UVM Extension’s Vermont New Farmer Project is gearing up to offer a winter session of its Growing Places – Farmer Training for Aspiring Farmers and Start-ups.
The month-long class begins Jan. 11 and will be taught entirely online. It is designed for individuals who are considering starting an agriculture- or natural resource-based business, but who aren’t sure where to start.
Participants develop a comprehensive goal statement to help in the business planning process, explore and evaluate opportunities and resources, and become familiar with state and federal agriculture programs.
Growing Places is organized into six modules, each addressing a different aspect of business development. Each session pulls in experts in that particular topic area to give depth to the lecture, discussion, and hands-on exercises that make up the course format. Farmer and industry guest speakers are an important component of the course. By sharing their experiences — via webinars and video clips — they bring a realistic perspective on starting and growing agricultural businesses.
Each week, the program offers a short (30-45 minutes) live session via Zoom. These sessions will be recorded so that participants who are unable to make the live session can view the recording at their convenience.
The cost is $100 for those who register before Dec. 22, $150 after that.
More information is online at tinyurl.com/GrowingPlaces.
Registration is online at tinyurl.com/y2rxnh9a.