9-week Online Class for Farmers, Ranchers Starts Jan. 17

Friday, January 6 2012

Location: online

Monday, Jan. 9, is the registration deadline for the online course Planning for Profit II sponsored by the group Rural Roots and University of Idaho’s Cultivating Success program.
Live course webinars run Tuesday evening 6:30-8 p.m. PST (7:30-9:00 p.m.
 MST) from Jan. 17 to March 13.

This new 9-week program is an advanced level online farm planning course for existing farmers/ranchers. The skills taught in this course will help farmers take their farm business or marketing plans to the next level of profitability.

The course focuses on assessing, revising and improving current plans using current farm financial data. After performing a SWOT analysis and goal review and revision process, producers will conduct an overall financial analysis of their farms.

Then they will pick one enterprise to expand/improve or begin and perform a financial and market assessment of that enterprise. Participants will leave the course with an implementation plan for this season, an improved food safety plan for their farms and ranches, and the knowledge and skills to assess the viability of other farm enterprises they may want to improve or start.

The course topics include strategic planning, financial analysis, enterprise assessment, selling into different markets, market assessment and expansion, successfully selling into retail markets, on-farm labor, and food safety assessment and certification.
Course instructors will include Diane Green of Greentree Naturals of Sandpoint, Mary Rohlfing of Morning Owl Farm of Boise, Ariel Agenbroad of University of Idaho Canyon County Extension of Caldwell, and Cinda Williams  of University of Idaho Latah County Extension in Mocow. All have taught the introductory level Cultivating Success whole farm and business planning courses.

Instructor Craig Madsen of Healing Hooves of Reardan, Wash., is a certified holistic management educator and focuses on planning for profit from a holistic management standpoint.
As course prerequisites, participants must: 

• Have an existing farm/ranch operation and have been producing & selling products for at least a year, and
• Have completed a previous course in whole farm planning through Cultivating Success and Rural Roots, or
• Be using some form of business, marketing, or whole farm plan to guide them in their farming/ ranching operation.
• Have high-speed Internet access.

The course is open to residents of Idaho, eastern Washington and northeast Oregon. Registration is limited to 35 students so early registration is highly recommended.
Cost is $80 for Rural Roots members, $100 for non-members, and full or partial scholarships are available.

For full course details and to register visit the Rural Roots website at
www.ruralroots.org. The scholarship form can be downloaded from the Rural Roots website. For scholarship questions contact Colette DePhelps at (208) 883-3462 or colette@ruralroots.org.

This project is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Project Number RME-MMC03982.

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