Grow Your Farm Course to be offered in Kansas City Area

This fall and winter the University of Missouri Extension will again be hosting a Grow Your Farm workshop series. This 8 course series builds upon participants' knowledge and skills in business planning and marketing for new and existing farm businesses-urban and rural.

What: a 12-week workshop series focusing on the business side of agriculture and value-added agribusinesses

Who: 2 participants per farm or agribusiness. Mother/Daughter, Father/Son, Grandpa/Grandson, Partners, 2 Neighbors working on an agribusiness idea. Urban farmers, rural farmers, those involved in value-added processing or those seeking to start a new agri-business are encouraged to attend.

Where: Classes will be held and the Clay County Extension office and the Platte County Extension office. Both, conveniently located just off I-29 in Kansas City, N.

When: Tuesday evenings beginning November 6, 2012. Classes start at 6 PM. Light dinners will be served for all paid registrants.

Costs: $80 per farm business (2 people) and $25 each additional participant. This 12-week series typically costs $330 per farm family but the North Central Risk Management Education Center has generously underwritten $250 of participants' fees! Includes all workshop presentations, workbooks & materials and a meal and refreshments!

Why: We recognize that businesses are often a family or community effort and sharing the knowledge with those that you work with is important for the long-term success of your agri-business, urban farm, rural farm or food venture.

Past Grow Your Farm participants are involved in the following agri-businesses: market gardening, cow-calf operations, certified organic grain production, horse boarding, urban farming, community-supported agriculture farms, nursery operations and more.

Schedule:
November 6 - Identifying Values & Creating Goals, Debi Kelly, Missouri USDA SARE Coordinator

November 13 - Walking the Farm - Farm Tour, Dan Switzner, Natural Resource Conservation Service

November 18 - Walking the Farm-Tour at Fair Share Farm, Kearney, MO

November 17 - Assessing Opportunities, Speaker to be announced

December 4 - Planning for the Farm Business, Kelly Dyer, Small Business Technology Development Centers

December 11 - Marketing Your Farm Products, Lane McConnell, Marketing Consultant

December 18 - Keeping Track of Finances, Whitney Wiegel, University of Missouri Extension

January 8 - Legal Issues for Agri-Businesses, Crystal Weber, University of Missouri Extension

January 22 - Business Plan Presentations

To Register: call 816-407-3490 or email. Register by October 29, 2012