Business Planning Virtual Workshop Series: Financial Planning

Business Planning Virtual Workshop Series
Financial, Marketing & Risk Management Planning

Geared to New, Beginning & Expanding Vegetable & Small Fruit Producers

All Sessions (6), Thursday Evenings 7:00 – 9:00 pm
January 27, February 3, 17, 24 & March 10, 17

•Are you thinking about starting your own farm?
• Are you a beginning farmer and wonder what’s out there for assistance to fund capital improvements
and upgrade your equipment?
• Where can I go to get production advice/information?
• Do you want to upgrade your marketing outlets but don’t know how to go about doing this?
• Do you want to learn how to better manage risks on your farm especially in light of recent adverse
weather?
• Are you a small farmer looking to grow and expand your business?

If you answered “Yes” to any of the above then this business planing workshop can help you answer those
questions. National Crop Insurance Services in conjunction with the UMass Extension Risk Management
Education Program is offering this workshop series at no cost to participants. Each session will include a formal
presentation on the subject topic as well as guest speakers who are farmers or agricultural service provers with
experience in the topics and provide adequate time for questions.

This is a great opportunity to learn about a variety of topics that can benefit your farming operation.
To register, email either Tom Smiarowski: tsmiarowski@umass.edu or Paul Russell: pmrussell@umass.edu
and include your name, email address and location (City/Town & State

Session 1 (January 27): Financial Planning

This session will focus on basic financial planning and include information on preparing a Balance Sheet and
Income Statement. Guest speaker is Chris Laughton, Director of Knowledge Exchange & Farm Start Program
Manager, Farm Credit East, who will explain how Farm Credit East uses financial statements in making credit
decisions and what you as a potential borrower should focus on.

Each session will include a homework assignment in which you will take the information discussed during
the session to complete your assignment. Don’t worry you won’t be graded and you don’t have to submit the
assignment! The purpose of the assignments are to get you to put to use in your operation the information
covered during each session!