Nichols to Offer Financial Literacy for Farmers Through Partnership with Indigenous Nonprofit

Nichols College in Dudley has entered a partnership with Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust, an Indigenous-led nonprofit, to offer a farming financial literacy course for farmers across New England.

Funding for the partnership is part of a $524,040 National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant to PPLT, received in 2022. The grant aims to build business acumen and financial literacy skills among farmers, as well as educate about soil health, according to a Monday press release from Nichols College.

The course will be taught by a Nichols accounting and finance professor, Karin Curran, who was involved with securing the grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to the press release.

The course will run for seven weeks from January to February and will be free to all beginning farmers or Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) farmers. It will cover creating a balance sheet, building equity, and understanding the industry and will be taught on the Nichols campus, with a remote option and Spanish translation available.