Participant Testimonial

©Full Circle Farm

Emily Thomson of Full Circle Farm—a 450 acre certi­fied organic diversified vegetable farm—attended the program in 2009. Emily shares, “My goals in attending the program were to learn how to: 1) ensure that the food we produce is clean and safe, 2) develop a standardized food-safety program to ensure that all employees are trained in and follow food safety best practices in all areas of our farm operation at all times as a condition of employment, and 3) achieve the first level of third party certification (GAP/GHP) before such certification becomes a requirement.” Thomson continues, “After completing the program, I wrote a customized manual based on USDA guidelines and implemented the program for the farm. We became USDA GAPS/GHP-certified in September of 2011; the first in Washington for the diversity of crops we grow. This has opened up real and potential new distribution channels such as Safeway and other large regional buyers; schools and institutions, and wholesale customers who were no longer buying from us because of their new grower requirements regarding food safety. We could easily real­ize a 25% increase in revenue in the coming season with further growth to come. Additionally, large-scale customers allow us to farm more efficiently in that we will decrease the number of items we grow (or the number of acres needed to grow certain items) and grow and sell substan­tially more of the core items we grow best. Dollar-per-order averages will increase, and thus delivery cost-per-case savings will be substantial. These benefits enable us to provide healthful, clean, sustainably-grown food to more members of our community while maintaining stewardship of the land through organic agriculture.”

Results showed that 313 of the 483 producers who par­ticipated in the first session reported high to very high knowledge levels after the workshop, a 45% increase in knowledge among participants, based on a retrospective pre-test. Over half of the 149 participants in Session II had implemented additional GAPs and record keep­ing practices. Of the 76 participants who completed a one-year follow-up evaluation, 27 have made long-term changes in terms of GAPs and food safety practices, with eight earning third-party GAPs certification.

Janet has this to share about the program, “The most valuable parts of the program were the marketing and financial pieces. The marketing workshop allowed us to re-evaluate how we had accounts broken down and how to break some down even more after taking the financial class. Breaking down the finances helped me to understand how each piece fits together and we were able to set some new goals for the future of the farm.”

Janet continues, “We have two sons who would like to come back and work at the farm, but from what we learned about financial and budget management and looking at the breakdown, it just isn’t feasible at this time. However, after talking with other farmers close to retirement age who don’t have children coming back and then looking at the majority of CRP contracts coming due in 2013, 2014 and 2015, we are looking around at land we may be able to farm in the future to increase our profit margin. We will continue to use balance sheets and income statements as shown us, to re-evaluate yearly as to when it would be feasible to bring one or two more boys back.”

As a result of this program, 45 producers indicated improved understanding of financial management tools available to them, 50 developed a farm budget, 52 indicated improved understanding of the estate planning/succession planning resources available to them, nine contacted a planning professional and four created an estate or succession plan.

David and Beth Cassaro grow soft white winter wheat and hard spring wheat in a three year crop rotation on their 1,350 acre farm in Reardan, Washington. After participating in the Risk Management Education Pro­gram for Lincoln County Small Grain Producers, David shares: “This is our second year attending the program. We have been able to take the information we’ve learned in the program and use it to create a business, financial and a marketing plan to improve the strategic management of the farm. By implementing these plans, we can figure the cost of production at the bushel level and the acre level and then arrive at a profitable percentage point for our farm. We are more informed on how to market our grain, so we do not have to chase the market to try to get the highest grain price and at the end, possibly lose out. We also learned that we need to have a good solid business plan with goals for our farm. The program has definitely helped us to make better informed decisions and keep the guessing out of the equation. It was very informative to also have workshops concerning fuel and transportation regulations.”

Beth Cassaro shares her experience with the program: “This farm has been in my family (Wendlandt) for 124 years. I grew up on the farm, and when my parents retired David and I took it over. For the past 13 years, I have been working on the farm with David; I drive tractor, bale hay, drive wheat truck, help with the cattle, and do all the book­keeping. I have always felt a part of our business, as we communicate a lot about what’s going on with the farm.”

Beth adds, “Even though I’ve kept written track of the wheat market for years, I never put it into a marketing plan. Now I know why we need to have a plan in place, and once the grain is sold, never look back! Because, if the grain was sold and profit was made, we did good! We need to know our break-even price, so we know when to sell. I also learned that we need a business plan and goals for our farm and us personally to be successful.”

 

As a result of this program, 60 producers created new marketing plans and 50 implemented the plan for 2011 crop marketing year. Forty-five producers evaluated the value of crop insurance for their farms and two who had not previously had crop insurance purchased it for their 2012 crop; 20 grain producers gained improved awareness of the potential value and components of a business plan and four completed a written business plan.

The success of this program is due to its ability to increase awareness of the importance of improved farm management skills by providing timely information and discussion opportunities through high quality presentations. Strong involvement from AMMO members and targeted marketing efforts are critical at a time when farm management is a primary focus among farmers in the county.

Producer Testimonial

Todd Carstens of Cargrain Farms, Inc., produces dryland wheat—hard red winter, soft white winter, soft white spring, hard white spring, and dark northern spring (DNS), spring barley and canola on 2,000 acres of ground that is primarily leased. Carstens shares equipment with two other local producers; together they share the workload of approximately 6,000 acres of farm ground.

Carstens shares: “This program has provided an excellent array of topics which have helped me focus my time and energy on the areas and items which will keep my farm productive and profitable in the future. Marketing programs are key, but the programs relating to new rules and regulations like the DOT and Fuel Containment [Regulations] have been extremely helpful.”

Carstens goes on, “In today’s volatile commodity markets it is difficult to say whether or not I have increased my net sales price due to this program, however I do have a more focused marketing plan based on the knowledge I gained from the seminars. It has been extremely helpful to be able to bring a jump drive and have it loaded with the speakers presentations so I can go home and spend more time looking at the spreadsheets, etc. using my own data and what-if’s.” 

As a result of this program, 120 producers indicated improved understanding of international grain markets, alternative marketing strategies, and sources of grain marketing information they might use to develop and follow a marketing plan.

While beginning agricultural producers often have strong production and technology skills, they may be less proficient in business assessment and relationship skills. This leads to increased risks to the success of the operation and to frustration for the individuals involved. Cole Ehmke Extension Specialist, and his team at the University of Wyoming created the project Developing Young Producers Through A Challenge Group which was designed to teach financial, legal, risk management and strategic skills to new and beginning producers to better equip them to manage their operations as they grow.

Challenge Group 2008 consisted of eleven ag producer participants from eight farming operations in the Powell area of Northeast Wyoming who attended this one-year multi-session program. “We focused on newer and younger producers because we felt they would get the most dramatic use from top-level management training,” says Ehmke. “We wanted to challenge them to be the best managers they could be.”

The program was delivered in an interactive environment. “We tried to keep the class topics actionable and participatory,” says Ehmke. Each session began with an educational segment, followed by additional time to work on strategic, marketing and financial plans. Ehmke shares, “We wanted to see people apply the information taught during the sessions to ensure the information was being internalized and applied in a way that improved risk management.” To make sure participants came away with something tangible each session was directly linked to a portion of the business plan. In addition, an economist from the University of Wyoming performed an evaluation of each participant’s financial records and/or made suggestions for improved risk management and cost control for every operation.

The first session of the program was on personality style and how it affects communication. “Realizing that personality influences communication is a powerful insight,” shares Ehmke. “This session was a great icebreaker to bring people together fast.” Ehmke goes on to say, “Throughout the program, participants talked freely among each other and discussed issues from their operations, which helped them apply the information they learned and built peer relationships.”

The group was encouraged to be creative and open to trying things that were nontraditional and entrepreneurial. “Our participants all started thinking about new ventures,” recalls Ehmke. “In the class, we helped them to take the next step.” To facilitate the peer support, producers toured other participants’ operations while each host discussed the operation’s production performance and methods for improvement. This activity enabled participants to gain insights on increasing production efficiency.

As a result of this program nine of the eleven participants reported improved interpersonal, family, and business relationships; as well as, improved understanding of the components for a good business plan. Nine participants developed a vision statement and eleven developed a marketing plan. Eleven participants developed a list of goals and began the evaluation process of both the financial and legal impacts of meeting those goals, and all eleven completed a written business plan.

“The feedback we received was great,” Ehmke says. “The participants got a lot out of the class, and they’ve improved their higher level farm management and risk management skills.” Ehmke goes on, “Many producers were inspired to begin new enterprises that were not only new to their families, but new to the region as well.” In the end of class evaluations, all 11 participants claimed the course topics were relevant, the course content was easy to understand and they learned tools and information that they were able to use in their own operations.

As part of the evaluation process, participants’ replied to the question, “As a result of this class, what actions do you plan to take in the future to improve your personal finances?” Producer participants replied:

“I plan on looking at risks more and deciding if they are worth the reward.”

“Keep budgets.”

“We are so new to it that this class has helped us start off right.”

“More in depth analysis of various enterprises.”

“Plot a more solid business plan on paper so it can be acted on easily.”

“More organized and be up to date.”

“Use the record keeping and time management skills learned and incorporate those in my plan.”

“Personal finances were the biggest issue for me to address.”

“This class showed me how to get started and how to read and interpret the bottom lines – Big Help.”

“Look closer at our ratios and see what needs to improve there.”

All participants said they intended to use business planning concepts from the class in their operations. Another participant comments:

“This is the best class I’ve ever taken!”

Due to the success of this program, the UW Extension has since hosted several more classes – one each year in Powell alone. In the most recent Powell class, February and March of 2012, there were twelve more new and beginning farmers who participated. In recent classes, farmers report that they are more willing to explore diverse enterprises (like specialty crops), develop and follow business plans, conscientiously use farm records, and critically evaluate existing enterprises.

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.”