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CANCELLEDDue to an insufficient number of registrations, we unfortunately had to make the tough decision to cancel this conference as scheduled. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope to provide the event at a later date, but do not yet have such plans. We are extremely thankful to all those who showed interest, and hope you continue to reach out to us for all your farm finance questions in the future.
Rutabaga Riches: Farm Finances for FarmersFriday, January 9, 2015 to Saturday, January 10, 2015
Rockton, Illinois Registration is Closed This two-day course will be entirely focused on how to gather, understand, and USE financial information about your farm to improve your profits AND your quality of life. It is for beginning and experience farmers alike - and for people planning to get into farming who want to get off on the right foot!
We are going to cover all of the basics for farm finance, from bookkeeping and assembling a balance sheet to when and how to talk to a lender. Combining Chris' 25 years of farming and consulting with dozens of farms around the country, with Paul Dietmann's years of experience providing support for farmers through extension and Badgerland Financial Services, we are going to provide you with a whole toolbox of financial tools that will help you understand how to get to where you want to go without spending your life cruising spreadsheets. Regular Price: $219
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Logistics
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Date
Friday, January 9, 2015 - Saturday, January 10, 2015 Hours Friday - Check-in 9:00 am; class 10:00 am to 5:30 pm Saturday - 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Location Walter Graham American Legion Hall - Post 332 219-221 Main Street Rockton, Illinois 61072 Meals Friday - Lunch and snacks will be provided; dinner on your own. Saturday - Breakfast, Lunch and snacks provided. Lodging Lodging information coming soon! Materials A copy of the book, Fearless Farm Finances, will be included with each registration |
Course
The Rutabaga Riches course is going to cover all of the basics for farm finance, including:
- How to set up a bookkeeping system that is easy to operate and provides useful information to enable better decision-making;
- Creating balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements that participants can use to understand the a farm’s financial health;
- When and how to access credit, including establishing and maintaining a relationship with a lender;
- Information about how to price products, including how to track labor and other inputs to accurately identify cost of production and the cost of marketing through different outlets;
- Using the gathered information to make decisions about operational changes, equipment purchases, and building infrastructure.
Presenters
In the three years since the publication of Fearless Farm Finances (co-authored by Paul Dietmann, Chris Blanchard, Craig Chase, and Jody Padgham), Paul Dietmann and and Chris Blanchard have traveled around North America teaching farm business concepts and record-keeping to farmers. They’ve continued to refine the information in Fearless Farm Finances in response to feedback from their audiences, and have learned how make this important information straightforward and applicable to people without an MBA.
Chris Blanchard provides consulting and education for farming, food, and business through Flying Rutabaga Works. As the owner and operator of Rock Spring Farm since 1999, Chris raised twenty acres of vegetables, herbs, and greenhouse crops, marketed through a 200-member year-round CSA, food stores, and farmers markets. Prior to 1999, Chris managed student farms, worked as an intern, packing house manager, plant breeding assistant, and farm manager, and provided consulting for a major organic processor, in California, Wisconsin, Maine, and Washington state. His workshops, writing, and consulting throughout the country about farm business concepts, food safety, organic vegetable production, and scaling-up have gained a reputation for fresh approaches, down-to-earth information, and honesty.
Paul Dietmann is the Emerging Markets Specialist at Badgerland Financial, a member-owned rural lending cooperative in southern Wisconsin. Paul has more than 17 years of experience providing farm financial management, education, and technical assistance to farm families, and he has helped hundreds of farmers achieve greater financial success in their farming operations.
Chris Blanchard provides consulting and education for farming, food, and business through Flying Rutabaga Works. As the owner and operator of Rock Spring Farm since 1999, Chris raised twenty acres of vegetables, herbs, and greenhouse crops, marketed through a 200-member year-round CSA, food stores, and farmers markets. Prior to 1999, Chris managed student farms, worked as an intern, packing house manager, plant breeding assistant, and farm manager, and provided consulting for a major organic processor, in California, Wisconsin, Maine, and Washington state. His workshops, writing, and consulting throughout the country about farm business concepts, food safety, organic vegetable production, and scaling-up have gained a reputation for fresh approaches, down-to-earth information, and honesty.
Paul Dietmann is the Emerging Markets Specialist at Badgerland Financial, a member-owned rural lending cooperative in southern Wisconsin. Paul has more than 17 years of experience providing farm financial management, education, and technical assistance to farm families, and he has helped hundreds of farmers achieve greater financial success in their farming operations.
