This is part three of a five-part series on various agencies and tools within the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. Lauren Zimmermann, who serves as a program analyst for the Farm Service Agency and a USDA Beginning Farmer Rancher Coordinator in Montana, joins us a second time to discuss the programs and services that the Farm Service Agency provides for beginning farmers and ranchers.

Join the Point Blue Soils Team in partnership with Quivira Coalition for a webinar on the Rangeland Carbon Monitoring Program (Range-C), where we’ll dive into the logistics of designing and implementing a monitoring project to track the impacts of prescribed grazing on ecosystem carbon and soil health.

NAP 101 is an interactive opportunity to learn more about the New Agrarian Program, hear descriptions of our 2025 mentor sites, and get a few tips on applying to the program. Although this call will be recorded and posted to our website, attending the live call gives applicants the opportunity to ask questions and meet the NAP staff who will help review applications.

Call #2: November 11, 12:00 p.m. |  Nov 14, 7:00 a.m. - Evaluating Written Applications
A strong evaluation process begins before you read a single application. Creating your review process in advance assures you’ll read for relevant experience as well as for potential in less experienced applicants.  We will share strategies for tackling the pile of applications, evaluation templates, and sample email responses to applicants who you would like to interview and those you will decline. 

This is part four of a five-part series on various agencies and tools within the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. In this offering of the series, we are joined by Montana Beginning Farmer Rancher Coordinators, Marlee Johnston, an ag producer state specialist for Rural Development, and John Lockie, risk management specialist with Risk Management Agency, to discuss how Rural Development and Risk Management Agency work with beginning farmers and ranchers.

This is part five of a five-part series on various agencies and tools within the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. Our final call of the Getting Started with the USDA webinar Series will discuss programs and technical support the Natural Resources Conservation Service provides. NRCS provides leadership in a partnership effort to help people conserve, maintain and improve our natural resources and environment.

In this two part webinar series, founders of Grazing School of the West, Brittany "Cole" Bush and Olivia Tincani will dig into the roots of what makes a grazier’s business different. In part one we will discuss business planning and decision-making and the distinct things to consider while planning your contract or prescribed grazing business. In part two we will review various business tools, templates, and instruments that power operations of grazing businesses and empower their entrepreneurs and employees.

Call #3: Interviewing For Your Best Candidate
Design an interview process that will reveal the skill level, motivation and aptitude of  applicants and determine if they are right for your operation. We’ll share great questions that lead to thorough responses regarding experience and motivation. What questions can’t be asked, for legal reasons? How do you find out what you most need to know? And how do you select your finalists?