Whole Farm Planning for Beginning Women Farmers

If you're a woman who has been farming for less than ten years and is interested in learning from other women farmers, here's a chance to learn about whole farm planning.

The program consists of one-on-one mentorships, on-farm field days, business planning workshops, and a network of women farmers with shared concerns. The class is free to participants, with a USDA/NIFA grant covering the $1,500 value. Specific dates, times and location for the workshops are to be decided. This is a 10-workshop series that has 5 sessions held in the winter months and 5 farm tour sessions in spring and summer.  The first session will take place in November.

2010 participants had this to say:

“As a very small, organic market farmer I was looking to augment my knowledge in a number of areas related to my farm business - financial planning, farm planning and business strategic planning. Working with the women farmer group embarking on the HMI course provided a number of groundbreaking opportunities and resources…The course material and instruction is both inspiring and extremely useful. Having taken many other ag business classes - HMI's approach and high caliber of instruction is refreshing. The most amazing part of the process was meeting and visiting other women farmers.  The networking and learning that has been facilitated by this process is priceless.”
-Barbara Link, Agraria Farm

“It’s been really eye-opening to look at the whole process.”
-Patricia Stewart, Hames & Axle Farm

“I believe that what we are learning is wonderful and very valuable.”

"Whole Farm Planning has made me look at and analyze all the parts of agriculture that make up my business and helped me to identify what I like best and then to brainstorm how to move forward in those areas that I'd like to become more profitable." - Linda Fuchs, Linda M. Fuchs Greenhouse  

The program will begin in the November of 2010 and run through the spring of 2011. 

Topics include:

• Introduction to whole farm planning, creating a values-based farm mission, and whole farm decision analysis process
• Increasing farm profitability (gross profit analysis, enterprise analysis)
• Creating a whole farm financial plan
• Business planning basics
• Creating a marketing plan
• Soil fertility basics: examining your enterprise's environmental impact
• Time management— pulling it all together in a whole farm plan
• Land and infrastructure planning
• Leadership/communication skills
• Improving Land Health and Sustainable Soil Building Techniques

If you're interested in learning more about this program, contact Devon Whitney-Deal, Local Hero Member Services Coordinator, at 413-665-7100.

Fill out the enrollment form to apply for the 2010-2011 session.

All upcoming workshops and events are listed on our Events and Education page.