AUSTIN – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County will offer a Forward Farming program July 16 for small-scale agricultural producers wanting practical information and instruction on for-profit farming, said program coordinators.
The program’s “Business Planning and Management” session will be held at the AgriLife Extension office at 1600-B Smith Road in southeast Austin. The session will address developing a business plan, 12 best management practices, performance-based borrowing and analyzing producers’ value-added business plans. It will be presented by Danny Klinefelter, AgriLife Extension economist, College Station.
“The Forward Farming program is helpful for both home and small-plot producers, including producers who grow for farmers markets or are involved in sustainable foods efforts or community gardens,” said Daphne Richards, AgriLife Extension agent for horticulture in Travis County.
In developing a business plan, producers should look at the components of a complete plan and understand what potential investors or well-prepared business owners should be looking for, Klinefelter said.
“In this program, we’ll be discussing the 12 best management practices many of the most successful agricultural businesses have and that all producers can employ — if they make them a priority,” he said.
He said the performance-based borrowing instruction could help a producer determine how to assess whether or not to ask for a loan and how to approach a lender.
“Even if your lender doesn’t ask all the questions, you will be better prepared to answer and to negotiate loan terms,” he said.
Two out of three new business ventures fail, Klinefelter noted. “Sometimes it’s due to poor management, sometimes it’s the wrong time or wrong place.”
He said it’s important to take time to analyze a business situation and ask the right questions.
“In the analyzing producers’ value-added business plans portion of the session, we’ll look at what factors are often overlooked and ask the right questions to help determine whether a business plan is realistic, viable and workable.”
The cost is $50 per session for regular registration and $65 for late and on-site registration. To register, call 979-845-2604 or go to http://agriliferegister.tamu.edu and enter “urban” or “farming” in the search field.
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