The long-term goal of this project is to help Iowa beginning farmers establish successful farms that increase the diversity and sustainability of Iowa agriculture and result in vibrant Iowa communities. The short-term goal is to help beginning farmers improve their financial literacy and develop the knowledge and skills needed to create viable businesses. This project will enable researchers to complete programming to meet the goals including: workshops on farm financials, help beginning farmers complete business plans and facilitate reviews of these plans, organize one-on-one consultations between beginning farmers and experts, hold webinars covering financial and business education, and publish educational materials.
Sally Worley was named the executive director of Practical Farmers of Iowa in January 2016, and has overseen Practical Farmers’ beginning farmer programming for six years. She has worked at Practical Farmers for eight years, and coordinates the organization’s operations, manages staff, administers grants and develops programs. She has extensive experience organizing events and conducting outreach for PFI. Sally works with many partners across the United States to increase the capacity of beginning farmer programming for PFI as well as other organizations serving beginning farmers.
Steve Carlson, Practical Farmers of Iowa