Scholarships for Beginning Farmers + Ranchers
Nowadays, starting out in agriculture can be particularly difficult, even impossible, without the right training. That’s why Dakota Rural Action launched the Farm Beginnings® training program.
This fall will be the program’s fifth year and the first year the class is being held West River. Farm Beginnings students learn directly from skilled farmers and ranchers essential farm business skills such as whole farm planning, financial planning, marketing, and connecting with mentors and resources. Besides classroom training, families get hands-on experience from tours and workshops.
Will you consider giving a donation to support family scholarships for the next Farm Beginnings class? Farm Beginnings course tuition is $1500 per family and we hope to offer need-based scholarships for up to half the course cost, or $750 per family. Please help 5 more farming and ranching families get started this year by donating today.
Our Track Record
Over the last four years, 34 families have completed the Farm Beginnings® program, with over 80% of those graduates engaged in farming activities since completing the class. Grassroots fundraising during that time not only helped cover costs of the overall course, but also provided over $22,000 in scholarships to 26 families. This money has come directly as gifts from folks like yourself. Read our graduate profiles to see the impact of this training on the next generation of famers and ranchers.
Thank you for your time and making this grassroots organization viable. And, thank you for considering donating as much as you can to scholarships for new farmers and ranchers. All gifts to Dakota Rural Action are tax-deductible. Donate to Launch Next Wave of South Dakota Farmers + Ranchers.