Growing Your Farm Business Planning Course
Dates: January 17th through March 14th, 2023
Time: Tuesday evenings, from 5:30 to 8:30pm
Location: MDAR office in Southborough, MA
Cost: The course fee, subsidized by MDAR, is $150 per farm.
A hands-on course to help established farmers develop a business plan and financial projections for their farm business. This course covers topics including resource assessment, marketing strategy, financial management, risk management, quality of life, and goal setting. The course is taught by a professional business planner with years of experience working with Massachusetts farms and guest speakers on topics such as succession planning and online marketing. Enrollment is open to farmers who have been operating a farm business in Massachusetts for at least the two prior years.
The Growing Your Farm business planning course has been approved as a certified USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) borrower training for financial management.
For more information or instructions on how to apply, visit: https://www.mass.gov/…/agricultural-business-training…
Exploring the Small Farm Dream Course
Dates: January 12th through February 9th, 2023
Time: Thursday evenings, from 6:00 to 9:00pm
Location: MDAR office in Southborough, MA
Cost: $100 for up to two participants per enterprise, as space allows.
This 5-session course provides guidance to aspiring farmers through the decision-making process of whether to start a farm business. Participants will learn about the many aspects of starting a farm business, assess their own skills and knowledge, and get help finding resources for support, including marketing, financing, and regulations. The course utilizes the Exploring the Small Farm Dream curriculum and workbook developed by the New England Small Farm Institute. Through four guided group sessions and a farmer panel session, participants will analyze the feasibility of their small farm dream and clarify their vision together with other class participants. This course is sponsored and financially supported by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and is intended for new agricultural entrepreneurs planning to start their farm business in Massachusetts.
For more information or instructions on how to apply, visit: https://www.mass.gov/…/agricultural-business-training…
Note: Applications for these winter courses will be accepted until December 2, or until each course is full *Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with course session locations selected based on interest from those on the waitlist. If you are interested, but unable to attend the current session, please consider submitting an application in order to be placed on the waitlist for an upcoming session.
