Colorado Building Farmers Program – Creating New Capacity and Opportunities
New emerging markets for small and beginning farm producers in Colorado, present both benefits and challenges for producers. While new markets provide new income streams, changes in production, price, policy and financial risks are also experienced, making it difficult to enter markets and be competitive.
CO Building Farmer Program Workshop
Adrian Card and his team at Colorado State University Extension, Boulder County, developed the Colorado Building Farmers Program to educate producers on building capacity and opportunities through business development and management training. The 2010 program targeted producers in five regions of Colorado, (Northern and Southern Front Range, Golden Plains, Western Slope, Southwest), who were either beginning market-farmers, or farmers seeking to expand to new markets by evaluating changes in tenure, production practices, marketing outlets or business planning.
Through the success and momentum of this Colorado based program, a seven state collaborative project –Building Farmers in the West grew. Reaching new and beginning specialty producers from Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Washington, this program taught producers to build economically viable small farm operations through business planning, regional direct marketing strategies and networking efforts with farm colleagues.
To read more about both projects, view our November 2011 Newsletter. To view videos featuring an overview of the Colorado project and producer participant testimonials click here.
Testimonials from Colorado Building Farmers Program:
Jason Griffith - Aspen Moon Farm
One participant has this to say of his experience with the program: “I came away from the program with a better understanding of record keeping, business planning, and the importance of treating a farm like a business. Most farmers like to grow, but turning that passion into profits is the real challenge. As a result of this program, we were connected with many resources that benefit the small farm. We were connected with the FSA office and were able to obtain an FSA loan to install hoophouses, greenhouses, and purchase a new tractor. We have also participated in the mentorship program for two years in a row and have learned valuable skills in direct-marketing, soil and farm health, and production. Now at the end of our third year farming, we have developed a viable business that soon will be our sole source of income for our family of five.”
Successful outcome from 2010 evaluations: -A winter market in Fort Collins, Colorado, benefits greatly from the program as many of their off-season vendors are graduates of the Boulder program. This winter market sees thousands of visitors and has become a key driver of traffic to their Old Town region. Moreover, it allows local-minded customers to get access to more year-round produce, meats and value-added products.
Comments from the 2009 class participants, one year following the program:
CO Building Farmer Program 2009 Class
“We had not really taken a good look at our original plans in the couple years since we started. When we took the class, we revised those plans in light of our experience and the various considerations brought up in class and found it useful both for strategic and practical application the following year.”
“I have been working away at developing a viable business plan and financial profitability study while building business infrastructure.”
“An excellent program that has given me the tools needed to have my own farm and run my own business.”
“Creating a business plan helped me learn what size and type of operation I could realistically run.”
“It was really wonderful to share ideas and learn of triumphs and pit falls from other farmers before us. It gave us examples as to how to measure the success of our business and put our operation in perspective.”
“Getting to see actual numbers and hearing real methods and stories was great. Without being around all the other folks (just being at the farm I´m at) I would have a really skewed vision of farming. Exposure and encouragement was key.”
