Our 2021 Fellows (pictured above, clockwise from top left): Sharrona Moore, Danielle Guerin, Daniel Garcia, Sarah Dillon, DeAnthony Jamerson, Maeve Smith, and Frieda Graves.
Our 2020 Fellows (pictured above: Anne Massie, Vivian Muhammad, Emma Hawk, Mike Record, and Jonas Carpenter) made big leaps, thanks in part to the Fellowship. Click here for more details (and videos) about how they added on-farm stores and mobile farmer's market trailers; dug wells; bought equipment to start new enterprises; added new greenhouses; and more.
How the Hoosier Beginning Farmer Fellowship Works
The Hoosier Beginning Farmer Fellowship Program aims to propel a cohort of outstanding beginning farmers forward in their farming journey. These farmers must be in years 3-10 of their operations, and ready to take on a large project that will push their farms to the next level (thanks to the Fellowship funding). And together, they form a network of peers available for assistance and advice, and providing funds to compensate these farmers for being Fellows.
By providing this Fellowship, the Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition aims to help beginning Hoosier farmers solidify their roles as successful, sustainable farmers building the food systems we need.
We want to say a very big thank you to the anonymous donor who makes the Fellowship possible.
We are proud of our progress hosting the Fellowship for two years. The donor has committed to another round of funding. We plan to review the program to strengthen it based on farmer input, and then host another round of the Fellowship in 2023.
Find if you might be eligible for our 2023 Fellowship, to read more about how the Fellowship works, and to apply, click here.
Questions? Email us at fellows@hoosieryfc.org.
- The goal of the cohort model is to create a bond between Fellows that offers camaraderie and allies for practical, technical or emotional support. The farmers will spend one year connecting. They will engage via monthly conference calls as well as a (socially distanced) retreat at the start and end of their year. They will participate in two years of the Indiana Small Farm Conference together, and join HYFC in our effort to connect beginning farmers statewide.
- The goal of the compensation ($5,000) is to acknowledge the work farmers put into being Fellows, and to allow these beginning farmers to build their capacity, scale up to the next level, and/or intensify their impact in local and regional food systems throughout Indiana. Ideally, the funds will offset costs incurred by participating in the Fellowship, and let the farmer tackle a major farm project that will advance their growing business.
- The Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition is committed to furthering racial equity in agriculture. We acknowledge that our food system is a racist system, and that white farmers and eaters have been offered advantages that have been kept from Black, Indigenous, and other people of color. We want to use the resources of this Fellowship to contribute a more equitable food system in Indiana. We know that this is just a start, but for our 2021 Fellowship, we were excited to commit to providing a minimum of three (3) of our Fellowships to Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, and three (3) of our Fellowships to female-identifying, non-binary, and trans farmers. These are not mutually exclusive identity categories and should not be understood as adding up to six (6) of the seven (7) available Fellowships. To read our full solidarity statement, click here.
By providing this Fellowship, the Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition aims to help beginning Hoosier farmers solidify their roles as successful, sustainable farmers building the food systems we need.
We want to say a very big thank you to the anonymous donor who makes the Fellowship possible.
We are proud of our progress hosting the Fellowship for two years. The donor has committed to another round of funding. We plan to review the program to strengthen it based on farmer input, and then host another round of the Fellowship in 2023.
Find if you might be eligible for our 2023 Fellowship, to read more about how the Fellowship works, and to apply, click here.
Questions? Email us at fellows@hoosieryfc.org.
