Resources for Beginning Farmers

For a list of Business Resources for Farmers and Ranchers, click here.

Click here to view Presentations from our farmer training classes.

Resources

Resources for Beginning Farmers

• USDA Beginning Farmers
• Start2Farm.gov
• beginningfarmers.org
• ATTRA

Resources for Beginning Farmers in Hawai‘i 

• Cooperative Extension Service, UH CTAHR
• Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program, UH CTAHR
• Hawaii Agribusiness Guidebook, UH CTAHR
• Hawai‘i Guide for New Farmers, O‘ahu Resource Conservation and Development
• Toward Sustainable Agriculture: A Guide for Hawai‘i’s Farmers, UH CTAHR

Overview of Agriculture in Hawai‘i 

• 2012 Hawaii County Food Self Sufficiency Baseline

Agroecology

• Agroecology: Key Concepts, Principles, and Practices

Agroforestry

• Agroforesty.net
• Nitrogen Fixing Tree Start-up Guide

Business Planning

• Planning for Profit in Sustainable Farming, ATTRA
• How to Begin Your Small Farm Dreams, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project
• Growing Farms: Successful Whole Farm Management Planning Book, Oregon State University Extension Service
• Evaluating a Farm Enterprise, ATTRA
• Affording Our Land: A Financial Literacy Guidebook for Young Farmers

Composting, Vermicomposting, and Compost Teas

• Basic Principles of Composting, LSU Ag Center Research & Extension
• Tea Time in the Tropics, UH CTAHR

Cover Crops

• Managing Cover Crops Profitably, SARE
• Cover Crops and Green Manures for Hawaii, UH CTAHR
• Cover Crop Chart for Hawaii, UH CTAHR
• Cover Your Asset: Choosing Appropriate Cover Crops for your Production System, UH CTAHR
• Cover Crop & Green Manure Data Base, U.H. CTAHR
• Cover Crop PAN Calculator, UH CTAHR
• Cover Crop Field Day (video), The Kohala Center

Fruit and Nut Production

• Establishing the Orchard, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Organic Fruit and Vegetables from the Tropics, United Nations
• Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers
• Growing Tropical Fruit & Nut Trees, UH CTAHR

Irrigation

• Irrigation Principles and Practices

Livestock Production and Forages

• The Forages Website, UH CTAHR
• Pasture and Range Management, UH CTAHR
• Marianas Grazing and Livestock Academy, UH CTAHR
• Tropical Forages: An Interactive Selection Tool
• Grazier Resources, Hawai‘i Cattlemen’s Council, Inc.

Marketing

• Marketing Strategies for Farmers and Ranchers, Sustainable Agriculture Research Education
• Teaching Direct Marketing and Small Farm Viability, UCSC, Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
• NCAT Marketing Tip Sheet
• Hawai‘i Island Farmer’s Guide to Accessing Local Markets

Natural Farming

• How to Cultivate Indigenous Microorganisms; UH CTAHR

Pest Management

• Integrated Pest Management, GoFarm Hawaii
• Organic IPM Field Guide, ATTRA
• IPM for Soil and Soilless Systems, UH CTAHR
• Weed Management for Organic Crops, University of California, Vegetable Research and Information Center
• Steel in the Field, Sustainable Agriculture Network
• Hawaii Plant Disease, Scot Nelson
• Pests and Disease, UH CTAHR
• Biointensive IPM, ATTRA
• Organic IPM Field Guide, ATTRA
• Bio Intensive Integrated Pest Management, ATTRA
• Sustainable Management of Soil Borne Plant Diseases, ATTRA
• Pathogens of Plants of Hawai‘i
• Hawai‘i Plant Disease .Net

Seed Saving and Production

• Introduction to On-Farm Organic Farm Breeding, Organic Seed Alliance
• A Seed Saving Guide for Gardeners and Farmers, Organic Seed Alliance

Soils: Jonathan Deenik

• Testing Your Soil: Why and How to Take a Soil-Test Sample, UH CTAHR
• Soils of Hawaii, UH CTAHR
• Soils of Hamakua, UH CTAHR
• Basic Concepts in Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management
• Building Soils for Better Crops, Sustainable Agriculture Research
• Sustainable Soil Management, ATTRA
• Enhancing Soil Function and Plant Health with Locally Available Resources, Permanent Agriculture Resources

Soil and Crop Nutrition

• Soil & Crop Nutrition, GoFarm Hawai‘i
• Managing Crop Nutrition, UH CTAHR
• Essential Nutrients for Plant Growth: Nutrient Functions and Deficiency Symptoms, UH CTAHR
• Applying the Principles of Sustainable Farming
• Enhancing Soil Function and Plant Health with Locally Available Resources, Permanent Agriculture Resources

Sustainable Agriculture

• Sustainable Agriculture an Introduction, ATTRA
• Applying the Principles of Sustainable Farming, ATTRA

Vegetable Crop Production

• • Commercial Vegetable Production in Hawaii, UH CTAHR Cooperative Extension Service

Presentations

Beginner Farmer-Rancher Development Program Panel

Natural Farming (Part 1) — Michael DuPonte
Natural Farming (Part 2) — Michael DuPonte

Adaptive Natural Farming — James Rushing

Irrigation (Part 1) — Andrew Stout
Irrigation (Part 2) — Andrew Stout

Plant Pathology and Plant Disease Management — Ronald Keith

Plant Disease Management — Scot Nelson

Ground Covers and Tillage — Bob Shaffer

Cover Crop Field Day — Dr. Ted Radovich

Understanding Farm Soils: Chemical and Physical — Bob Shaffer

Soil Testing at The Kohala Center’s Demonstration Farm

Shades of Black: Introduction to Biochar — Josiah Hunt

Beekeeping — Shannon Schultz

Seed Saving and Production (Part 1) — Glenn Teves
Seed Saving and Production (Part 2) — Glenn Teves

Farm Record Keeping (Part 1) — Nancy Gitner Miller
Farm Record Keeping (Part 2) — Nancy Gitner Miller
Farm Record Keeping (Part 3) — Nancy Gitner Miller

Personal Finances (Part 1) — Kari Waldhaus
Personal Finances (Part 2) — Kari Waldhaus

Conservation Planning — Harrison Vidinha

Cost of Production — Steven Chiang

Marketing (Part 1) — Jim Cain
Marketing (Part 2) — Jim Cain

Marketing — Nicole Milne

Crop Insurance and Disaster Assistance — Les Ueda