Harvesting Our Potential: Growing Skills, Confidence and Sustainability – CORE Grant

For 20 years the WFAN’s Harvesting Our Potential (HOP) program has been inspiring and growing women farmers and advocates by empowering them to become active farmers, mentors, and advocates. This mentoring program is expanding to provide opportunities for women farmers of all stages in their careers not only as they begin their farm enterprise, but as they grow and seek to diversify and/or expand their farm business. New opportunities for existing women farmers who seek additional training on topics such as how to add new enterprises, operate a tractor, or improve their marketing skills. On-line meetings with previous program participants to share their “where I am now” stories with current participants, will also serve as evaluatory information for WFAN. Additionally, this project will pilot a farm-sitting component by providing funding for a trained farm-sitter to care for a farmer’s operations while they leave for additional training. This will provide both parties opportunities to grow skills and provide experience for the farm-sitter to use in future farm employment opportunities.