Event: May 15, 2017
Training and
Savings Program for Vermont’s Next Generation of Farmers Seeks Youth
Participants: Deadline May 15
The Youth
Agricultural Individual Development Account (IDA) Program, a collaboration of
University of Vermont (UVM) Extension 4-H and the UVM Center for Sustainable
Agriculture, has extended its deadline to May 15 for applications for its next
program cycle.
The free
one-year program helps young farmers, ages 14 to 21, acquire the necessary
financial skills and business assets to operate their own agricultural
business. In addition, it provides a 2-to-1 match of their savings, up to
$1,000 in match funding, for the purchase of a business-related item when they
complete an approved business plan.
The next
cycle begins in late June. Applications may be obtained at any UVM Extension
office or online at http://go.UVM.edu/youth-ag-ida.
Successful
applicants will work with a mentor and farm business management experts to
write a business plan and learn about the financial side of operating an
agricultural enterprise. Throughout the year they also will participate in
workshops, network with established farmers and receive other aid relevant to
their operation. Previous IDA graduates are currently operating enterprises in
maple, dairy, sheep, vegetables, and more. They used their savings plus match
funds to buy items such as a hay baler, breeding ewes, barn restoration
services, and a waterwheel planter.
For more
information, contact Liz Kenton, IDA Program coordinator, at ekenton@UVM.edu or (802) 257-6967, ext. 308.
To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program,
contact her no later than May 15.
The Youth
Ag. IDA program was established in 2012 with funding from the Beginning Farmer
and Rancher Development Program of USDA-NIFA, grant #2011-49400-30589, and
several generous local supporting businesses and families. It is the only
agricultural IDA program in the country that focuses on youth.
