Webinars for Service Providers
View archived webinars via YouTube, Powerpoint, or Cornell Video on Demand (VOD).
Click on the categories below to navigate quickly to a certain section!
Business Management | Designing Inclusive Programs| Farm Finances | Land Access | Marketing | Other BF Programs | Vegetable Production | Other Farm Enterprises
Business Management
| Title | Description | Link |
| Organic Vegetable Cost of Production Project –Jen Miller | Over the course of the 2016 season, 30 organic farms in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts tracked their crop-specific costs of production using a newly developed cost of production workbook. Results were analyzed at the individual farm level and also aggregated to provide production metrics on a per acre basis. In this webinar, Jen Miller, NOFA-VT’s Farmer Services Coordinator, dives into the NOFA cost of production workbook, examines crop-specific and farm-level results, and discusses best practices for farmers who want to do this analysis on their own farms. | Watch |
| Is Your Farm Business Structured for Success? –Marilyn Anthony | In the fall of 2016, Chester County Economic Development Council, Temple University’s Fox School of Business, and Lundale Farm were partners in a USDA funded Specialty Crop Block Grant to identify and disseminate best practices for community-supported agriculture (CSA) and direct-to-consumer business models that are profitable and sustainable for small produce farms in Southeastern Pennsylvania. This presentation shares the research results and recommendations that emerged from this grant, entitled: Evaluating and Identifying Successful Business Models and Challenges for Specialty Crop Farmers in Southeastern Pennsylvania. | Watch |
| What Urban Farmers Need and How ALL Service Providers Can Support Them | The recent boom of urban agriculture is largely being led by beginning farmers, many of whom seek to make a living as well as a difference in their communities. Some of their needs are unique to their urban environments, but many are universal to the beginning farmer experience. Based on an 18-month national study of commercial urban farming including interviews with over 160 experts and visits to scores of urban farms, this workshop will describe the needs expressed by urban farmers and those who work with them, and how service providers can find, serve, and advocate for urban farms. We will also discuss how urban farms can support their rural counterparts, making a case for service provision in city and country. | Watch |
| Valuing Time and Muscle – Working with Beginning Farmers in Labor Record Keeping. By Chris Blanchard | Whether it is setting prices, evaluating profitability, or considering a new farm investment, this training will help you work with beginning farmers in designing the right recording keeping systems that lead to informed management decisions. | Watch |
| AgSquared for BF Service Trainers: A Tool for Teaching Crop Planning and Record Keeping to Beginning Farmers | Learn how AgSquared can help farmers develop their initial crop plans and keep better farm records and see what record keeping resources AgSquared can provide to BF service organizations. | Stream |
| Developing and Teaching Effective Record Keeping Strategies –Giulia Stellari | This AgSquared presentation discusses the principles of teaching farm record-keeping, what tools to teach and when, and provides an overview of AgSquared. | Slides |
Designing Inclusive Programs
| Title | Description | Link |
| Integrating Food Justice Into Rural Farmer Training Programs | Elizabeth and Kate shared lessons learned as Groundswell has deepened its commitment to building a just, inclusive and equitable organization, specifically in a majority white organization and region of Upstate NY. Their presentation included concrete examples from their work including resource sharing, racial justice staff/board education, collaboration with people of color-led organizations, the creation of an organizational equity statement, bridging rural farmers and urban food justice efforts, accountability practices, and the food justice curriculum they piloted in their 2017 Farmer Training Programs. | Watch Download slides |
| Cultural Competency –Gail Myers, Joanna Green, Millie Gustafson | Gail, Joanna and Millie presented strategies for any organization wishing to ensure their programs meet the needs of ethnically and socially diverse audiences and share their experiences with becoming more culturally competent. | Video, Gail’s Slides, Joanna’s Slides |
| The Language and Landscape of Working with Farmer Veterans | How can BF service organizations better support military veterans returning to or starting up farming? Improve your understanding of today’s veteran experience, learn how to navigate to the VA’s programs, and see examples of successful veteran farmer training efforts, as exemplified by the Farmer Veteran Coalition. | Watch |
Farm Finances
| Title | Description | Link |
| Creative Financing, Complementary Financing: Ways for Farms to Acquire Capital for Start-up and Operations –Ben Waterman | This webinar explores unconventional ways of financing a farm, including community financing, owner financed sales and land contracts, loans from individuals, multi-year CSA shares, share leases, and crowd funding. | Slides |
| Supporting Beginning Farmers with Zero Interest Loans –Becky Hockaday | Kiva Zip is a 0% interest loan funded entirely through crowd funding which targets financially-excluded small and/or new businesses that have difficulty securing traditional financing. | Slides |
| Microloans from the Farm Service Agency –Christy Marsall | Farmers and ranchers who are unable to obtain credit from another lender to start, purchase, sustain, or expand their family farm may be able to get a loan through FSA’s Farm Loan Programs. | YouTube Slides |
| Better Harvest Credit Union: Research and Next Steps –Scott Budde | Scott Budde outlines the research he has been doing into the creation of a new credit union specifically geared toward supporting a sustainable ag membership. This presentation was part of the March 2013 meeting of the Northeast Beginning Farmer Learning Network. | YouTube Slides |
| Crowdsourcing Options and the Delicious Evolution –Cameron Dubes | This webinar goes into the various options for crowdsourcing farm projects and introduces the “Delicious Evolution,” an educational and funding alliance that promotes full use of local food, minimal waste, and helps fund local healthy food for all. | Slides |
| Documenting the Economic Importance of Small, Local Firms (and Farms) –Stephan Goetz | This webinar documents how economic data has been used to generate investment and asks the question: “Do local food firms matter?” | Slides |
| Measuring Economic Impacts: Some IMPLAN Examples from the Field –Todd Schmidt | The webinar goes over how to measure economic impacts, including what data is needed and how do you collect it, cost of survey methods, and building a team. | Slides |
Land Access
| Title | Description | Link |
| Land Access Part I: Options and Strategies. By Kathy Ruhf | This first of a two-part webinar on land access focuses on the basics. Viewers will learn about land acquisition options and their advantages and disadvantages. They also will come away with information about leases and landowners. | Watch View Slides |
| Land Access Part II: Farm Financing Alternatives. By Ben Waterman | This is the second part of the land access webinars, and focuses on emerging financing strategies, including alternative financing for land access as well as topics covered in the new book, Guide to Financing the Community Supported Farm, such as legal/accounting considerations, promissory notes, and multi-year CSAs. | Watch View Slides |
Marketing
| Title | Description | Link |
| Diversifying Beyond Direct – Supporting Beginning Farmers in Exploring Wholesale Markets. By Anthony Mirisciotta | How can you help beginning farmers decide on and take steps to entering a wholesale market? Through the experience of Deep Root Cooperative and their work with organic vegetable farmers in the NE, you will learn about the nature of wholesale relationships, terms of pricing and payment, and expectations for quality and packaging. | Watch |
| Choosing and Evaluating Marketing Channels- Matt LeRoux | This webinar explores the various marketing channels available to farmers, from wholesale venues to direct marketing, then explains how to evaluate these channels based on factors like scale, specialization, and location. | Slides |
Other BF Programs
| Title | Description | Link |
| FSA Programs and the New Bridges to Opportunity Partner Database –Lynnette Wright | Get an overview of Farm Service Agency’s loan programs and learn about becoming a Bridges to Opportunity partner, enabling FSA staff to refer their clients to your organization for information and events. | Watch |
| VT New Farmer Network & Full Service New Farmer Programming –Beth Holtzman | The Vermont New Farmer Network connects new farmers with the right services and resources via education, technical assistance, coaching and mentoring. | Slides |
| SEED Farm in Pennsylvania –Sara Runkel | The SEED Farm’s mission is to start and grow new sustainable farm businesses and farmers in the Lehigh Valley and to support the growth of our local food system. | Slides |
| Penn State’s Start Farming Program –Tiana Dupont | “Start Farming – Supporting the Next Generation of Farmers” is a state-wide initiative in Pennsylvania to support new and next generation producers. | Slides |
| Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Assoc (MOFGA) –Andrew Marshall | MOFGA’s guiding principles for new farmer training are that people learn to farm most effectively by farming, and that with guidance and support, farmers can be very effective teachers. | Slides |
| Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming –Joanna Green | Groundswell’s core work is nurturing the next generation of farmers and cultivating knowledgeable “food citizens” through experience based educational programs. | Watch Slides |
| New Entry Sustainable Farming Project –Jennifer Hashley | New Entry is a project in Massachusetts which works with new farmers to build strong businesses, expertise in the field, and a resilient food system. | Video |
| Matching the Farm Business Approach to Farm Maturity –Christie Young, FarmStart | This webinar gives an introduction to the organization FarmStart, which is dedicated to creating the conditions for a new generation of entrepreneurial, ecological farmers to grow. | Slides |
| Intervale Center Farm Incubator –Andre Tursini | The Intervale Farm Incubator removes start-up barriers that typically challenge new farmers, such as access to training, land, capital and markets; knowledge of equipment operation and maintenance; and isolation. | Slides |
Vegetable Production
| Title | Description | Link |
| Planning for Flexibility in Effective Crop Rotations –Chuck Mohler | Mohler discusses tools for crop rotation planning, basics of a planning procedure, and managing pests and weeds through rotation. | Slides |
| Organic Weed Management –Eric Gallandt | Gallant goes through the various options farmers have for weed management, the pitfalls that go with each option, and some solutions to these pitfalls. | Slides |
| Organic Soil Management –Elsa Sanchez | This webinar discusses nutrient building, how soil nutrients affect weed pressure, nitrogen gained from cover crops, and soil tests and recommendations. | Slides |
| Organic Insect Management –Ruth Hazzard | Hazzard reviews the fundamentals of managing insects organically | Slides |
| Organic Disease Management: Concepts and Facts for Beginning Farmers. By Meg McGrath | McGrath goes over the requirements for disease development, the types and sources of plant pathogens, various options for management, and more in this webinar for both beginning and established farmers. | Slides |
Other Farm Enterprises
| Title | Description | Link |
| Integrating a Profitable Forest and Timber Production System Into Your Farm -Jared Woodcock |
Although many farms have forests on them, they are often overlooked. With some basic skills you can help the farmers that you serve diversify their income with timber production. In this webinar we will cover the simple tools needed to get started managing for timber production, we will explore the various options that you have for marketing your wood, and talk about how you can best leverage your farms most resilient asset.
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