A starting point for anyone planning on or finding themselves beginner farmers. Courtesy of:
ATTRA Resources for Beginning Farmers (follow the link)

http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/local_food/startup.html

Farm Start-Up

The average age of farmers continues to rise, but alongside this trend is an emerging new face of agriculture. The new face is of beginning farmers and ranchers who although may not come from agricultural roots, seek the knowledge and skills to be agricultural producers. They range from the retired to the young to the college educated to those working on a fourth or fifth career. While they do not have a specific age or area of expertise, many are savvy to the multiple resources available for starting a farm.

There are a tremendous number of resources to help beginning farmers and ranchers with planning, securing land, and making a success of their operation. As the premier farmer source for sustainable agriculture information, ATTRA offers important resources for beginning farmers and ranchers and people who work with them. On this web site you can learn about running a farm, transitioning to organic, business management, and marketing. There are also links to other resources outside of ATTRA under each topic of this section (see list below).

Follow the link:

http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/local_food/startup.html

Further resource:
An Old Fashioned Farm By Delmar E. Wilson

Thanks.