SAGES Advisory Council
Sustainable Agriculture Guidance, Education, and Support
Directing resources where they matter most.
We're proud at FARRMS to be farmer-led and community-focused. We know the best way to empower you, the farmers, ranchers, and local food businesses of North Dakota, is to ask: What do you need? How can we direct our resources to grow strong, sustainable communities, together?
That's why we created the SAGES Advisory Panel and our Annual Statewide Local Food Producer Survey – to hear your voice and turn it into action.
About SAGES Advisory Council
SAGES, or Sustainable Agriculture Guidance, Education, and Support, is a farmer advisory group within FARRMS. Our goal is to gather insight from experienced local food producers, foster deeper engagement throughout our farmer community, identify gaps in farmer education and support, and ensure the relevance of FARRMS programs to current and pressing needs. Ultimately, SAGES aims to enhance FARRMS' understanding of local producers' needs and foster collaborative solutions, contributing to the long-term sustainability and growth of North Dakota's local farms and food businesses.​
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A “sage” is someone known for their wisdom, judgement, and experience. In the winter months we convene producer focus groups online. Sessions last an hour and participants are compensated $75 for their time.
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FARRMS held two SAGES focus groups in January 2024 in which we covered themes such as educational resources, learning formats, social and community connections, financial challenges, and the FARRMS loan program.
In response to what we learned in the first focus groups, we piloted a summer mentorship program to create a supportive peer group for beginning farmers to gain valuable insights and build farmer relationships. The success of the first season is allowing us to continue the program for 2025 with plans to expand in the future.
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We also heard farmers’ comments about the difficulty in obtaining startup financing and the need to increase awareness of small-scale and diversified farming in the business development community. We have launched a NC-SARE funded project to educate business advisors and lenders on the unique challenges faced by small-scale sustainable farms, ranches, and local food businesses.
We are planning SAGES focus groups for April 2025. We will discuss growers' needs related to technical assistance for business planning, and educational resources for marketing, specifically online marketing and social media. We will also discuss ways to enhance our mentorship program and how our internship program can be improved to best educate and inspire future farmers.