Making It Happen: Profitability and Success will help small farmers build sound financial systems and use those systems to make business decisions. Farmers will learn about effective financial management tools and how and when to use them to improve their farm business. The workshop will help farmers: improve productivity, reduce costs, increase net farm income, […]
It's never too early - or too late - to plan for your future and the future of your farm. Join us for this free workshop for information on how to transition your farm to the next generation or owner. Learn about estate planning, lease arrangements, preservation options, and more. Hear first-hand from a Northern Connecticut farmer, Susan […]
This is the fifth class in the winter workshop series. Structured Decision Making (SDM) is a decision making process that integrates empirical and on-the-ground data with values-based objectives. SDM provides outcomes that are grounded in reality and represent the ethics, values, and desires of those individuals involved in decision making. SDM is the standard decision making process used by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and this workshop transfers the steps of SDM from the field of wildlife conservation to the field of sustainable agriculture. During the workshop you will learn about, practice, and apply the steps of SDM to specific on-farm decisions thanks to Assistant Professor, Curt Gervich from SUNY Plattsburgh. At the end of the session you will have the skills you need to implement and adapt this process to your specific farm. Farmer, Marco Turco from Manzini Farm will share his experiences using this tool for decision making.
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has been the talk of the town these past few years. The final regulations are out, so join us as we dive in and figure out what they mean for your farm business. We will also be discussing food safety beyond FSMA, including how food safety incidents play out […]
Sauces, pickles and jams...Exploring contract production to add value to your fruit and vegetables! CommonWealth Kitchen, a licensed commercial kitchen in Boston, can make value-added products for you from your excess farm produce or seconds, to be sold at farmers markets, farmstands, retail stores or foodservice customers including colleges. Come learn what we offer and […]
Around the country, local food is picking up steam. As consumers, restaurants, grocery stores and schools buy more and more product, farmers need clear information on their obligations and expectations. In this tutorial, learn how to build a strong relationship with your buyers to ensure that they become life-long customers and advocates of your farm. […]
These meetings will give winter workshop participants the opportunity to network with one another and also provide additional time to discuss and consider their own individual farm needs as it relates to the workshop topics. Each session will have a CISA staff facilitator and a farmer expert (Missy Bahret–Old Friends Farm, Pete Solis– Hampshire College Farm, and Gary Gemme– Harvest Farm of Whately). The topics for the meeting will be determined based on participant interest and determined as the class date gets closer.
Benneth Phelps from The Carrot Project will provide farmers with applicable and effective financial management tools that can be used to make business decisions during this seventh workshop in the series. These tools can be easily used by farmers to implement into farm business operations, to improve productivity, reduce costs, increase net farm income, and improve overall quality of life. This class will use real-world experience of farmers and their service providers to describe farm operation experiences, provide insight into what has worked, what hasn’t, and why. The class will also review the concept of benchmarking, both against your own farm and against others.