In this class, we will hear from Dylan & Denita House of Creative Seeds farm about the do’s and don’ts of starting a farm using their own personal experiences. It will also introduce participants to the Business Builder Awards, which range from $5,000 to $100,000 awards.

This introductory class will introduce the course, so those looking to apply for a Business Builder Award should plan to attend. It is available online and in person at Virginia Highlands Community College in Abingdon, Virginia.

Homework:

• Obtain Farm Number (Visit Farm Services Agency near you)
• Worksheets 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, & 3-1
• Read Chapter 1 – Whole Farm Management

Visioning and Assessing your Resources are vital to business success. Trevor Hansard of Red-Tail Grove will join us to talk about using your values and resources in decision-making and business practices. 

ASD’s Climate Resilience & Innovative Agriculture Lead, Randi Gabbert, will explain how to use mapping technology to assess your land and current resources to ensure best management practices (BMPs) on your land.

Homework:

• Worksheets 1-5, 1-6, 1-7, & 1-8
• Read Chapter 2 – Whole Farm Management

We will hear from KCARD’s Kellie Padgett about business and financial management. With years of experience working at KCARD as a Business Development Specialist, Kellie will provide students with best practices for starting and sustaining good business practices. 

This class will cover enterprise budgets, assessing financial risk, and sustainable management for your agribusiness.

Homework:

• Worksheets 1-19, 1-20, 1-21, 1-22, 1-23
• Read Chapter 5 – Whole Farm Management
• Create an enterprise budget

ASD’s Marketing Specialist, Dave Harbin, will provide a crash course on marketing your agribusiness – identifying target audiences, where and how to market your goods/services, and best management practices. 

A panel of farmers and market managers will join us to discuss strategies and answer questions – panel moderated by Dave.

Homework:

• Worksheets 1-17, 1-18
• Market Channel Assessment Guide in resource binder
• Read Chapter 4 – Whole Farm Management

ASD’s grant writer, Della McGuire, will give a crash course on grant writing to support your agribusiness. ASD’s Business Development Specialist, Kylea Cooper, explains how she and ASD can help with these loans, grants, BBS applications, now and in the future.

ASD’s Regional Food Business Center Manager, Santiago Figaredo, will be available to answer questions about Business Builder Subawards.

Homework:

• Familiarize yourself with Grants.gov
• Research farm loan & grant programs

ASD’s team of agriculture specialists will lead this course and provide a chance for each student to explore sustainability aspects they can implement on their own land.

Learn from experts in agroforestry, regenerative agriculture, and climate resilience on ASD’s staff. You will be introduced to best management practices for resilience, environmental health, and economic prosperity.

We know extreme weather events are becoming commonplace, and you can implement practices to reduce the risks associated with these as well as reduce your inputs on your farm, keeping more money in your pocket while improving soil health, animal health, and ecosystem health.

Homework:

• Worksheets 1-10, 1-11, 1-12, 1-13, 1-14, 1-15, 1-16, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4
• Draw a Farm Map
• Explore Web Soil Survey and other mapping techniques

Cindy Fields of the Small Business Development Center and Sarah Scyphers of Farm Credit of the Virginias will join us to discuss how their respective organizations can help you with funding and support for your agribusiness.

Homework:

• Read through info in resource binder
• Write business plan to be shared at class #8
• Survey

Students will share their business plans with the class and get constructive feedback from their peers and ASD staff.

ASD’s RFBC staff will help students through their BBS applications, outline next steps, connect students to mentors and businesses, and review best management practices for their agribusiness.