New Roots Farm Incubator Cooperative--Business Development Coach

New Roots Farm Incubator Cooperative seeks individuals to provide volunteer coaching and technical support for the development of business recordkeeping systems tracking farm income and expenses as a foundation for filing a Schedule F on a federal IRS tax return and establishing a farm enterprise business plan.

New small-scale or niche farmers and vegetable growers face a challenge in gaining access to affordable and stable land for farming. Farm incubators such as New Roots remove the land access barrier and connect growers to shared use of equipment, training, and markets as they develop their skills to launch a business.

New Roots, which is located near Dilworth, MN is currently supporting 11 farmers or farm families, 10 of which are New Americans from Bhutan, Congo or Burundi. New Roots is sponsored by Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society (NPSAS), a ND non-profit with a regional sustainable farming membership base primarily in ND, SD, and MN. Headquartered in Moorhead, NPSAS promotes sustainable food systems through education, advocacy, and research.

The coach will be provided with training and an overview of the program goals by NPSAS staff. Coaches will be paired with one or more farmers and participants jointly with them in educational programs offered to the farmers with the goal of providing follow-up individualized coaching to assist each farmer participant in being successful with each step in their business development process. In some cases, the coach will work with the assistance of an interpreter. Additional barriers for some farmers include literacy skills in either English or their native language. The ideal Farm Business Development Coach will be an individual who complements their basic knowledge of bookkeeping systems and use of simple systems such as an Excel spreadsheet with a genuine interest in assisting others to attain their goals. Flexibility and goodwill are required, since some or most of the communication will also include the additional barriers associated with use of technology such as Zoom.

Coaches are needed beginning in August 2020 for a period through income tax filing in April 2021. Most of the coaching will be done by Zoom with some face to face meetings in situations protecting participants from COVID-19 through requirement of face masks, use of social distancing, and while weather permits, meeting outside at New Roots. Most coaching sessions can be arranged around individual schedules. Participation in educational events with farmers will be scheduled for late fall and early winter.

For additional information contact: Verna Kragnes, Executive Director, NPSAS, 218-331-4099 or email: director@npsas.org.