When Am I a Farm and is this right for me?
The answers to these questions vary and can be very context dependent. Farmwork is arduous and requires access to many resources and skill sets. Farmers are entrepreneurs, business managers, producers, marketers, and more. A farmer’s journey into farmwork or into running their own farm may look different from person to person. Some farmers grew up on farms, some are starting a second job or career, some are new Americans. Below is some information to help you identify if farming might be a good fit for you and how to get started.
Is Farming Right for Me?
Farming can be an all encompassing job- you must be attentive to the needs of your farm at all hours of the day and must be able to respond in times of crisis. While farming can be beautiful and rewarding, it can also be very demanding and exhausting. For those who may not be cut out to be a farmer, there are many opportunities to get involved in farm work or within the food system. The Cornell Small Farms program offers a multiplicity of resources and courses for all types of farmers. This free “Plan Your Farm” course is an excellent resource. Cornell Cooperative Extension also has an “Introduction to Farming” video which may be helpful.
The best way to introduce yourself to farming is to try it. Many farmers seek out seasonal or part-time workers which can be paid or done as a trade for a share of whatever they’re growing on their farm. There are also plenty of volunteer opportunities. As a more formal option, you may be interested in seeking out an apprenticeship or internship, many of which can be found with a simple internet search. Finally, you may be interested in working with an incubator farm before going all-in with starting your own farm business. Incubator farms like Groundswell provide an educational and short-term environment for new farmers to get a taste of what it is like to manage a small farm business. A more comprehensive list of incubator programs can be found here.
Finally, there are resources available through Cornell University. The Cornell Small Farms Program offers a plethora of online farming courses, including the Promise of Urban Agriculture curriculum. Though these come with a fee, courses are prorated with scholarships available for those from historically marginalized groups. These courses can be cost prohibitive to some but for those willing and able to pay, this might be a great avenue into formal agricultural training.
Farming Training Programs
- Cornell Cooperative Extension’s online course catalog
- Just Food Farm School NYC in New York City
Two-year certificate program and individual advanced courses on a variety of subjects. - The Radix Ecological Sustainability Center Regenerative Urban Sustainability Training (RUST) in Albany Weekend-long intensive workshop comprised of lectures and hands-on demonstrations on various urban farming subjects.
Beginning Farmer Training Programs
A wealth of workshops and new farmer training programs exist throughout the State. Though most of these programs are not urban farming specific, many components are quite applicable to an urban farm.
- GrowNYC’s Farm Beginnings Whole Farm Planning Course GrowNYC Farm Beginnings is a comprehensive agricultural course developed for farmers who are looking to start farm enterprises, including farmers with agricultural experience from their home countries, NYC and farmers looking to scale-up to rural farming.
- CRAFT: The Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training program is prevalent throughout NYS.
- NOFA- NY hosts workshops and farm field days across NYS for new-experienced farmers.
- Cornell Small Farms offers an array of online courses for new and beginning farmers.
- Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming offers a 10-week in-person farm businesses course and opportunities at an incubator farm outside Ithaca, NY.
- New York Botanical Gardens offers workshops and certificate programs in landscape design, botany, horticulture and gardening.
- Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture offers both unpaid farm internships and longer-term apprenticeships for aspiring farmers as well as hosts the annual Young Farmers Conference in November.
- Hawthorne Valley Beginning Farmers Program offers field days and mentoring programs.
- Calypso Farm and Ecology Center runs a comprehensive, 5-month Farmer Training Program focused on providing the skills training and experience necessary for beginning farmers to go on to start their own economically successful small farm.
Organizational Workshops, Classes, and Events
Several urban farming or related organizations offer workshops, classes, and events to help educate and support urban farmers. See the Appendix for more information and for organization contact information, or check individual organization websites and event calendars.
See a list of Cornell Cooperative Extension offices across New York State.
When am I a Farm?
The answer to the “Am I a Farm?” question can also vary, as different programs and agencies each have their own thresholds for what is officially considered a farm.
Below are some basic first steps to follow to create a farm business and start generating sales. The table following the checklist provides some information sources for understanding what it means to achieve various sales levels.
Checklist for Starting a Farm
- Register your farm name as a DBA (“Doing Business As”) or an LLC:
Consult Fact Sheet #13 Business Structures in this Guide to learn more about how to do this, and other options for legal structures. Do a thorough search online of any farm name you are considering, to see who else is using it, and whether the website URL and social media handles you want are available. - Open a business bank account:
From the very beginning, you should keep your farm income and expenses separate from your household finances. Open a bank account in the name of your farm business, and transfer some seed money into it so you’ll have funds to purchase your start-up supplies. If you use personal savings for this seed money, keep track of it as your equity in the farm business. If you use a loan, you’ll need to track that too, which leads to the next step: - Choose a method to track expenses (save receipts) and income:
See Fact Sheet #15 Record Keeping in this Guide for some options. - Register your farm with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and get a farm #:
The FSA is the financial arm of the US Dept of Agriculture. They maintain an office in nearly every county; search online or use this search tool to locate the one that serves farms in your area.
Why is it important to register as a farm “operator” with FSA? Two reasons: even if you are leasing the land on which you are farming, you will be counted as part of the Ag Census, and whenever there are programs that could provide funding or conservation assistance to your farm—like farm loans, crop insurance, disaster assistance compensation, or cost-share on fencing or pollinator planting–you will already have a record set up with the FSA. And you’ll be on their contact list so you are more likely to hear about upcoming funding sources! - Get Farm Insurance, including Product Liability:
See Fact Sheet #5 Farm Risk Management and Fact Sheet #6 Farm Insurance in this Guide for an overview on types of insurance and considerations as you shop around. - Start selling crops or livestock:
(Note: Some benefits of being a farm are applied as soon as you start producing a multi-year crop – like perennial woody species or beef cattle – rather than when you start selling.) - Include your farm sales and expenses on your annual tax return :
If you make $1,000 in sales, you should file a Schedule F with your federal taxes. It’s worth finding a tax accountant with farm expertise to help with your taxes, as there are many special considerations for farms with which general tax preparers or accountants are not likely to be familiar. See Fact Sheet #16 Income Taxes for more detail.
Farming Milestones
| Criteria | Implications | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| You are purchasing any supplies to be used in the production of farm goods for sale | You do not need to pay sales tax on most farm-related purchases. Locate the ST-125 Sales Tax Exemption form (see Fact Sheet #17 Sales Tax Exemptions and Refunds in this Guide, https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/guide/guide-to-farming/sales-tax-exemptions-and-refunds/). Bring this form with you when you shop, and give a copy to each vendor. If you check the “blanket use” box, they will have it on file all year so you won’t have to submit it to them again, though you will need to remind them at each purchase that you are exempt from sales tax. | NYS Dept of Taxation and Finance |
| $1,000 in gross sales | You will be expected to keep financial records, including all receipts, and submit your farm income and expenses on the Schedule F form as part of your annual income taxes. See Fact Sheet #16 Income Taxes for more detail, https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/guide/guide-to-farming/income-taxes/ | Internal Revenue Service |
| $10,000 in avg gross sales over 2 years ($50,000 if you farm on fewer than 7 acres) | You (or your landlord, if you rent land) will qualify for Agricultural Assessment on property taxes, which lowers the amount owed annually. See Fact Sheet #21 Ag Value Assessment for Farmland in this Guide for more detail.https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/guide/guide-to-farming/agricultural-value-assessment-farmland/ | Town/County Assessor’s Office |
| Farm income is at least 2/3 your total household income | The Farmers’ School Tax Credit allows you to receive a credit on your State Income Tax equal to 100% of the school taxes paid on the first 350 acres of property and 50% of the school taxes paid on the acreage beyond 350. To learn more, see Fact Sheet #16 Income Taxes, https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/guide/guide-to-farming/income-taxes/ | NYS Dept of Taxation and Finance |
