Event

Event Name	Business Planning for Small-Scale Producers
Event Subtitle	Georgia Organics In-Depth Workshop
Host	Georgia Organics
Date	July 31, 2007
Time	10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Description	Learn the essentials of business planning and management for the farm. Key topics of the “Risk-Assessed Business Planning for Small Producers” curriculum will be covered. These include: the roles of business planning; how to assess the farm's resource inventory; how to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the operation; how to use and develop enterprise budgets; basic financial analysis for the farm; steps in successfully securing a USDA Farm Service Agency Loan. Registration includes a comprehensive how-to manual and lunch. The “Risk-Assessed Business Planning for Small Producers” curriculum, developed by the 1890 Land Grant University System in collaboration with Texas Cooperative Extension and USDA-CSREES, is designed for limited-resource, diversified agricultural producers to learn, understand, and implement business planning skills, and for their service providers to have a resource curriculum that is complete with reference materials, teaching materials, and case studies. The curriculum integrates business planning, farm resource assessment, whole farm and enterprise budgeting, and accounting methodologies into an illustrated how-to manual that will be provided to workshop participants. This workshop is being produced by Georgia Organics in partnership with the Risk Management Agency (RMA) of the USDA, with additional support from the Southern Region Risk Management Education Center and the Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension Program. About the instructors: Dr. Marion Simon: As State Extension Specialist for Small Farm and Part-time Farmers, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY, Dr. Marion Simon is responsible for developing programs and training for small farmers in Kentucky. She has written and directed over 100 projects in the areas of sustainable agriculture, risk management education, and outreach education for small, limited-resource, and minority farmers. The Kentucky State University Small Farm Program, Third Thursday workshops, and the Risk-Assessed Business Planning for Small Producers curriculum, have received acclaim as regional and national educational models for small farmers. Edwin Chavous holds a B.S. from South Carolina State University in Agricultural Economics, and an M.S. from Kentucky State University in Public Administration. He served as a loan officer for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) in South Carolina prior to coming to Kentucky State University 12 years ago. As an Area Small Farm Agent (in the 2501 Outreach Project), Mr. Chavous is responsible for working with small, limited-resource, women and African American farmers in central Kentucky. He assists with numerous loan applications for FSA and rural housing, and works with farmers in receiving USDA agency programs.
Cost	$35 per person; $25 for Georgia Organics members. Last minute registrations please call the Georgia Organics office at 678.702.0400.
Location Info	The Georgia Farm Bureau 1620 Bass Road Macon, GA  31209 Map & Driving Directions
County	Bibb
Contact Info	Name: Karen Adler Tel: 404.633.4534 Email: karen@georgiaorganics.org	< Go Back