Program Helps New Farmers with Risk

The LSU AgCenter has received a federal grant for a series of webinars, workshops and farm tours to train new farmers, particularly in the areas of finance and marketing, to help make them more risk-resilient.

The Southern Extension Risk Management Education grant was from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The amount was not reported.

The financial component focuses on financial literacy; accurate and informative financial statements; the use of enterprise budgets and partial budgets; ag-lenders and nontraditional lenders; and land leasing and access to land. Workshops will focus on computer bookkeeping programs, grant writing and loan applications.

The marketing component focuses on market diversification and horticultural crops, and direct marketing opportunities such as farmers markets, community-supported agriculture programs, farm to restaurant and online platforms to increase awareness of local market opportunities.

Project collaborators include local farmers Allison Guidroz, of Fullness Farm, and Madeline Yoste, of Compostella Farm; state agency representatives from the Natural Resource Conservation Service and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry; as well as First South Farm Credit, SPROUT NOLA and LSU AgCenter horticulture extension agents.