New Farmer Program Breaks Ground
“Am I going to lose my shirt?” is the question Natalie Kurylko had on her mind when she and husband Jason Condon got into farming three years ago. Breaking ground is not new to the couple. They both come from farm families, but the question of making a living in farming stirred up the dirt for them. Good dirt.
Natalie was one of 32 participants who completed the first-ever New Farmer Program in Boulder County. The eight-session program was based on the results of a countywide survey that program developer Adrian Card conducted in 2007. New, intermediate and expert farmers gathered together to have dinner and to share their knowledge and questions in workshops. As homework, each participant worked on creating a business plan with goals, budgets and strategies, which focused on selling produce at farmers’ markets, restaurants and roadside stands. |
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Natalie and Jason came away with a workable business plan, a clearer picture of specific budget needs and a feeling of success as they move into new production on their 3-acre farm. It was not easy, Natalie said.
“Jason’s a big dreamer, and I’m a big realist,” she said. “You have to take a hard look at what you want to do. We had to set aside time, which is hard when you each work full-time and try to farm.”
Natalie feels the program was a success. “ Mission accomplished, I’d say.”
Next steps for Extension Agent and program developer Adrian Card will be to assess the viability of other potential New Farmer tracks in field crops and niche livestock, and to expand the program’s mentoring and business plan development aspects.
