Farm employment law feels intimidating but with just a few key rules and operating principles, the farm or ranch business can navigate this potential minefield with confidence. This webinar will teach the fundamentals of farm employment law including classifying workers and the obligations of every farm employer. Folks will learn where they need to learn more and where they can sit back with confidence, no matter where they are in their farming journey. Led by staff from Farm Commons.

Mentor Training Call #3: Effective Interviews What interview questions will reveal the skill level, motivation and aptitude of an applicant? What questions can’t be asked, for legal reasons? How do […]

In this webinar, Alexis Bonogofsky will empower you to share your story, no matter how big, small, weird, or normal. Using social media, creative writing, podcasts, videos, etc. you can create a platform that not only builds your professional image for future career opportunities, but you will hone important life skills and maybe even help to inspire others and change narratives.

While cattle can be an amazing tool for managing land, beginning agrarians often struggle with accessing enough land, capital, and infrastructure to start a cattle operation. However, many folks find success in beginning with small ruminants like sheep and goats. NCAT (National Centers for Appropriate Technology) staff members Linda Poole and Tracy Mumma along with Tracy’s daughter, Lina Sturman, will cover small ruminants in the West: wool sheep, hair sheep, goats, small multi-species grazing, soil health and custom grazing weed control.

Soil health can be a really abstract topic for those of us who are out working on the ranch everyday and it is not always easy to get creative and try new practices to improve the soil. In this webinar, we will learn from other ranchers and farmers and hear what they have tried and in which ways it has succeeded or not succeeded. Joining us as speakers will be Nancy & Steve Oswald (Oswald Cattle Company, Cotopaxi, CO), Mihail Kennedy (B Bar Ranch, Big Timber, MT), and MJ Pickett (Calder Farm, Gunnison, CO). We will hear stories and takeaways from all three speakers, who have tried different approaches to improving soil health on their ranch/farm and see pictures of the setups and outcomes.

When you’re faced with an interesting opportunity to take stewardship of a land base, to expand an enterprise or to create your own operation, how do you make the decision whether or not to pursue it? Do you just follow your gut, or trust the results of late night kitchen table conversations with your partner? Do you make a pro/con list, and then perhaps lose it? As a beginning rancher, the opportunity to build your own business will likely present itself sooner or later. Maybe your boss allows you to lease a piece of land for a poultry enterprise. Perhaps your neighbor will let you run cattle on her property in exchange for some meat. Opportunities may be great, but are they great for you, now?