Farmer Development and Support
Beginning Farmer Training
The aim of the Beginning Farmer Training program is to help train and mentor the next generation of local farmers and food growers, and increase the amount of fresh, locally grown food available to our local communities. With three separate tracks (Incubator, Intro to Farming and Intern), the program is able to meet people where they are and help them along on their farming journeys.
GoFarm is committed to equity and ensuring historically marginalized communities (including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, LGBTQIA2S+, women, refugees, immigrants, and veterans) have affordable access to beginning farmer education and training. To demonstrate our commitment to equity, we ensure that our organization, including our programs and services are representative of historically marginalized peoples.
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En el futuro, nos gustaría ofrecer nuestros Programas de Capacitación para Agricultores Principiantes en español. Si usted está interesado en esto, por favor envíe un correo electrónico, tessa@gofarm.org. Gracias.
Incubator Farmer Track
Designed for beginning farmers wanting to launch an independent small scale market garden/farming venture centered on food production (seed and flower farms may be considered). Applicants should have farming (or extensive gardening) experience, and be prepared to launch their farming venture in Spring 2026.
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2 year program: 10/15/25 - 10/15/27
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Cost: $2,400 (scholarships available!)
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1⁄6 acre farm plot at GoFarm’s Hummingbird Farm property in Arvada
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Paid intern labor
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Supplies stipend
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16 in-person classes
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4 online classes
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11 hands-on farming workshops
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4 local farm tours
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40 hours of mentorship per year from GoFarm’s Mentor Network
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No-cost use of GoFarm’s farming equipment library
Starting a farm/farm business is time consuming and requires, on average, 20-30 hours/week during the growing season.
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Applications for the 2025-27 cohort are now closed.
Intro to Farming Track
Designed for people interested in learning more about market farming and running a farm business, or who want to explore starting or scaling up their own farm in the future. No experience is required.
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1 year program: 10/15/25 - 10/15/26
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Cost: $900 (scholarships available!)
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16 in-person classes
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4 online classes
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11 hands-on farming workshops
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4 local farm tours
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20 hours of mentorship from GoFarm’s Mentor Network
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No-cost use of GoFarm’s farming equipment library
Applications for the 2025-26 cohort are now closed.
Market Farmer Internship Track
A 5-month paid intern position during the growing season, designed for people who are interested in a career in agriculture and wish to gain on-farm experience. From May through September, Market Farmer Interns work 20-25 hours per week on Incubator Farmers’ farm plots and GoFarm’s demonstration garden, gaining valuable hands-on farming knowledge. Internship applications are posted in the late winter/early spring for the following growing season.
Why We Started The Beginning Farmer Training Program
For the past 50 years, the Denver Metro area has been steadily losing farms and farmland. In addition, the average age of a Colorado farmer is 58 years old, and studies estimate that as many as 50% of farmers will retire within the next decade.
Over the past 7 years, Colorado’s population has increased by over 550,000 residents, and in the Denver Metro area, 24% of the population are millennials. This influx of young Coloradans has resulted in an increase of young entrepreneurs interested in farming.
We know how hard it can be to start a farm. The start-up costs, access to land and water, and industry knowledge/technical skills required all pose immense limitations on who can start a farm and where. GoFarm is here to provide the support and mentorship to help passionate beginning farmers be successful, and to strengthen our local food system as a whole!
Beginning and aspiring farmers!
The Intro to Farming track caters to anyone looking to explore, establish or fine-tune their hobby or career as a market gardener or small-scale farmer. The Intro to Farming track is also a great way to access educational resources and training that could eventually support someone in becoming an Incubator Farmer or farm business owner.
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The Incubator Farmer track is designed for people with some vegetable/specialty crop farming experience, who want to launch or continue their own market garden/crop farming venture. Beginning farmers with their own farms in operation for 1-3 years are welcome to apply. People with extensive internship and volunteer experience on production farms, or those with extensive gardening experience may be considered.
Incubator Farmers are expected to launch their farms on land at GoFarm’s Hummingbird Farm in Arvada in Year 1 of the track, with a minimum aim of growing food and getting it out to the local community. Starting a farm/farm business is time consuming and requires, on average, 20-30 hours/week during the growing season. Please seriously consider, and be prepared to arrange for, this level of time commitment from roughly May-September.
We strongly recommend people interested in starting a farming venture have (or get) some on-farm experience at a working vegetable/crop farm. While both tracks offers a significant amount of education, technical assistance, mentoring and hands-on learning, deeper study into the various aspects of farming/farm business ownership will be necessary for a successful farming enterprise.
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Equity and Inclusion
We acknowledge that there is injustice in the current food system and that land and resources have been stolen and withheld from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color both in the present and historically.
We support farmers of all backgrounds and we work to ensure that our Beginning Farmer Training Program is representative of BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, women, refugee, immigrant, and veteran farmers. Therefore, we are seeking value-aligned farmers to participate in this program who acknowledge the importance of anti-racism and anti-sexism work and who celebrate our LGBTQIA2S+, refugee, immigrant and veteran communities.
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Applications for the Incubator Farmer Track and Intro to Farming Track are now closed.
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For more detailed information about each track, click the buttons below. If you have any questions, reach out to tessa@gofarm.org.
Testimonials from Incubator Farmers
This is an awesome program that I have been fortunate to experience firsthand. The stipend has allowed me to decrease my work hours to spend time developing my business and production plan. I was also able to take advantage of all the hands-on training offered through the program and find land to start on after searching for a couple of seasons. I got my FSMA certification, cottage foods certification and attended workshops taught by horticulture professors on pest control, weed and disease ID and got connected with all of the urban farmers in my region. There is no way I could have afforded all the training and resources without the help of the apprenticeship program. My mentors through the GoFarm program have offered priceless guidance and have become dear friends.
~ Shannon, Western Flora
As a disabled veteran and apprentice of this program I have greatly appreciate the stepping stones and guidance of starting my own farming business. The mentorship is excellent (Jamie is literally one of the most smartest people I’ve met). Katie the main farmer manager, who runs her own successful farming business and also provides mentorship, has not only been an advocate for some of us that have experienced disadvantages and struggles, but has been truly there for us as a leader and friend. No matter your background, GoFarm welcomes you. Whether you come from privilege, hardships, discrimination, sexism, trauma, racism...etc this is an opportunity for you to empower yourself to become a better farmer, business owner, and human. Farming is therapeutic and without GoFarm’s opportunity I don’t know where I would truly be. I attribute me choosing life to farming and GoFarm has aided me in that journey, so I am forever grateful.
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~ Jess, Netzel Farms
So grateful to be a participant in this incubator program. The support and mentorship I’ve received from GoFarm has helped me start a profitable farm business that I can continue to build on over the coming years. I would highly recommend it to anyone who dreams of starting a small farm and is willing to put in the time and effort to make it happen!
~ Ashley, Paper Kite Farm
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This is an amazing organization/program/network. GoFarm and the farmer incubator program have provided the launching pad and continuous support for numerous urban farms in the Denver Metro area. We are recipients of the MANY perks that come with being involved with GoFarm programs. Even if you only reach out you will be plugging into a passionate and dedicated network in this area.
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~ Ivan, SoCliff Farm​​