Grow Your Farm Program – For New And Beginning Farmers in Missouri

Ag Opportunities: Volume 21, Number 1, January 2010 (Available At: http://agebb.missouri.edu/mac/agopp/mac1.htm)

Grow Your Farm Program is Growing

As part of the three-year Beginning Farmer Grant the University of Missouri, Lincoln University and the Jefferson Agricultural Institute will be able to expand a training program for beginning farmers. Offered in various parts of the state in 2008-2009, MU Extension’s Grow Your Farm program is a series of eight weekly seminars and three farm tours designed for new and beginning farmers as well as established farmers interested in alternative methods. Grow Your Farm is designed for prospective farmers, beginners with some experience and seasoned farmers who want to make a “new beginning” with alternative farming methods. MU Extension specialists and experienced, innovative farmers teach the sessions. Information on production techniques is relatively easy to find and use, but what many landowners need is help to develop the farm as a profitable business. With this in mind, Grow Your Farm is designed to assist the producer in creating and planning the farm as a business.

This course will help you:

• Identify and prioritize personal and family values and use them as the foundation for the farm mission statement and goals.
• Learn how to “walk the farm” to assess the land and its facilities.
• Learn to evaluate the feasibility of particular farm opportunities.
• Understand the components of a business plan and create one of your own.
• Understand financial aspects of a business plan and review popular tools to manage financial records.
• Consider different types of agricultural marketing and draft a marketing plan.
• Become familiar with a variety of legal issues that pertain to farming enterprises.
• Network with other farmers.

The Grow Your Farm course will be held in 4 locations starting in Feb. Classes are limited to 20 farms with 2 participants from each farm.

East Central Missouri
St. Louis County
To be held at the Schlafly Bottle Works in Maplewood
Dates: Feb. 16, 23, March 2, 3, 9, 13 (farm tour), 16, 23, 27 (farm tour) 30 April 6
Contact: Dean Wilson, 636-797-5057, wilsond@missouri.edu

Perry County
To be held at the Perry County Extension Center in Perryville
Dates: Feb 4, 11, 13 (farm tour), 18, 25, March 4, 11, 13 (farm tour)
Contact: Kate Kammler, 573-883-3548, kammlerk@missouri.edu

Warren County
To be held at the Warren County Extension Center in Warrenton
Dates: Feb. 18, 25, March 4, 6 (farm tour), 11, 18, 25, 27 (farm tour), April 1, 8
Contact: Shelley Bush, 636-456-3444, bushs@missouri.edu

Southeast Missouri
Butler County
To be held at the Poplar Bluff Telecommunication Community Resource Center
Dates: February 1, 8, 15, 22 and March 1, 8, 15, 22
Contact: Sarah Denkler, 573-686-8064, denklers@missouri.edu

Madison County
To be held in Fredericktown, MO
Dates: Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23, March 2, 9, 16, 23, Farm tour date to be determined.
Contact: Kendra Graham, 573-224-5600 ext. 8, grahamkk@missouri.edu

West Central Missouri
Lafayette/Johnson County
To be held alternately between the Lafayette (Higginsville) and Johnson (Warrensburg) County Extension Centers
Dates: Jan. 27, Feb. 3,10,17,24, March 3, 6 (farm tour), 10, 17, 24, 27 (farm tour), 31
Contact: Katie Nixon, 816-809-5074, nixonk@linconu.edu