Congrats to National Farmers Union Beginning Farmer Institute graduates Miriam Goertzen-Regier and Ryan Goertzen-Regier!
Miriam is a fifth-generation Kansas farmer, raising wheat, grain sorghum, and soybeans in a no-till system that incorporates cover crops and grazing. She also works on her parents’ farm outside of Newton and as a cheesemaker for Grazing Plains Farm.
Ryan is originally from a farm outside of Goessel, Kansas in Marion County, and grew up helping with row crop, feeder cattle, and hog production. He works on his family’s farm a portion of every week, while working in IT off the farm as well. Ryan also owns Sugar Grove Apiary, a beekeeping business, with a friend, and am experimenting with growing mushrooms and some other specialty crops.
The Goertzen-Regiers have been members of the Kansas Farmers Union since 2015 and Ryan was elected to the board of directors for KFU in 2017. In December, Ryan was elected KFU’s vice president.
NFU’s Beginning Farmer Institute is a six-month program involving three multi-day sessions. The class meets for the first time in September in conjunction with NFU Fly-In. November’s session takes participants onto farms. And the final session occurs around the annual NFU convention.
NFU will be accepting application for its next class soon. Learn more about the NFU Beginning Farmer Institute.
APPLY TO THE NFU BEGINNING FARMER INSTITUTE
NFU BEGINNING FARMER INSTITUTE
“It’s a Powerful Experience”
“National Farmers Union’s ability to reach out to a broad cross section of farmers makes it different than other organizations. They teach at a level that opens eyes to a broader picture of where our farm fits into agriculture,” says Erin, NFU Beginning Farmer Institute (BFI) alum. “It’s the content of their classes, the small group in a close-knit setting, visiting innovative farmers, talking with experts and learning from my peers from a diverse variety of farms across the country that gives me the opportunity to learn different solutions. The NFU Institute makes a person think beyond his or her own farm. The NFU Institute is where ‘top down and bottom up’ come together. It’s a powerful experience.”
THREE MULTI-DAY SESSIONS
September in Washington, DC.
in conjunction with Fly-In
November in Northern California
March in Savannah, Georgia
in conjunction with National Convention
