Manager Fellowship

The New Agrarian Program is excited to launch a year-long ManageR Fellowship, beginning in November 2024.

During the inaugural year, this program is only open to graduates of the New Agrarian Program apprenticeship.

Many beginning agrarians develop strong production skills through employment in their first few seasons, but continue to face hurdles when working to develop the business management and financial skills needed in order to launch an enterprise or successfully secure management-level employment. Particularly for the type of agriculture practiced in the arid West, management training programs often require substantial investment of time and money. In response to this, we’ve put together a management-level training program that meets early career ranchers and graziers where they’re at so that they can successfully move into management and entrepreneurship.

The program contains the following elements:

In-person kickoff event: two full days at a ranch, to introduce fellows to the program, and provide training on business planning and leadership development. Fellows will walk away with a new or updated business plan to help guide the development of their business or career for the upcoming season. Fellows will connect and build relationships with one another.
Monthly small group discussions: fellows will be placed in groups of 4-6, based on geography and/or business type, and will meet virtually each month to discuss fellowship curriculum as well as the challenges and successes that they are experiencing throughout the year.
Required trainings during the winter months: business planning, business structures, financial management, leadership skills, and livestock markets
Elective modules during the production season: team management, accessing capital, direct marketing strategies, navigating USDA and other grant opportunities, and land access strategies
Small group site visits during the production season: small groups will meet once in-person, at a fellow’s ranch, to do a ranch visit and tour during the production season.
Access to experienced ranchers: fellows will be introduced to a group of mentors who are excited to provide coaching and share advice on a range of topics related to successfully operating a ranch business. Coaching will focus on business and leadership topics rather than production topics.
Access to scholarships: these will help offset program-related travel expenses or cover additional training, technical assistance, or equipment needs.

FAQ

Who is eligible to participate in the program?

During the inaugural year of the program, we are only inviting graduates of the New Agrarian Program to apply. Participants are expected to be invested in fully participating in the program, to further their own career development and business goals, as well as those of their fellow early career agrarians. Participants must be working in production agriculture, either running their own business or enterprise, in a ranch management position, or actively working toward entrepreneurship or ranch management. Participants may be located anywhere in the U.S., but preference will be given to those who are in the western region. Depending on capacity, we may consider opening the program to participants outside of our alumni group in the future. If you are interested in being added to a waitlist for this, please email newagrarian@quiviracoalition.org

What is the cost to participate in the program?

Registration for the program is $1,499. This includes food and lodging at the kickoff event, access to all training modules and associated office hours, and additional coaching and advice from program mentors as needed. A significant portion of program expenses are being covered by grant funds. We recognize that $1,499 may be a significant financial burden for some participants, and will also offer a sliding scale registration fee so that no one is excluded for lack of funds.

Will participants be expected to cover any additional expenses?

Fellows will be responsible for getting themselves to and from California for the kickoff event (either arriving at the ranch in Paicines, CA, or to one of three major Bay Area airports). Quivira will cover transport to and from the airports, as well as all food, lodging, and instructor expenses at the event. Fellows will also be expected to cover travel to and from the in-person gatherings that happen during the production season (these are expected to be shorter, 1-1.5 day trips). Scholarships will be available on an as-needed basis for those who need additional travel support in order to make these trips possible.

Application Form

Applications are due September 29, 2024. Please note that applications are currently only open to graduates of the New Agrarian Program apprenticeship. Top candidates will be invited to a 30-minute phone interview in early October to elaborate on anything included in the written application, and provide an opportunity for applicants to ask questions about the program. We anticipate having 20 fellowship spots available in 2025.

We recommend drafting your application responses in a word processor (you can copy the questions from this doc) and then copying and pasting your answers into our form. You should get a confirmation email after you submit your application – if you do not get a confirmation email, please contact us.

Questions? Reach out to newagrarian@quiviracoalition.org.

Apply

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Personal Information

Name*

First Last

Email*

Phone*

Address*

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Do you identify as the following:

BIPOC

LGBTQ+

Military Veteran

What is your highest level of education?

How did you hear about the NAP Fellowship Program?*

Will you have reliable access to internet during the fellowship?*

Ag Operation & Employer Information

Employment status

I am still working on finding a farm or ranch job

I have secured a ranch/farm employment position

Other

Name of Farm or Ranch where you will be employed

Ranch or farm location where you will be employed

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Name of Employer

Employer Email

Describe the ranch or farm you will be working for during the fellowship.

Please describe the size, type of crops, types of livestock raised, number of staff, how long they have been in operation, and anything else you feel is pertinent to describing the ag operation.

What is the timeline of your employment or internship?

Describe your relationship with this ranch or farm and how you learned about them

Motivation and Experience

Please describe any agricultural experience or previous exposure to agriculture.*

As a beginning farmer or rancher it's fine if this job is the first step in your agricultural experience.

In your own words, define regenerative agriculture. What does it mean to you?*

What do you want to get out of this fellowship?*

What are your personal and professional long-term goals?*

How do you see this fellowship furthering your future career goals?*

Tell us about a job, educational opportunity, or other activity (i.e., sports, music, art) where you demonstrated commitment.*

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

Certification*

I have read and understand the required elements of the NAP fellowship.

Certification*

I certify that my answers to these questions are true to the best of my knowledge.

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