Entrepreneurship Intensive For Farmers

JANUARY 14-19, 2022

Pocantico Hills (Lower Hudson Valley), NY

Application Deadline: November 14, 2021

We are excited to host the third cohort of the Entrepreneurship Intensive for Farmers in collaboration with Ideagarden and Blue Hill. This immersive, experiential fellowship gives farmers the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with Will Rosenzweig, Co-Chair of the Sustainable Food Initiative at Berkeley Haas School of Business, other experts, and one another as they develop business strategies, entrepreneurial skills and sharpen their understanding about how to integrate community and food culture into the ecological potential of their farms.

This year, the program is accepting seven farmer/food producer partner/pairs who are embarking on (or want to grow) a key business relationship. The program is sponsored and hosted by Stone Barns Center and includes curriculum, lodging, food, and a travel stipend. The farmer in the group should act as the main contact, filling out the application, and managing logistics with their food-producer partner.

Please consider applying if you and your partner are:

• A farmer with a minimum of five years’ experience in the day-to-day management of a farm, with preference given to applicants in the Northeast. We’re looking for farm businesses that have generated at least $150,000 in gross revenue in the most recent tax year. You should be deeply engaged in your farm’s business practices, have an ambition to grow your business in a variety of ways, and desire more innovation and risk-taking in this realm.
• Embarking on a business relationship or partnership with another food-producer (examples follow). You and your partner should be ambitious and optimistic about the value you can generate together. You will take the lead on the application logistics, serving as nominator for your food-producer partner.
• In agreement with the Generative Agricultural Pledge, and with a desire to integrate the broader community and food culture in your enterprise. You should be entrepreneurially minded, and work creatively and collaboratively to build connections among soil, flavor, business, and community. We’re seeking farmers who have established meaningful relationships with chefs, partnerships with restaurants, and/or collaborations with other community food leaders, and have a desire to further integrate the broader community and food culture into their enterprise.
• Available to attend the program in person from January 14-19, 2022. Your food-producer partner is welcome to join, but not required to attend. (Please note that health restrictions may require us to pivot to virtual programming)
• Available to complete 5-10 hours of preparatory work in December and to participate in monthly peer-learning phone calls for one year after the program.

Examples of farmer/food-producer partners:

• A livestock farmer growing a relationship with a local butchery
• A grain farmer working with a chef to incorporate cover crops and other seasonal ingredients into the restaurant menu
• A diversified farmer working with a value-added producer to produce packaged foods for distribution
• A dairy farmer and a cheese maker developing a branded line of products

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Questions? Contact us at info@stonebarnscenter.org.