
Photo by Evelyn Hartman.
Round Right Farms in Preston County.
Photo by Round Right Farms.
WV Department of Agriculture
Commissioner Kent Leonhardt and
Jennifer Jones take a tour of T&L
Farms in Greenbrier County.
Photo by Spencer Moss.
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