Start2Farm Finding help to get started

Information Conundrum If we live in the Information Age, why can’t I ever find the information I need?

Role of Information Professionals (aka Librarians) Gather Information Resources Organize Information Evaluate Information Make Information Accessible

Welcome, to the Start2Farm website located at Start2Farm.gov.

Start2Farm is a special project of the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Grant#

The two reasons for Start2Farm 1.To create a clearinghouse of available training and services for beginning farmers and ranchers. The clearinghouse is what you are accessing when you use Start2Farm.gov. 2.To provide a national conference for beginning farmers and ranchers.

What’s in it? Pt 1 Programs and Resources Federal Agencies Cooperative Extension State Departments of Ag Non-Profits Community Based Organizations

What’s in it? Pt 2 Education and Training Financing Technical Services Networking

Using the Site The two main features of the home page are the Thinking About Farming and Already Farming buttons. To start using the site simply click the one that applies to you. For more information about searching the site please access the ‘Using the site’ tutorial located in the site help section.site help

Thinking About Farming If you are Thinking About Farming, click the first button and take a minute and read through the New to Farming tutorial. It is a brief guide to some important considerations when starting a farm.New to Farming tutorial At the end, you will have the option of returning to the topics pages to find more in depth resources.

Already Farming The Already Farming button will take you to our topics pages where you can browse through our most requested topics to find resources.topics pages

Already Farming - Topic Lists You may use the options menu on the left side to return to one of the broader categories.

Searching with keywords To search the site, simply type a keyword into the search box located in the upper right hand corner of your screen and click enter.

Search Results Once you have entered a term, a list of programs and resources will appear that are relevant to your search term.

Narrowing Search Results Once you receive results, you will notice that there are options for narrowing your search on the left hand side of the page.

Searching in your area To reorder your search results by area, enter your zip code and click ‘Search’.

Narrowing by category You may also use the categories to narrow your search. Click on a category to open the available options and select the topics that are closest to your criteria. Then click ‘search’.

Search String Any search criteria you select will appear at the top of the left hand column. To deselect search criteria simply click the ‘X’ next to the term. The deselected term will disappear from your search string and you will retrieve a new set of results based on the criteria that are still selected.

Trouble Shooting pt 1 1.If you get too few or no results, deselect some of your search criteria. 2.If you get too many results, select more criteria. Please note-  The chance of one program or resource fulfilling all of your needs is limited. It is more likely you will need to use multiple programs and resources to meet your needs. Adding too many search terms will limit the results of your search.  Although some programs are available nationally many are only available at state or local levels. Not all programs are available in all areas.  Many new farmer and rancher programs are still being developed. Start2Farm continually adds resources to the site so please check back often.

Trouble Shooting pt 2 1) The answer may not be where you expect it to be 2) Talk to someone

For more help using programs and resources found on Start2Farm contact us: