Tuesday, February 3, 2015 (Middlebury)
Wednesday, February 4, 2015 (Norwich)
Middlebury & Norwich, Vermont

Event Links: Labor Management for Farmers, Session II (Middlebury); Labor Management for Farmers, Session II (Norwich)
Organized By: Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont

Presentation Summary
Employees make it possible to get more done, but managing workers and their work takes dedicated time, energy and processes. Whether you manage one seasonal worker or a large year-round crew, good management can make the difference between making headway on your farm's work or just creating headaches. Join veteran farmer and educator Chris Blanchard to learn how to create a productive, positive work environment by communicating clear expectations and implementing systems for efficiency and accountability.

This workshop will cover systems for removing emotion from management decisions and actions, implementing effective leadership, practical tools to increase employee satisfaction and productivity, employee recruitment and dismissal, and how to collect and use labor information to make operational and investment decisions.

Topics include:

• What are employees for?
  
• Leadership through inspiration, accountability, authority & support
  
• Using systems to remove emotion from management
  
• Creating pathways to accountability and efficiency
  
• Specific tools to achieve workplace satisfaction and productivity for all

Saturday, January 24, 2015
Amery, Wisconsin

Event Link: Post-Harvest Handling, Food Safety and GAPs Compliance
Organized By: Hungry Turtle Farmers Cooperative

Presentation Summary
As the demand for local and organic food has exploded in the last five years, so has the expectation on the part of consumers and institutional buyers for production and handling systems designed to minimize microbial contamination. Join a farmer and consultant who has been through the audit process and helped others through it for this review of practical food safety, how to develop a written food safety plan, and how to set up record keeping systems that support business processes rather than existing outside of the system.

Wednesday, January 14 - Saturday, 17, 2015
Mobile, Alabama

Event Link: Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference
Organized By: Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SAWG)

The 24th annual Southern SAWG conference is for serious organic and sustainable producers, farm to school participants, urban farmers or those interested in creating more vibrant community food systems. The event offers informative pre-conference courses and field trips, practical conference sessions, networking, trade show, Taste of Alabama event and more. Each year, participants go home with information to use immediately to improve their operations. Click here for more information.

Chris' Presentations:

Making Your Market Farm Work for You
Thursday, January 15, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Your market farm should work for you, in addition to you working for your farm — and that requires taking care of your vegetables and your business, as well as your life. Learn how you can put it all together, from the market farming fundamentals of weed control, irrigation, post-harvest handling and marketing, to the management of your farming systems, employees and finances. Consultant, educator and farmer Chris Blanchard will help you understand and control the factors that lead to a profitable market farm without driving you and your family crazy. Chris will draw on 25 years of farming experience to provide both big ideas and practical examples in this engaging session.

(Please note, this pre-conference mini-course requires pre-registration.)

Saving Labor (Saving Money!) on the Market Farm
Friday, January 16, 9:00 AM
Market farming is all about moving stuff around, whether you're moving vegetables from the field to the packing house, water from the well to your transplants, or seeds from packets to the soil. We'll explore efficient systems and practical tools used by successful market farms for seeding crops in the field and greenhouses, transplanting sets, pruning and greenhouse crop maintenance, weeding, harvesting, post-harvest handling, materials handling, and record-keeping.

Ten Things to Think About When Starting a Market Farm
Friday, January 16, 1:30 PM
Getting started in market farming means more than just growing vegetables. It means taking on the responsibilities of owning a business, managing markets, grappling with philosophies, and managing a labor force. Join Chris Blanchard, who has over 20 years experience in managing and owning a market farm, for a look at ten things to think about as you prepare the ground for starting your farm, or as you seek to expand your market farm into a significant income-generator for yourself and your family.