FAQ - Agricultural Business Training Program (ABTP)
Q: When do courses start and where?
NxLevel “Tilling the Soil of Opportunity” courses are offered in the winter months. We teach them wherever the minimum 8 ag businesses can be expected to register. Class participants have input in the schedule, with the most common format being once per week three hour evening sessions over 10 weeks.
Exploring Your Small Farm Dream courses are four-five sessions offered once per week on weekday evenings. We have done some daytime classes as well. The shorter course window allows more flexibility on time of year. We do Explorer when enough people in a region say they want them.
Enrollment is rolling for both of these courses – let us know of your interest and we will put you on a contact list!
We can also offer special sessions such as a year long “Ag Business Cluster” , and various short courses and seminars on topics you may want to help us bring to farms In your area. In general, MDAR will pay costs of offering a program if you can manage the local site responsibilities and help with recruiting.
Q: Am I eligible?
For the Tilling the Soil course, participants should be existing agricultural enterprises with a record of at least two years in business. It is fine to be contemplating a new way of operating or even a new business pursuit on your farm, but you must have some experience in being an agricultural entrepreneur - and you must have enough capacity to implement the steps you identify through participation in our training. This course is not for start-up or pre-venture farms.
For Explorer, we ask that you be actively pursuing farming as a small enterprise. Half the participants haven’t done more than think about their idea, and the others tend to be just getting going. Some have access to land and some don’t. Explorers are still trying to decide whether to pursue their agricultural dream.
These courses are intended for farmers or those thinking about farming in Massachusetts. We can make special arrangements for out-of-state near neighbors if there is room in a given class.
Q: How much does this cost?
ABTP offerings are subsidized by MDAR and/or our partners. . We charge a registration fee of $200 for Tilling the Soil and $125 for Explorer to secure your commitment and place in the class. We may accept one or two out-of-state businesses on a space available basis at extra cost. The fees include all materials and, for MA farms, a substantial amount of extra individual on-site technical assistance.
Q: Does ABTP link to other MDFA/USDA programs?
The Farm Viability Enhancement Program and ABTP are sometimes linked and often cross-refer participants. ABTP
can also qualify successful participants for USDA/FSA borrower training
certification. The business plan you will create through ABTP is thorough
enough to be well received by any commercial lender, and will help you
work with other MDAR Departments/grant programs such as marketing, environmental
enhancement and innovative technologies.
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