Farm Business Planning Course being offered in New York State (Ithaca), Jan-April 2012

Format: 8 classes, every other Thursday evening, January 5 – April 12, 2012

Dates:  January 5 and 19, February 2 and 16, March 1, 15, and 29, and April 12;  6:00 – 9:00 PM

Cost:  Sliding scale, $80 – $300

Application required:  Visit www.groundswellcenter.org for online application or apply online now For more information: info@groundswellcenter.org

In collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County and Alternatives Federal Credit Union’s Business CENTS Program, the Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming in Ithaca will be offering an intensive Farm Business Planning Course this winter. The class will cover all major aspects of the farm business start-up process including assessing your land, infrastructure and equipment needs; legal and regulatory issues; production planning; marketing; financial feasibility, budgets and record keeping; and more.

The course is designed for those who:

• Have at least a year of hands-on experience in farming, OR have completed Groundswell’s New Farmer Training Program, and…
• Expect to get their farm enterprise off the ground within three years, OR are in the early stages of a farm business and need help, and…
• Have a clear idea of the kind of farm enterprise they would like to operate, and…
• Can fully commit to an intensive fourteen-week course with substantial outside research and homework.

The class will run for fourteen weeks, meeting every other Thursday evening from 6-9pm from January 5 through April 12. Instructors are Monika Roth, Agriculture Program Leader and Matt LeRoux, Agriculture Marketing Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County; and Leslie Ackerman, Director of the Business CENTS Program of Alternatives Federal Credit Union, along with area farmers whose stories illustrate the benefits of business planning and financial management skills.

“This is a rigorous course for the serious farming entrepreneur,” says Joanna Green, Director of the Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming. “We are really pleased to be working with Monika, Matt and Leslie. They’re skilled teachers with a lot of practical knowledge to offer.” Read more »

The New Entry Sustainable Farming Project will be offering two versions of its flagship Farm Business Planning Course this fall (2011):

Learn to develop and plan for your farm business in either a classroom or an online learning environment! The course will cover all aspects of planning for the long-term financial success of your farm business, including how to: Select farm enterprises, and develop a business plan and enterprise budgets; Identify and research the markets in your area, and how to promote your farm products; Find and evaluate the materials, equipment, and additional information and resources you will need as a farmer; and Develop a crop or livestock production plan and schedule that follows your marketing and business plan.

Option 1: Classroom-Based Farm Business Planning Course – Dates: October 11th through November 29th, Tuesday evenings 6-9pm; Location: Middlesex Community College in Lowell, MA
Course fee: $400 (scholarships available). For more information and to apply, please visit http://nesfp.nutrition.tufts.edu/training/farmbusiness.html. Questions? Email sanderson@comteam.org or call 978-654-6745.

Option 2: Online Farm Business Planning Course – Dates: October 1st through December 3rd; Flexible schedule and location with 2 mandatory classroom sessions on the first and last days of the course in downtown Boston Course fee: $500 (scholarships available). For more information and to apply, please visit http://nesfp.nutrition.tufts.edu/training/distancelearn.html. Questions? Email maura.beaufait@tufts.edu or call 978-654-6745.

The Learning Center at Hawthorne Valley Farm is once again offering a whole farm planning course, beginning in October 2011, called Hudson Valley Farm Beginnings ®.  This program will take place at Hawthorne Valley Farm in Ghent, New York (Columbia County, NY) and will include seven classroom sessions in on-farm goal setting, strategic and business planning, marketing, and financial management, for those interested in developing or expanding farming enterprises. Hudson Valley Farm Beginnings is farmer led and farmer taught so participants will gain access to many local and regional farmer-mentor colleagues during the classroom sessions and during four additional field days at local, sustainably managed farms.  After completing a fully articulated and written business plan, participants will be able to have the plan reviewed by a farmer-mentor of their choosing.

Hudson Valley Farm Beginnings is based on curricula developed by the Land Stewardship Project and Angelic Organic’s Learning Center, programs which have graduated over 500 farm entrepreneurs in past years. This course will bring apprentices, new farmers, current landowners and future farm entrepreneurs together to work toward making their agricultural dreams a reality.

For information about this program, please access our website, http://hawthornevalleyfarm.org/farm-beginnings#whole-farm-planning-course.  For questions, or to submit an application, please contact Caroline Smialek at 518-672-7500, x232, or caroline@hawthornevalleyfarm.org.

12^th Annual International Agroecology Shortcourse in Santa Cruz, CA

Agroecology and the Transformation of Food Systems: The California Model *July 10-22, 2011 *

Please Apply Now!

You are invited to attend this year’s course, Agroecology and the Transformation of Food Systems: The California Model. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the transformation of food systems to the agroecological model from field to table, utilizing California food systems as a working case study of challenges and successes. California is a place where most investment in agriculture has centered on increased production as the main priority, and where local food systems, urban access to healthy food, and labor, water, and poverty issues are often considered to be secondary. At the same time, the state is also home to an incredibly diverse and vibrant sustainable food movement, full of people seeking to change how food is produced and consumed. The course will bring together the various components of the California food system to mobilize its transformation to an inclusive system that addresses multiple needs and goals. We will also learn from similar models of change from around the world.

Apply soon before the course fills up – applications are being accepted on a rolling basis. Cost to participate is $2250; the course fee is comprehensive and covers all tuition, lecture materials, accommodations, three meals per day, field trips and administrative fees. View the Shortcourse Flyer at http://www.agroecology.org/Shortcourse.html. For more course information please contact Heather Putnam at shortcourse2011@canunite.org

An 8-Day Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) Course will take place May 14 – 21, 2011 at Blueberry Hill Farm in central Ohio

Permaculture educators Wayne Weiseman of The Permaculture Project and Bill Wilson of Midwest Permaculture will present a variety of subjects including:

•      Observation / Patterns; Principles / Ethics; Soil / Plants / Trees; Guilds / Polycultures; Water / Earthworks; Climate / Microclimate

Students will learn permaculture design principles suited for:

•      Urban & Suburban; Small Farm Strategies; Large Farm Possibilities

Topics to include:

•      Garden Management; Eco Building; Planning a Homestead; Aquaculture; Biofuels; Economics; Sustainable Living

This eight day course includes pre-course online webinars, detailed handouts, course text and onsite hands-on practicum and instruction. Camping & meals are included.* The course cost is $1200.00 for eight days and your time commitment to study the pre-course materials.

For more information and registration, please go online to www.blueberryhillfamilyfarms.com. TO REGISTER BY MAIL, please use the form below. For more  information, please call 330.351.1886.

*Local lodging is available at your own expense. Special dietary needs will be addressed if you let us know in advance.

8-Day Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) Course Mail-In Registration Form May 14 – 21, 2011 at Blueberry Hill Family Farms

Name:_________________________________________________________________________

Address:_______________________________________________________________________

City:________________________________    State:_________  Zip:______________________

Phone Number:____________________  Email:_______________________________________

Please make check for $1200.00 payable to Mustard Seed Market & Café and mail, along with this completed form, to Mustard Seed Market & Café, Attn: Adria Owens, 6025 Kruse Drive, Solon, OH 44139.

Payment and completed form must be received no later than Monday, May 2, 2011.

Title: Intermediate Marketing for Farmers – Develop a Marketing Plan

When: Weekly, from March 10, 2011 – April 20, 2011

Cost: $150

This course is for: Those who are already in production and/or have already explored the basics of marketing and are ready to develop a formal marketing plan.

Course Objectives: This training will help you 1) Link your farm’s mission and vision to your commercial goals and marketing strategy; 2) Understand the key elements of a solid marketing plan; 3) Analyze your competition and the opportunities for success; 4) Conduct  market research on one or more of your potential products; 5) Implement effective marketing strategies

This course is being offered by the Cornell University Small Farms Program. For more information, or to register, visit http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/

From The Institute for Social Ecology:

The Social Ecology Education and Demonstration School (SEEDS), located on Vashon Island near Seattle, Washington (USA) is putting on a series of 8 weekend permaculture workshops between April 30 and June 25 2011. Pre-register by March 1 for a nearly 20% reduced rate!

MANAGING YOUR INSECT ALLIES: A Full Day Organic Farming Short Course; Thursday, February 24, 10:30 am to 5:30 pm – La Crosse, WI

Predatory insects and pollinators are the unsung champions of the agricultural world. Join the Xerces Society’s Eric Mader for a full day organic farming workshop on how to support these often overlooked and undervalued allies on working row crop, vegetable, and fruit farms.

Introductory course topics include: Basic principles of beneficial insect and native bee biology; The economics of pollinators and beneficial insects; Recognizing pollinators and beneficial insect species; Assessing pollinator and beneficial insect habitat

Advance modules will cover: Habitat restoration guidelines; Balancing farm practices with insect ecology; How to access technical and financial resources for beneficial insect conservation through the USDA Read more »

Computer Aided Permaculture Design and Site Assessment with Internet Resources

Sat, 01/15/2011 – 6:00pm – 9:00pm

Designing your city lot or homestead in the woods? Have a concept for a community farm garden or CSA? Much of the information you need is free and on-line. Read more »