VBFRC Publications

Our team has produced a number of publications that support our goals. These publications can be accessed through the following links or through Virginia Cooperative Extension’s listing of publications and resources.

Whole Farm Planning

WFP Pub Image — Introduction to Whole Farm Planning

Land Pub Image — Land Acquisition and Tenure

Business Pub Image — Whole Farm Business Management and Planning

Farm Safety, Health and Wellness

Managing Farm Financial Stress for a Healthy Farm and a Healthy Farm Family

Best Practices to Managing Farm Financial Health and Wellbeing

Decision-making guide — Decision-Making Guide for Farm Service Providers and Educators

Dunlap Case Study — Mental Health Case Study "The Dunlap's Beef Cattle: The Impact of Intergenerational Farm Transfer"

Roanoke Case Study — Mental Health Case Study "The Family Vegetable Farm in Roanoke, Virginia"

Montel Case Study — Mental Health Case Study "The Montel Family: An Intergenerational Farm"

Cooper Case Study — Mental Health Case Study "The Cooper Family Story"

Johnson Case Study — Mental Health Case Study "The Johnsons' Broiler Farm"

Grape Production Injuries and Prevention

Farm Stress Brochure — Coping with Stress in the Agricultural Community Brochure from VDACS

Farm Financial Systems

Overview of Financial Systems for New and Beginning Farmers

Introduction of Financial Systems for New and Beginning Farmers

Introduction to Farm Planning Budgets for New and Beginning Farmers

And More!

Small Farm Orientation: Checklist for a Beginning Small Farmer

Successful Farm Startup Image — Successful Farm Startup for Beginners: Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition Program

Are You Farmer Image — Are you a Beginning Farmer? A Resource Tool of the Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition Program

Labor Pub Image — Introduction to Labor Issues for Beginning Farmers

Eval Pub Image — An Evaluation of Program, Training, and Resource Needs of Virginia Beginning Farmers and Ranchers: Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition Program

Farmer Profiles Image — Virginia Beginning Farmer Profiles

Common Ground Image — Common Ground: Why Should University Faculty Partner with Virginia Cooperative Extension?

Building Capacity Image — Building Capacity & Sustainable Partnerships: A Community-Based Participatory Approach to Beginning Farmer Training in Virginia

Survey July 2012 Image — Virginia Beginning Farmer & Rancher Coalition Program Survey Final Report and Instrument

CFS Report Image — Certified Farm Seeker Program Report

Past Participant Survey Image — VBFRC Past Participant Survey Report

Past Participant Interview Image — VBFRC Past Participant Interview Brief

During the spring and summer of 2015, members of the VBFRC interviewed the owners of five farms across Virginia to ask about their experiences and enterprises. Each farmer discussed how they got started in farming, their primary products and markets, labor practices, and a variety of other topics related to their farms. These conversations were recorded for the purpose of creating videos that will help beginning and established farmers and ranchers in Virginia learn more about other Virginia farmers while gaining valuable information about how different farms are operated. To view these videos, visit our YouTube channel.

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The Virginia Beginning Farmer & Rancher Coalition is a state-wide and coalition-based Extension program, housed in Virginia Tech’s Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education. Funding was sponsored by the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Award #2023-49400-40885. For more information about the program, contact Katie Trozzo, Program Coordinator, at vabeginningfarmer@vt.edu or (540) 232-2233. For other questions, contact Kim Niewolny, Program Director, at niewolny@vt.edu.

For website updates, such as broken links, please contact vabeginningfarmer@vt.edu

Signature Coalition Programs