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New Jersey needs enthusiastic, motivated new and beginner farmers, but farming isn’t an easy profession to break into. To be ready to farm, you need to be able to do more than just grow food and fiber. You will need to learn to be a businessperson, a marketer, and a planner. You will need to develop the skills to repair your own equipment, to fix an engine, or to build a hen house.

It’s a lot for any one person to figure out on their own, but luckily, you’ll have help. Our team of agricultural experts and the Rutgers Cooperative Extension statewide network of specialists, farmers, and mentors will be here to guide you step-by-step through building your farm business, giving you the tools and expertise that you need to succeed. The only question is: RU Ready to Farm?

The Program

The RU Ready to Farm Program consists of three phases. First, a fifteen session online course covering the basics of farming. Then, the hands-on training phase where participants run a cooperative CSA from planning to harvest alongside other cohort members. During both of the first two phases, students receive support from program staff and farm coaches to develop their own farm business plan. In stage three, select students from stage two participate in our farm business incubator where they implement their farm  business plan with access to resources and coaching. 

This program is best suited for small to mid-scale farmers looking to raise specialty, niche crops and livestock. We welcome pairs or teams who would like to participate together. For more information on program details and registration, click here.

For more information on program success and impact, click here.

Program History

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension Beginner Farmer Training program was born from the desire to keep New Jersey’s farmland in the hands of farmers. In early 2020, our team of extension agents and Rutgers agriculture graduates sat down to figure out what we could do to grow and empower new and beginner Garden State farmers. The result of these meetings was the RU Ready to Farm-Beginner Farmer Training Program.

With financial support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Beginner Farmer and Rancher Development Program, we are determined to address one of the most pressing challenges in New Jersey agriculture, the need for new farmers. We have reached a point where many of our state’s best farmers are getting ready to retire and have a wealth of knowledge and experience they are looking to pass on to someone with the drive and work ethic to succeed in agriculture.

RU Ready to Farm Information Session-2021

Our Team

William (Bill) Hlubik

Program Director and Principal Investigator

Bill is a county agent and director for the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County’s EARTH Center in South Brunswick, NJ. He has been the Project Director for the RU Ready to Farm Beginner Farmer Training Program since 2020. Bill has a long and productive history working together with farmers and agricultural organizations throughout the state and has extensive experience in media outreach through newspaper, radio, and television.  In his free time, Bill enjoys farming with his brothers on the family farm in Chesterfield, New Jersey. Bill’s hobbies include song writing and playing guitar.

    Alex Sawatzky

    Farm Coach and Co-Principal Investigator

    Alex is a program coordinator and manager of the Rutgers Gardens Student Organic Farm. He has coached aspiring farmers as a farm coach for the RU Beginner Farmer Training Program for the past 2 years, and taught undergraduates as part-time instructor in the Agriculture and Food Systems Program. As a mentor, coach, and instructor, Alex not only leads with a passion for sustainable food and farm systems, but also with a realistic and practical sense of what it takes to be successful in the farming industry.  He not only has a passion for growing food, but also for cooking and eating! Alex’s favorite agricultural item from our region is sweet potatoes. He loves their versatility, but generally favors savory applications such as wedges with homemade chipotle mayo, mashed with rutabaga using herbed cream, or in curried lentils with swiss chard, cilantro, and lime.

      Nick Polanin

      Co-Principal Investigator

      Nick is the Chair/Program Leader of the Rutgers Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources and has been nationally recognized for his leadership and educational initiatives in training arborists and other tree care professionals, Green Industry workforce development programs, distance education for consumer and commercial audiences, and volunteer management. 

        Megan Muehlbauer

        Co-Principal Investigator

        Megan is a County Agent II/Associate Professor for Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Hunterdon County. She provides leadership to develop, implement, and evaluate educational programming and research for the needs of growers in commercial tree fruit production, management and marketing. 

          Trevor Styles

          Program Coordinator

          Trevor is a program coordinator in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County. Trevor has a B.S. in Plant Science and Agriculture & Food Systems with expertise in plant pathology and breeding, research trial design, farm management, and education. Trevor has been with the award-winning RU Ready to Farm Program since 2022, as first intern and then manager of the on-farm training component.

            Linnéa Eberly

            Program Coordinator

            Linnéa is a program coordinator in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County. Linnéa has a BFA in Digital Filmmaking from Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts with minors in Biology and English. She has been working with the Beginner Farmer Program since 2021, starting as an intern and now managing the administrative, videography, and social media aspects of the program. In her free time, she can be found either curled up with a book or crouched uncomfortably in the bushes trying to spot birds while being eaten alive by various insects.

              Paris Parker

              Program Assistant

              Having originally pursued film/graphic design, Paris made the switch to agriculture after a seasonal job of fulfilling nursery work at Stony Brook Gardens. Starting in 2019 they were employed at the Trenton, NJ nonprofit Isles as an Urban Agriculture Coordinator, where they worked to support a network of local community gardens/farms. In 2022, Paris left this job to return to school, but not before a brief summer stint working at Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve. Paris is currently pursuing a major in Agriculture and Food Systems at Rutgers University with a minor in Environmental Planning. Their on-farm interests include inventory spreadsheets, weed whacking, and radishes, while their off-farm interests include playing in Philly bands, scouring the Pinelands for cool native plants, and radishes.

                Extension Partners

                Lauren Errickson

                Lauren is the Director of Rutgers Gardens and Campus Stewardship. She leads the development, programming, and operation of Rutgers Gardens.  To ensure the demonstration gardens and natural areas of Rutgers Gardens continue to serve as educational resources for all, Lauren actively engages key stakeholders including Rutgers Gardens advisors, supporters, members, volunteers, and visitors; university faculty, staff and students; and statewide industry and community partners. Additionally, she leads outreach initiatives to promote Rutgers Gardens and educational efforts to increase public knowledge related to horticulture, ecology, and health. Within the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS), Lauren also coordinates stewardship efforts supporting demonstration and teaching gardens that provide ornamental, agricultural, and environmental learning and design opportunities for students on campus.

                  William (Bill) Errickson

                  Bill is an Extension Agent and Assistant Professor in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources for Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County. Bill has worked in various aspects of the agricultural sector for the past 15 years, including starting and operating a diversified farm and nursery in coastal Maine. He has led courses focused on sustainable agriculture, creative marketing, and soil fertility for commercial growers, homeowners, and college students throughout New Jersey and New England. He has also served as a mentor for the MOFGA Journeyperson Beginner Farmer Program and has assisted several beginner farmers in establishing successful operations. Bill’s field trials at the Rutgers Fruit and Ornamental Research Extension Center in Cream Ridge, New Jersey focus on using regenerative agricultural practices to produce specialty crops that are suited to this region. Bill grew up as a frequent visitor of Island Beach State Park and spends his free time surfing and fishing along the coast of Monmouth and Ocean County.

                    Peter Nitzsche

                    Peter Nitzsche is an Agricultural Agent with Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Morris County, New Jersey. He conducts educational programs in commercial vegetable and small fruit production and marketing. He has a B.S. degree in Plant Science and an M.S. degree in Horticulture from Rutgers the State University. He has conducted research on a wide range of crops and has focused recently on tomatoes, strawberries and the evaluation of unique ethnic and specialty crops.

                      Partners