Want
to Jump-Start Your Sustainable Farm Business?
Enrollment for the 2009-2010 Class of Central Illinois Farm Beginnings (CIFB) is
closed. We will begin accepting applications for CIFB 2010-2011 in May 2010.
Central Illinois Farm Beginnings (CIFB) is a full-year program for anyone
wanting to engage in sustainable, entrepreneurial farming.
Through Central Illinois Farm Beginnings, you will:
- Learn critical farm management skills such as business planning, marketing
strategies, and creative financing.
- Articulate your values and goals into a vision and mission statement for
your farm business.
- Formulate short- and long-term farming goals .
- Craft a detailed business plan for your farm enterprise.
- Learn critical farm management skills such as financing and marketing
strategies.
- Tap into the knowledge of innovative and skilled farmers in central Illinois
- Access opportunities for land and equipment use and/or rental
- Receive mentoring from a farmer engaged in a similar enterprise
- Develop important connections with beginning and experienced farmers
- Make personal contact with a wide range of Illinois professionals that support
small-scale local farmers, including USDA specialists, bankers, farmers market
managers, reporters, and attorneys