Writing a Farm Business Plan – Online Course

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Trying to run a farm without a written plan is like going on a wilderness adventure without a compass: the perils are many, and the chances are that even if you manage to arrive somewhere safely, it won’t be where you intended to go. And if you ever plan to borrow money for your farm, a business plan is even more essential, as you generally can’t get a loan without it.

Many new farmers are intimidated by the process of writing a farm business plan. The online course BF 202: Planning to Stay in Business demystifies the process and provides students with feedback on their plans each week. This course, taught by an experienced farmer and a Cornell Cooperative Extension educator, is 6 weeks long and consists of weekly webinars followed by homework, readings, and discussions in an online setting.

The course runs Thurs. Sept 25 – Oct 30, 2014, with webinars Thurs. evenings from 6:30-8pm EST. The cost is $200, but multiple people from the same farm may participate without paying extra. See https://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/all-courses/bf-202-planning-for-sustainability/ for more on the course learning objectives, instructors, and outline.

BF 202: Planning to Stay in Business is part of the line-up of 12 online courses offered this Fall, Winter and Spring by the Cornell Small Farms Program. If you complete the assignments, by the end of this 6-week, fast-paced course you will have the majority of your business plan completed.

To learn more about each course, please visit https://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses. From this site you can learn more about our instructors, see answers to Frequently Asked Questions, read details for each course, and view the calendar of course offerings for 2013-2014.

Courses often fill very quickly, so don’t miss your chance to sign up today!

Also be sure to visit the Farm Business Planning Resource Page as well as the here at beginningfarmers.org