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:
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Friday, April 4, 2014 Belleville, Wisconsin Event Link: New Farmer Summit Organized By: Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) Chris' Presentations: With 24 workshops focused on the issues that are on the minds of new farmers, the MOSES New Farmer Summit is sure to be a great show. Add in daily large-group strategy sessions, formal informal networking, a seed swap, and local, organic food, and I don't think there's any way that a young farmer can afford to miss this! I'll be presenting here on scaling up (or not), record-keeping, and things to think about when you're getting started in market farming. Follow-up: I have had several request for the slides from my Capturing Data workshop, as well as the forms used in the lot-coding example. I've linked to these here:
Saturday, March 1, 2014 LaCrosse,Wisconsin Event Link: http://mosesorganic.org/conference/ Organized By: Mosesorganic.org Chris' Presentations: 12 Simple Steps to Food Safety - 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. Rock Spring Farm's Chris Blanchard guides you through twelve simple steps you can take to put you and your farm on the way to safe food production. Thursday, February 26, 2014 LaCrosse, Wisconsin Event Link: http://mosesorganic.org/events/organic-university/ Organized By: Mosesorganic.org Chris' Presentations: Your organic 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 irrigation and weed control to employee management and organizing your life. With practical examples and big ideas from farms and businesses around the Midwest, this engaging session will help you understand and control the factors that lead to a profitable market farm that won’t drive you and your family crazy. 2014 Capturing and Organizing Data for Organic Certification, GAPs Compliance, and other Endeavors2/4/2014 Tuesday, February 4, 2014 Cedar Rapids, IA Event Link: Organized By: Chris' Presentations: Paperwork can be the bane of the certified-organic, GAPs-audited, and financially-aware farmer. Learn how to capture information, get on top of your paperwork, and wow your inspector, auditor, and banker. I will provide an overview of the theoretical underpinnings and the basic techniques he and his crew use to gather information and keep it organized for easy access with a minimum of effort. Thursday, January 23, 2014 Vancouver, British Columbia Event Link: Register here. Organized By: UBC Farm Centre Chris' Presentations: Being a sustainable farmer is more than the farming methods you use, it also means ensuring you can stay in business regardless of your marketing outlet. Chris Blanchard of Rock Spring Farm and Flying Rutabaga Works will help you navigate pricing strategies to meet your customer needs and your farm's bottom line. This workshop will include methods for determining production costs and pricing across variation in your farm system including the differences between field production and season extension. Thursday, January 16, 2014 St.Cloud, Minnesota Event Link: http://mfvga.org/ Organized By: http://mfvga.org/ Chris' Presentations: Saving Labor on the Market Farm - Market farming is all about moving stuff around, whether you're moving vegetables from the soil to the packing house, water from the well to your transplants, or seeds from their packet to the soil. We'll explore the systems and tools used by Rock Spring Farm and other market farms for seeding crops in the field and greenhouses, transplanting sets, pruning and greenhouse crop maintenance, weeding tools, harvesters, post-harvest handling, materials handling, and record-keeping. Food Safety - As the demand for local and organic food has expanded, so has the expectation for production and handling systems designed to minimize microbial contamination. Chris Blanchard guides you through twelve simple steps you can take to put you and your farm on the way to safe food production. |