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Agricultural Agents from Rutgers Cooperative Extension offices of Cape May, Essex, and Somerset counties have joined forces to offer a program called “Networks to Reduce Risk: Annie’s Project Builds Viable Farms in Urban and Rural NJ”. The goal is to reduce overall farm business risk in the areas of market, production, financial, legal, and human resources. Through a series of four field trips and six webinars, the program will connect urban and rural farmers to educational opportunities, resources, and each other.
The field trips are designed to focus on various aspects of risk management including market diversification, value-added product development, cost-share program utilization, and farm safety enhancement. Locations include Urban Agriculture Cooperative Food Hub, Irvington (November 1, 2025); Rutgers Food Innovation Center, Bridgeton (November 19, 2025); Clover Valley Farm, Vincentown (April 11, 2026); and Rutgers Snyder Research and Extension Farm, Pittstown (April 28, 2026). Registration will be required.
The six-week course will feature in-depth, live presentations on principles of farm business risk management. The course will be offered via Canvas with interactive activities like breakout groups and discussion intertwined with presentations from Cooperative Extension, industry, and government agency professionals. At-home activities will help participants connect concepts to their own operations. Recordings of the lectures with Spanish captioning will be made available after the course is complete.
This Annie’s Project 101 course will be held on Wednesday evenings from January 7 through February 18, 2026. Annie’s Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational programs designed to strengthen women’s roles in modern agricultural enterprises; however, this program is open to all. Annie’s Project uses a methodology that builds confidence, develops networks and creates lifelong learners among farmers, ranchers, and growers. Registration for the course will be required.
Learn more about this program at the upcoming informational session to be hosted online via Zoom on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. To register for the informational session, please visit go.rutgers.edu/ntrrinfosession. Registration is required.
This work is supported by the Northeast Extension Risk Management project award no. 2024-70027-42540, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
“Building a network of new and experienced farmers and professional agencies and businesses that provide risk management support is the goal of this project,” said Claudia Gil Arroyo, County Agent III – Agriculture and Natural Resources, Cape May County.
“Farm viability is an annual concern raised by the agricultural community in New Jersey, and farm business management assistance is an often-highlighted area of need. This program will ensure farm business operators have the tools and connections to sustain their operations for generations to come.” Kate Brown, County Agent III, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County.
