Business and Marketing

Friday

Workshop Session I: 8:45-10 a.m.

Launch Your Value-Added Specialty Food Business with Confidence 

Angel King, Blue Jacket Dairy 

Ready to take your value-added food venture from the idea or hobby stage? Do you find the details mind-numbing? Artisan cheesemaker Angel King will demystify and help you navigate the maze of food-related and business issues so you will be motivated to jump through the hoops and make your business dream a reality. 

---

Workshop Session II: 10:45 a.m.-Noon

Establishing a Brick-and-Mortar Farmers’ Market 

Connie and Randall Moores, Moores Heritage Farm 

Learn about Connie and Randall Moores’ experience establishing a brick-and-mortar farmers’ market, as well as their key insights for others considering this opportunity. They will discuss why a farmer would want to establish a physical location, the rules and regulations surrounding food production and sales, the creation of a business plan specifically for this type of business, and firsthand lessons learned from their journey. 

---

Workshop Session III: 1-2:15 p.m. 

Farm Leadership: How to Build an Efficient Team 

Danielle Vogel, Procter Center Farm 

Managing workers on a vegetable and livestock farm is different from managing people in an office setting. Farm manager Danielle Vogel will share her hiring and managing techniques to ensure farm hands are having an enjoyable learning experience, while also keeping production on schedule. Learn useful approaches to hiring practices, interview questions, onboarding employees, and managing different personality types in the workplace.

---

Workshop Session IV: 2:30-3:45 p.m.

Community Centric Marketing 

Alex Ball, Old City Acres 

How do we connect with those around us to sell our farm products? Dig deep on localized guerilla marketing, defining your brand, and adding value to your end consumer. 

---

Saturday

Workshop Session V: 8:45-10 a.m.

Managing Complex Farm and Food Projects with Airtable 

Rachel Tayse, OEFFA 

Do you keep complicated spreadsheets of your farm, customer, or project data that still don’t easily give you information in the formats you most need? This session will share how Airtable, a free virtual database system, can be used to improve your crop plan, CSA or wholesale order management, or work plan. Using case studies from a diversified vegetable farm and grant projects, you will learn how to set up, use, and automate your data for smoother operations and better decision making. 

---

Workshop Session VI: 10:45 a.m.-Noon

Financial Record Keeping for Small Vegetable Farms 

Marcie Todd, Freshtown Farm 

Small farm financial planning can be tricky. Learn how Freshtown Farm makes financial decisions, sets goals, and keeps track of their income statements and cash flow based on real life scenarios. 

---

Workshop Session VII: 1-2:15 p.m.

Farming in Community: Overview of Types and Benefits of Different Collaborative Models 

Lisa Helm Hancock, Dayton Urban Grown 

Farming can be hard, both physically and mentally. Collaborating with other farmers helps share the load, whether through marketing together, group supply orders or sharing farmland through multi member LLCs or cooperative farms. This session will look at pros, cons, resources, and some examples of beneficial collaborations.

---