Category: Scaling Up

Farm Finances: Evaluating Investments and Operational Changes

11/28/2014

Title
Evaluating Investments and Operational Changes

Overview
Want to purchase new equipment? Thinking of expanding your operation? This workshop shows you the tools you need to evaluate your options. You’ll get a down-to-earth approach to help you better understand the economic and other impacts of investments and operational changes, including a look at practical tools like partial budget analysis and investment analysis, as well as considerations for quality of life and business development.

Series
On The Farm

Topics
Business, Finances, Risk Management, Scaling Up

Audience
All Farmers

Length
45 - 90 minutes

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Scaling Up: Is It Right For You?

11/27/2014

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Title
Bigger Isn’t Always Better: Is Scaling Up Right For Your Farm?

Overview
With all of the talk about "scaling up", it's easy to lose sight of the fundamental question: is growing on more acres right for you and your farm? This session explores the impacts of getting bigger, from risks and investment to business development and lifestyle consequences, and looks at other ways to increase farm income and sustainability.

Outline
I. Scale
2. Markets
3. Anticipating Impacts
4. Assessing Resources
5. Investment and Growth

Series
In The Market

Topics
Business, Risk Management, Scaling Up

Audience
Beginning Farmers (<10yrs)

Length
45 - 90 minutes

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Market Farming: Making Your Farm Work For You

11/26/2014

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Title
Making Your Market Farm Work For You

Overview
Your market farm should work for you, in addition to you working for your farm – and that requires you to take 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. From big ideas down to practical examples, consultant, educator, and veteran farmer Chris Blanchard draws on 25 years of farming experience around the country at a wide variety scales to provide this engaging session that will help you understand and control the factors that lead to a profitable market farm that won’t drive you and your family crazy.

Outline
1. Context
2. Market Farming Fundamentals
3. Management
4. Managing Yourself
5. Managing the Farm
6. Managing the Money
7. Managing the Employees
8. Wrapping Up

Series
On The Farm

Topics
Business, Finances, Management, Marketing, Production, Scaling Up

Audience
Beginning Farmers

Length
4 - 6 hours

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Marketing: Selling Crops to Food Stores

11/24/2014

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Title
Buy My Rutabagas: Marketing Horticultural Crops to Food Stores

Overview
To market your produce to food stores, you need to understand the world of retail produce. Chris Blanchard will share his approach to marketing to produce buyers, including communication, branding, how to determine your price, and how stores determine their prices.

Outline
1. The Number One Rule
2. Understanding the World of Produce
3. Quality
4. Marketing
5. Pricing Principles
6. Pricing Rules of Thumb
7. Margins in Different Markets
8. Rock Spring Farm’s Four Priceless Practices for Sales Success

The longer versions of this workshop include:
9. Determining Cost of Production and Marketing
10. Production Expenses
11. Ownership Costs
12. Valuing Labor
13. QuickBooks Classes for Tracking Production and Marketing Expenses

Series
In The Market

Topics
Business, Marketing, Pricing, Scaling Up

Audience
All Farmers

Length
60 - 180 minutes

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Scaling Up: Smart Growth for Local Foods

11/17/2014

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Title
Values and Scale in Local Foods Marketplace

Overview
Balancing the reasons we choose to farm with the economic realities of the modern food system can challenge even the most-experienced grower, and while beginning growers wash up on the rocks of scaling-up, questions about size and values creates conflict within the local foods movement. Chris Blanchard will discuss how we can root our growth in good business, while not losing sight of the fertile values in which that growth occurs.

Outline
1. Defining Goals for a Local Food System
2. A Feel for the Land
3. Thinking (about getting) Big
4. Local Food Lies
5. Food is Worth More than the Sum of its Parts

Series
In The Market

Topics
Business, Scaling Up

Audience
All Farmers, Local Foods Advocates

Length
45 - 90 minutes

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Scaling Up: Challenges and Opportunities

11/3/2014

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Title
Scaling Up to Fill the Plate: Sizing Your Vegetable Operation

Overview
With pressure from every direction to scale up market farming operations to meet the growing demand for local food, growers need to consider their goals, roles, capacity, and skills. Chris Blanchard will take you on an exploration of the challenges and opportunities in expanding your market farm.

Outline
1. Goals
2. More Rutabagas Than You Think
3. Segments and Locations
4. Local Food Lies
5. Investments
6. Capacity
7. Invest in Systems
8. Invest in People
9. Produce Buyers
10. Quality
11. Plan for Change
12. Leverage Biology
13. Keep Perspective

Series
In The Market

Topics
Business, Scaling Up

Audience
All Farmers

Length
60 - 120 minutes

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