New Farmer U Supports New Farmers in the Midwest

Published: Jul 2025
By: Victoria Ostenso, Farmer Network Manager & Tay Fatke, Farmer Education Manager

Marbleseed continues to host New Farmer U (NFU) events across the Midwest (including Illinois, Iowa, Indianna, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) supported by USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. These events are an opportunity for beginning and intermediate farmers to develop their farm business skills. In 2021-2024, NFU reached over 150 new and beginning farmers. These events have given countless farmers the skills to help their farm business succeed, including business, marketing, recordkeeping, and production skills. Workshops are led by experienced farmers willing to share their knowledge, offering a fantastic opportunity to new and intermediate farmers to grow their farm business acumen.

This year, Marbleseed is hosting two New Farmer U’s, with one in late summer and another in early fall. The first, at Gwenyn Hill Farm in Delafield, Wis. in August and the second in Bloomington, Ind. in November. This is a wonderful opportunity for new farmers to develop the skills they need to succeed. New Farmer U is also a great opportunity to meet and network with peers who are navigating similar farming challenges. The target audience for these events is farmers with 2-6 years of farming experience but is open to beginning farmers and experienced farmers alike. Read below for more details about these events, and check out our New Farmer U page for more information and updates.

NFU at Gwenyn Hill Farm in Delafield, Wis.
Monday, August 18 - Tuesday, August 19

New Farmer U hosts on-farm summer workshop series to boost farmers’ business skills on Monday, August 18 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday, August 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The workshops will take place at Gwenyn Hill Farm, a 430 acre diversified organic farm growing 50 different varieties of vegetables and an orchard, maintaining a dairy herd, Red Devon cattle and Border Leicester and Cotswold sheep. Gwenyn Hill Farm is the perfect setting to learn and grow at New Farmer U!

Featured speakers include Compeer Financials’ Senior Lending Officer, Paul Dietmann and the Food Finance Institute’s Farm Program Manager, Andy Larson. This will be a unique opportunity for farmers to receive in-depth consulting in the areas of farm financials and your farm’s organizational health. Katie Bishop will train the group on Farmer Self-care and Wellbeing, Cynthia Flores will lead a Movement Workshop and a panel of farmers will talk aboutFinding the Right Markets for Your Farm. There will be an in-depth tour of Gwenyn Hill Farm on Tuesday after the workshops wrap-up. This is an intensive training to help farmers get new ideas to succeed!

Register here.

NFU in Bloomington, Ind.
Saturday, November 8 - Sunday, November 9

Farmers looking to sharpen their business skills and set their farms up for success will not want to miss this New Farmer University, taking place Saturday, November 8th and Sunday, November 9th, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Overlook in Bloomington, Indiana.

This intensive two-day training is designed to provide beginning farmers with practical financial, marketing, and business management skills to help their operations thrive. The event features presentations by industry experts and farmers.

Whether farmers are just starting out or looking to refine their business approach, Marbleseed’s New Farmer U provides actionable knowledge to help them succeed.

This event is hosted by Partners IN Food and Farming and Marbleseed and supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

Scholarships

For information on scholarships please contact Marbleseed at Phone: 888-906-6737 Email: registration@marbleseed.org

For New Farmer U questions, contact: tay.fatke@marbleseed.org