Scaling Up: Best Practices for Supporting Beginning Farmers
through Growth Stages
Join the Vermont New Farmer
Project for a day-long, professional development training for
service providers. Through
information
sharing, case studies, personal stories and discussion,
speakers and panelists will address:
· common barriers to scaling up;
· assessing beginning farmers’
readiness to grow and access new markets; and
· how service providers can best
meet the needs of Vermont’s new farmers.
The format will be interactive
and culminate with roundtable discussions.
Pre-registration
required by August 29. Lunch
will be provided. This
training is offered for free through a USDA Beginning Farmer
& Rancher Development Program grant to the Vermont New
Farmer Network.
When: 9:30 am – 3:30 pm, September
6, 2012 (optional
session from 3:30-4:30 pm)
Where: UVM Extension office, Berlin
VT
Registration:
https://wagn.wufoo.com/forms/scaling-up-service-provider-training/
Agenda:
9:00 Registration and coffee.
9:30 Scaling Up: From
the farm to the food system, how new farmers fit into regional
food sustainability.
10:30 Farmer Panel:
Lessons learned by farmers who have scaled up their
operations.
12:00 Lunch
12:45 Critical Steps Panel:
Securing financing, accessing new markets and meeting
regulatory requirements are necessary steps in the growth of a
new farm. Individuals
from these sectors will share the challenges and successes of
working with new farmers and how service providers can prepare
new farmers for these growth stages.
2:00 Break
2:15 Critical Steps
Roundtables: Participants will break out with the
panelists and facilitators to discuss strategies for assisting
new farmers with growth steps, best practices and barriers
that need further attention.
3:00 Report Back from
Roundtables and Concluding Remarks.
3:30-4:30 (Optional Session) Coaching New Farmers:
Best Practices for working one-on-one with post-start-up, new
farmers.