Women in Agriculture (WAgN)

Contact: Beth Holtzman
Beth.holtzman@uvm.edu

BERLIN, VT – This fall, the University of Vermont Extension Women’s Agricultural Network will offer in-person and on-line sessions of Growing Places, a non-credit course for people interested in starting or expanding an agricultural business. The in-person course will start September 23 in Berlin. The on-line course will start the week of October 13.

No prior experience is necessary, and people interested in all types of farm enterprises are welcome. “Growing Places is designed to help ag entrepreneurs get off to the right start in business planning and development,” says WAgN Coordinator Beth Holtzman.

Whether in person or on-line, Growing Places offers the same curriculum. Participants develop goals for themselves and their businesses, become more familiar with financing options, identify and evaluate available resources, examine marketing strategies, and learn about agencies and organizations that provide support and assistance to farmers.

“The course covered a lot of topics at a reasonable depth, giving us concrete information as well as a lot of food for thought,” said a recent Growing Places graduate. “Now I feel much more confident about what I need to do next and how I should operate my business.”

Since 1995, more than 280 people have completed Growing Places. WAgN piloted the on-line version in early 2006 and found that the course translates well to the on-line environment. People for whom travel time, family and work commitments make participation in an in-person class difficult, may find the on-line course a good option. Individuals with slower Internet connections, who prefer “live” interaction, or who are less comfortable with written communication may prefer the classroom setting.

Growing Places is open to anyone. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

The two fall 2008 course schedules are: Berlin on six Tuesday evenings beginning Sept. 23; and online beginning the week of October 13. Tuition is $125, but there is a $25 discount for people who register by the early bird deadline. The discount registration deadlines are: Aug. 29 for the Berlin class and September 23 for the Middelbury Class. The regular registration deadlines are September 12 for the Berlin class and Sept. 27 for the online class.

Additionally, limited scholarship assistance is available to qualified individuals. For more information and to obtain registration materials, visit WAgN’s website at www.uvm.edu/wagn. Or, contact WAgN Outreach Coordinator Beth Holtzman at 802-223-2389 or toll-free in Vermont at 866-860-1382.

Growing Places is offered by the Women’s Agricultural Network (WAgN) a program of University of Vermont Extension supported by the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Competitive Grants Program of the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, USDA and the USDA Risk Management Agency.

UVM Extension and USDA, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation and marital or familial status.

Beginning September 10, eXtension launches a new series of monthly webinars for small business owners, farmers, business coaches and mentors. Grab your calendar right now and mark off the 2nd Wednesday of every month from 2:00pm – 3:00pm Eastern Time.

Our topic for September 10, 2008 will be 10 Tools for Talking about Tough Issues in the Family Business. Conflict is a normal part of family business, especially with succession planning. A Virginia Tech study of 400 farms found that farm family businesses that could communicate effectively were 21% more profitable.

Elaine Froese, author of Planting the Seed of Hope, will lead this presentation designed for farmers, business owners, business coaches and mentors. She delivers tips that can be implemented immediately. She challenges family business owners to get “unstuck” and not accept the high anxiety and stress of poor decision making. Her tools are grounded in years of working with farm succession planning and coaching.

Froese and her husband farm in southwestern Manitoba and run a certified seed business. Elaine started encouraging farm families more than 20 years ago as a professional home economist. She has spent many hours with families at kitchen tables. Seeds of Encouragement is the name of her business as well as the name of her monthly column in Grainews, a Canadian farm publication that reaches 50,000 readers. As a columnist and speaker, Elaine’s practical and from-the-heart style have inspired many families to revitalize their relationships and farm businesses. Her Web site is http://www.elainefroese.com.

No pre-registration is required and there is no fee to participate. About 10 minutes prior to the start time simply go the Adobe Connect Pro meeting room at http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/ecop/. You will be presented with a login screen that has an "Enter as Guest" option. Enter your first name, last name and state, then click "Enter Room" to join the conference. To hear the audio of the workshop and participate in the Q&A portion of the workshop we will be using a built-in teleconferencing capability of Adobe’s Connect Pro conferencing software. Once you log into the meeting you will be presented with the option to enter your call-back number OR there will be a toll-free number for you to call. If you are calling from a telephone extension (i.e. a caller cannot dial your direct line) then you will need to call in. After entering your number you will be automatically called and joined into the audio portion of the Web conference on your phone.

I don't know what the weather is like where you are at this moment but where I am it is the perfect day to welcome the Autumn season -- the sun is out, the sky is blue and the air is really clear, clean and cool. On these days I remember why Fall is one of my favorite seasons (I really like Spring too). Yesterday I found time to spend in the garden. Pulling out some of the plants that kept us fed all summer and tending those hardy plants that are still producing. I dug potatoes and the smell of turned earth is still hanging over the garden patch. I checked in on the winter squash and the chard and pulled a few carrots for lunches. Then a huge flock of geese flew over on their way to warmer places and, in the middle of all that peace and beauty, I felt a little sad. And that's the bittersweetness of this season.