GA FarmLink

This morning, GA FarmLink and Athens Land Trust held our Farmer Cohort Gathering, an event that marks the beginning of each 10-month session of the GA FarmLink Farm Business Education Program.

It was a great time for program staff and participants to all get together in person and welcome 6 new farmers, who will comprise Cohort 4, and bring the total number of farms in the program to 24!

These farmers got to learn from some incredible industry experts, including Clarenda "Farmer Cee" Stanley, founder and CEO of Green Heffa Farms, and Ellen Polishuk of Plant To Profit.

They also got to connect with our statewide partners and learn about some incredible resources from McIntosh S.E.E.D., the Conservation Fund, and Georgia Grown.

A little background on the goals of this program: Over the course of four years (since 2024) 30 Georgia farmers will be guided by a team of professional consultants through a farm business curriculum that focuses on topics such as basic accounting, systems for data tracking, business & financial analysis, credit readiness, accessing federal programs, marketing/branding and planning for growth.

The program also provides farmers with opportunities to develop social capital and build a network through peer-to-peer mentoring and yearly on-farm educational events.

We rounded off the day with a reception with our state partners in conservation and agriculture. More details to come!

We want to give a major thank-you to Albany Technical College for hosting us in their LEC Auditorium.

We can't wait to see what's next for these incredible farmers!