Thanks for your interest in the Beginning Farmer Program.
The application process is closed for the 2011-12 course.
We will offer another course in 2012-13, and more scholarships will be
available then.
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Read the Daily Oklahoman's article on the Beginning Farmer & Rancher
Program here.
Scholarships for fifty beginning farmers and ranchers are now available for a year-long training program.
Saturday workshops will be held at the Kerr Center near Poteau.
Those chosen to participate must choose either a livestock or horticulture track and commit to attending six sessions.
To be eligible, one must have been operating a farm or ranch enterprise for ten years or less and have gross farm income of less than $150,000 annually.
The program is aimed at beginning farmers and ranchers in Oklahoma. However, those from surrounding states may apply. Oklahoma applicants will be considered first.
The program is open to all age groups, including retirees from other professions. Men and women completely new to agriculture can participate, along with those who already have a farm or ranch, but who would benefit from more training.
The training sessions will be a mix of classroom instruction and hands-on experience outdoors at the Kerr Center Ranch and Farm.
Instruction in business planning and natural resource management will be provided to participants in both tracks.
Through a grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture is teaming up with the Oklahoma Farmers and Ranchers Association (OFRA), the Mvskoke Food Sovereignty Initiative (MFSI) and the Rural Smallholders Association (RSA), along with the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, to train, mentor and develop resources for beginning farmers and ranchers in Oklahoma.
The center has a 25-year history of educational outreach in Oklahoma and the region. The other team members also work closely with agricultural producers in the state.
For more information and/or to apply for this educational opportunity, click on links below or call the center at 918.647.9123.
Scholarships for fifty beginning farmers and ranchers are now available for a year-long training program. 
