FARRMS

What FARRMS does

FARRMS (Foundation for Agricultural and Rural Resources Management and Sustainability) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2000 and headquartered in Tuttle/Minot, North Dakota. The organization supports beginning farmers in North Dakota through a portfolio of educational programs, mentorship, and direct financial assistance. Its core offerings include the Farm Beginnings program (a year-long, classroom-plus-mentorship farmer-training curriculum), the Farm Dreams exploratory course, one-on-one mentorship pairings, and a loan and grant program for new agricultural producers. FARRMS operates with a remote-first model since 2022 and a staff band of 1-10 employees, with additional capacity from an AmeriCorps service member.

The organization's product surface has expanded recently: in 2024, FARRMS launched a Food System Internship and a Summer Mentorship pilot, and the forthcoming Nourishing Our Roots program (2025/2026) extends its scope from farmer-only services into food access and community nutrition. It is a member of the Farm Beginnings Collaborative — an eight-organization national network — and holds a partnership with the National Center for Rural Farm Business Cooperative Development (NC-RFBC) dating to 2018. Educational content products such as Conservation Quick Clips and an Economic Impact Study further indicate a shift toward evidence-based programming and digital curriculum delivery.

FARRMS's business model is contribution-based rather than transactional. Revenue is drawn from grants (USDA, private foundations such as Tito's Handmade Vodka), individual donations, and modest earned income from program fees. As a regional, single-state nonprofit with limited staff capacity, the organization's addressable market is intentionally narrow — North Dakota beginning farmers — and its competitive position rests on 25 years of in-state relationships, the Farm Beginnings Collaborative ecosystem, and a recognized brand among regional agricultural-development funders.

Name

FARRMS

Legal name

Foundation for Agricultural and Rural Resources Management and Sustainability

Website

https://farrms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FARRMS is a North Dakota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports beginning farmers through the Farm Beginnings program, mentorship, Farm Dreams courses, and loans/grants. It also runs the Food System Internship and is launching Nourishing Our Roots for community food access.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tuttle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual donations from supporters, with suggested amounts of $10, $25, $50, $100, and custom amounts. The organization ran a $25,000 anniversary fundraising campaign in 2025.
2. Sponsorships: Corporate and organizational sponsors provide financial support. Active sponsors include Clif, Tito's Handmade Vodka, NDNRT, Organic, PepsiCo, SARE, TOPP, and USDA. Tito's gifted $45,000 in 2025 to support Farm Beginnings and Mentorship programs.
3. Grant Funding: FARRMS receives funding through government and foundation grants including USDA Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program, SARE grants, and other agricultural development funds.
4. Loan Program Interest: FARRMS offers low-interest loans to beginning farmers. Applicants who have completed Farm Beginnings qualify to have interest waived in year one. Revenue comes from interest on loans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FARRMS (Foundation for Agricultural and Rural Resources Management and Sustainability) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization delivering sustainable agriculture training and local food system development programs in North Dakota. Its core offerings include the 12-week Farm Beginnings course, the Farm Dreams workshop, mentorship programs, low-interest loans for beginning farmers, small grants, and supporting resources such as a digital marketing toolkit, organic certification guidance, and a farmer directory.

Product overview

FARRMS (Foundation for Agricultural and Rural Resources Management and Sustainability) is a nonprofit educational organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs and services for North Dakota farmers. The core offerings include educational courses (Farm Beginnings 12-week course, Farm Dreams workshop), mentorship programs (Summer Mentorship, Nourishing Our Roots Farmer Leadership), and financial support (Loans Program, Grants including Fresh Focus Photography and RISE Grants). Supporting services include a Digital Marketing Toolkit, Organic Certification Resources, Resource Library with webinars, Farmer Directory, Producer's Perspective Blog, Farm Tours and Field Days, Food System Internship Program, Conference Support, Conservation Quick Clips video program, and the North Dakota Local Food Economic Contribution Study. These programs work together to provide comprehensive support from aspiring farmers through established operations, covering education, financing, marketing, and community building for sustainable agriculture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farm Beginnings A 12-week comprehensive online course delivering community-based sustainable agriculture education, guiding farmers in crafting whole farm plans covering business planning, soil health, natural resource management, food safety, and marketing. All seven 2025 participants and nine farmers from seven farms in 2026 received scholarships to reduce barriers.
• Farm Dreams A free online workshop for aspiring farmers providing resources, connections, and perspective to empower participants to take first steps toward making their farm business dreams a reality, including a Farm Readiness Assessment, Visioning Exercise, and comprehensive resource guide.
• Summer Mentorship Program Connects current sustainable producers with experienced local farmer mentors for peer insights and guidance throughout the growing season, averaging 4 hours per month commitment from May to October. Program is entirely free for participants thanks to generous sponsors.
• Nourishing Our Roots Farmer Leadership Program Empowers North Dakota farmers to become conservation advocates by building skills in education, mentorship, public speaking, and storytelling through workshops, farm tours, and community engagement. Topics include storytelling, soil health demonstrations, communication skills, and public speaking.
• Loans Program Provides low-interest financing to beginning farmers to launch and grow sustainable farm, ranch, or local food businesses, helping establish credit history for future traditional financing. Interest is waived in year one for applicants who have completed Farm Beginnings or similar business planning course.
• Grants for Farmers Offers Fresh Focus Photography Grants (up to $500 reimbursement for professional photoshoots) and RISE Grants (up to $500) for farmers recovering from extreme weather or emergencies, paid out as one-time reimbursements.
• Food System Internship Program Places interns at local farms and organizations within the local food system (e.g., Burleigh County Public Health, Red River Harvest Cooperative, Manna Food Cooperative) to provide comprehensive understanding of food system operations.
• Conference Support Provides reimbursements of up to $400 for registration, travel, meals, and accommodations to attend relevant agricultural conferences and workshops.
• Conservation Quick Clips Program inviting North Dakota farmers to create short 1-3 minute educational videos showcasing conservation practices (cover crops, no-till, rotational grazing, drip irrigation) for $100 per accepted submission.
• Farm Tours and Field Days In-person events connecting attendees with sustainable and local agriculture across North Dakota, including soil health field days and multi-farm tours with local catering; public farm tours since 2023 bridge the gap between producers and consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of Farm Beginnings 2023 Field Day survey respondents left more open to adopting organic practices
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, historical and minor.

• North Central Regional Food Business Center (NC-RFBC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024FARRMS became a partner of NC-RFBC and works closely with regional councils around the state. Activities include technical assistance for value chain connections, expanding supply and demand, improving viability, and boosting regional food systems.
• Growing Together Community GardensmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership with Immigrant Development Center, North Dakota State University, and University of Minnesota Extension. Supported by USDA Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program grant. Developed Farm Beginnings training program, Farmer Learning Circles, and Farmer Exploration Classes for new Americans.
• Land Stewardship ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011The Land Stewardship Project, a nonprofit out of Minnesota, invited FARRMS to join the Farm Beginnings Collaborative (FBC), a national alliance promoting the farmer-led, community-based Farm Beginnings training model for sustainable agriculture.
• OCIA International - TOPPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFARRMS partners with OCIA International in the Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), a USDA Organic Transition Initiative program. FARRMS provides organic technical assistance and connects farmers with mentors through this program.
• International Certification Services (ICS)historicalStrategic or Co-development PartnerFARRMS was founded in February 2000 as the nonprofit educational arm of ICS, an organic certification company. ICS was created to meet the specific educational needs of organic producers and processors.
• Souris Basin Planning Council and ND Association of Rural Electric CooperativesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted 'Taste & Talk' farm-to-fork networking dinner in Minot, ND on September 3, 2025, bringing together 60 attendees from across the regional food supply chain.
• North Dakota State University (NDSU)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Growing Together Community Gardens initiative. NDSU's Center for Social Research and Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics are conducting the North Dakota Local Food Economic Contribution Study.
• USDA Farm Service AgencyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional presenters in Farm Beginnings course, providing expertise on farm financing and programs available to farmers.
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional presenters in Farm Beginnings course, providing expertise on natural resource management and soil health.
• North Dakota Small Business Development Center (SBDC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional presenters in Farm Beginnings course, providing expertise on business development and planning.
• North Dakota Department of AgricultureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional presenters in Farm Beginnings course, providing expertise on state agricultural programs and resources.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF): California-based nonprofit supporting family farmers through education, advocacy, and on-farm technical assistance. Comparable mission and program structure to FARRMS, though serving West Coast farmers rather than Upper Midwest.
• Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota: Minnesota-based sustainable agriculture education and farmer networking nonprofit operating across dairy, livestock, and crop systems. Comparable mission to FARRMS but serves a different state with overlapping programmatic structure.

Direct peers

• Practical Farmers of Iowa: Iowa-based nonprofit providing farmer-led education, on-farm research, and peer networking for sustainable and beginning farmers. Competes with FARRMS for USDA beginning-farmer grants and overlapping farmer audiences in the Upper Midwest.
• Land Stewardship Project: Minnesota-based nonprofit that co-founded the Farm Beginnings Collaborative with FARRMS in 2011. Delivers farmer-led sustainable agriculture education, mentorship, and policy advocacy across the Upper Midwest, making it the closest comparable in mission and program design.
• Angelic Organics Learning Center: Illinois-based nonprofit that operates the Farm Beginnings Collaborative's Stateline Farm Beginnings program and provides farmer training, mentorship, and on-farm education. Comparable in program model and target audience to FARRMS.
• Marbleseed (formerly MOSES): Upper Midwest nonprofit delivering organic and sustainable agriculture education, including a flagship Organic Farming Conference and beginning farmer programming. Direct peer in mission and geographic reach relative to FARRMS.

Broad incumbents

• National Young Farmers Coalition: National nonprofit advocating for and supporting young and beginning farmers through policy, training, and peer networks. Overlaps with FARRMS's beginning farmer focus but operates federally and at much larger scale.
• Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA): Federation of seven state chapters providing organic certification, farmer education, and consumer outreach across the Northeast. Similar educational and advocacy mission to FARRMS but operates at much larger scale and in a different geography.

Emerging players

• FoodCorps: National nonprofit connecting students to healthy food through service-member-led school programming. Thematically adjacent to FARRMS through food system education, though focused on K-12 rather than farmer training.

Others

• Organic Farming Research Foundation: National nonprofit funding organic agriculture research, education, and policy. Adjacent to FARRMS's organic certification and sustainable agriculture educational focus, functioning more as a research grantmaker than direct farmer trainer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@farrms6206
• Facebookfacebook.com/FARRMS.ND
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/farrmsnd
• Instagraminstagram.com/farrms.nd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FARRMS