El PASO — A free Agriculture Business Planning Workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. May 31 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 1380 A&M Circle in El Paso.
Coordinators said the workshop is open to military veterans and active-duty military, small-landholder farmers and ranchers with and without disabilities, women interested in agribusiness, and beginning farmers and ranchers. It will be presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas AgrAbility Project, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service and USDA Risk Management Agency.
“This workshop is a followup to the ‘Battleground to Breaking Ground’ program we presented in El Paso on April 26,” said Erin Pilosi, Texas AgrAbility coordinator for agriculture workshops for military veterans, College Station. “It will focus solely on creating an agricultural business plan.”
The morning program agenda will focus on business setup and operation, including startup issues, risk-return analysis, business models and management, legal structures, resource inventory, quality control, product-service mix, processes and efficiencies, key personnel and suppliers, and inventory management.
The afternoon agenda will focus on marketing and finance, including market outlook and trends, competitive analysis, pricing and distribution strategies, location analysis, advertising, merchandising and sales, accounting, budgeting, statement preparation and interpretation, and long-term exit strategies.
Pilosi said the Texas AgrAbility Project, which is administered by AgriLife Extension, focuses on connecting, assisting and empowering agricultural producers, their family members and employees with disabilities and chronic health conditions to stay engaged in production agriculture.
“While veterans and active duty military are our primary audience, we know other individuals, including beginning farmers and ranchers and women who want to become involved in agribusiness, can benefit too,” she said. “That’s why we have opened the program to them as well.”
Attendees are asked to register online at http://txagrability.tamu.edu or by mail to Pilosi or Dr. Cheryl Grenwelge, 578 John Kimbrough, College Station, Texas 77843-2251. A registration form can be found and downloaded from the site.
For more information on the program, contact Pilosi at 979-847-8165 or empilosi@ag.tamu.edu
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