Carlos rents just over four acres of farmland at ALBA’s 100-acre facility.

Carlos Gonzalez Torrez is an experienced farmworker and student at the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association in Salinas, California. Carlos has spent many years on the farm, hand picking artichokes, strawberries, and Brussels sprouts. He’s now working with ALBA to build his own operation.

Worker to Farmer

ALBA’s mission is to create economic opportunity for limited-resource and aspiring organic farmers through education in the heart of the Salinas Valley.

New and beginning farmers receive education, experience, and support from ALBA. Carlos took ALBA’s Farmer Education Course, which provides 300 hours of bilingual classroom instruction and field-based training over one year. Graduating participants can rent farmland at ALBA for up to five years to help grow their careers.

“I came in to take the course and decided that I wanted to go out and operate on my own,” said Carlos. Continue reading →

The Staleys grew their maple syrup operation with a microloan from FSA.

By Mary Kirby, Illinois FSA

In 2007, Mike and Kim Staley purchased a farm in Elmwood, Illinois. Formerly an apple orchard, the couple decided to transition the land into a maple syrup operation after watching a documentary about how to make syrup.

“We got into this business by accident,” said Mike. “After watching the documentary, I told my wife that we should try making maple syrup, seeing as there were maple trees on our property already. She got me a starter kit for Christmas and we made 15 bottles that year.” Continue reading →

Gary chose the Oberhasli breed because of the flavor and quality of the milk. (Photo courtesy of Capream)

By Lauren Moore, Public Affairs Specialist

Gary Carder is a veteran and owner of Capream Dairy in Prescott, Arizona. This Grade-A goat dairy specializes in the production of milk, gelato, and cheese, which are sold at retail locations around the state.

Ice Cream to Gelato

Originally intending to start an ice cream business, Gary took the Ice Cream Short Course workshop at Penn State University to learn the craft. To source the milk for his ice cream, Gary purchased two Oberhasli goats and discovered the naturally low-fat content from the milk made better gelato.

“Goat ice cream is good, but goat gelato is even better,” he said. “I chose this particular breed because of the flavor and quality of the milk. Our milk is on the sweet side, so all of our products have a sweet flavor.”

Gary later added 14 females and two males to expand his herd. Capream is now home to over 200 goats. Continue reading →

Henry’s mission is to teach others about opportunities in agriculture and provide access to healthy food.

By Dana Rogge, Public Affairs Specialist

After retiring in 2008, Henry and Ardis Crews returned to their hometown of Henderson, North Carolina, with a plan to rebuild their community as they remembered it from their childhood. They organized the Green Rural Redevelopment Organization to transform abandoned or vacant property into farms and to develop entrepreneurs in their community, form cooperatives, and educate others interested in micro-market farming.

“This is my hometown and I wanted to make it like it was when I was growing up – a real nice community,” Henry said.

Creating a Micro-Market

It was Henry’s trip to the local grocery store, and an encounter with a neighbor, that set him and Ardis down the path of micro-market farming. Continue reading →

ECP helped Joe and Diana clean up and reboot their operation after the devastating storm.

By Lillian Stout, West Virginia FSA Program Technician

Thirty-five years ago, Joe and Diana Sparks traded in their home in Ohio for the ridgetop views of Braxton County, West Virginia. Located in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, the couple’s dreams took root in the shape of a four-acre orchard, dispersed with apple trees, peach trees and honeybee hives.

For many years their orchard operation was enough to sustain the farm.

Like many producers in West Virginia, the couple saw their hard work disappear in the blink of an eye when a catastrophic flood hit in 2016. The ensuing wind wiped out many of the trees they had nurtured for thirty-five years. Continue reading →

By Michelle Thomas, farmers.gov

The vision of farmers.gov is to provide farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners with online self-service applications, educational materials, engagement opportunities, and business tools.

Many of these self-service features are available through the secure farmers.gov portal, where you can log in to your dashboard to apply for programs, process transactions, and manage accounts.

If you work with USDA, we encourage you to get an USDA eAuthentication account, providing you access to the farmers.gov dashboard and enabling you to better manage your USDA business online.

We know you’re busy! You can access the farmers.gov dashboard and manage USDA business from your desktop, tablet, or smartphone.

Continue reading →

By Dana Rogge, USDA

This year’s adverse weather and increased cotton acres may mean it’s taking you a little longer to get your cotton ginned. USDA’s Farm Service Agency offers seed cotton recourse loans to provide interim financing while you wait.

“While the rain we received this fall in Texas was a welcome relief for our drought-stricken areas, it also slowed down harvest,” said Gary Six, FSA state executive director in Texas. “Here in Texas and elsewhere across the country, we’re making sure producers know about seed cotton recourse loans, which can help meet our producers’ financial needs.”

If you’re experiencing similar delays in getting your cotton ginned, visit with your local FSA staff about seed cotton recourse loans. Continue reading →

Emery was introduced to agriculture on her grandfather’s cattle operation.

By Janlyn Hannah, Oklahoma Farm Service Agency

Emery Fox is a 26-year-old rancher in Checotah, Oklahoma, who, with the support and encouragement of her family, got in the cattle business two years ago.

“I had some money at the time, and we talked about different ways to invest,” she said. “I thought it would be a good way to invest and provide a supplemental income. I don’t get in over my head. This is all really new to me and it’s a lot of learning.”

Ranching Roots

Prior to purchasing her own herd of 12 Charolais-Red Angus cattle, Emery was introduced to agriculture on her grandfather’s cattle operation. Her grandfather, Jack Pugh, has been a cattleman for 30 years and has been a source of constant support and advice for Emery.

“It’s been a family thing for us,” she said. “I run my cows on my grandpa’s land. We get together on the weekend to go over what we’ve seen throughout the week. He’s been a huge support and has really played a major role in me being able to survive and grow as much as I have.”

She says she’s been fortunate to have the support of her family and her tribe, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The cattle business is tough, and it takes a lot of work to be successful.

“We’ve faced challenges, with not having enough hay to make it through winter, feral hogs, flies and ticks, managing land needs, and most important for me, time,” said Emery. Continue reading →