New farmers learn the ropes from program

Registration resumes soon for a Clemson University program that shows the ins and outs of starting a farm, and there’s already a waiting list.

“The demand is just growing,” said Diana M. Vossbrinck, assistant program director of the SC New and Beginning Farmer Program. “We already have a long waiting list of people who are waiting to apply, at least 50.”

The program, established in 2010 through Clemson’s public service activities division, offers information on financing and marketing, as well as the expertise of extension agents and veteran farmers. It’s open to any state resident 18 or older with less than a decade of farming experience.

Classes meet every two weeks at Clemson’s Sandhill Research and Education Center on Sparkleberry Road in Columbia. Seminars are hosted around the state. Application forms will be available at www.scnewfarmer.org by the end of June.

“Women are probably at or over 50 percent of our applicants and we get all age groups — from just out of high school to retirees … and all kinds of ethnic groups. It’s really exciting to see the diversity of people who are interested in farming.”

Small farms don’t typically produce enough of anything to draw the attention of grocery stores and other large buyers. Local food sourcing and farm-to-table eateries like Summa Joe’s in Anderson and 1826 Bistro on the Green in Pendleton stir some demand, but success largely depends on do-it-yourself marketing, toting bushels to multiple farmers’ markets every week, calling on restaurant owners and generating strong word-of-mouth.

Nancy Walker and her husband, William, a physician at AnMed Health Center, sell grass-fed beef and pork out of the Walker Century Farms Market on his family’s homestead, located midway between Liberty and Anderson off S.C. 81.

“We opened our market about four years ago,” said Nancy, a retired geneticist and Clemson faculty member. “Before that, we were selling to my husband’s doctor friends. They started coming back for more because the beef was so good.”

The Walkers had some knowledge of raising cattle before they got started, and the land has been in his family for over 100 years. They were able to subsidize the operation from the outset while they built up a customer base and learned the business.

Even with those advantages at the outset, it hasn’t been easy.

“You’ve got to have that commitment, that follow through and passion,” Nancy said. “You should probably start by finding a farmer who will take you on as an intern or helper. That way, you get the exposure you need to know if it’s right for you.”

The Clemson program shows farmers how to access what Vossbrinck calls “a vast amount” of state and federal financial help available, while also educating them on all the ways to lose money on farming.

“How do you get into this and do it in a way that’s financially responsible for your family,” said Vossbrinck. “We don’t want to have people losing their life savings or getting into debt that they can’t possibly recover from.”

And it’s not all hayrides and fresh air, either.

“There is this wonderful, bucolic, romantic notion people have,” Nancy Walker said. “But the reality is that it’s a lot of hard work.”

Program applicants fill out extensive questionnaires, and a facilitator runs a class each session to challenge students and their motivations.

“We have had students who changed their minds, but we consider that a success,” said Vossbrinck. “Sometimes people are just hobbyists who enjoy their gardens.”

About 80 students will be accepted this year. There will be an October-to-January class for people who are curious about farming, and an October-to-May class for others who already have land and some idea of the kind of farming they want to do.