The Farmer’s Edge – On-Line Business Course + Consulting Collective

A new program for beginning and experienced farmers: The Farmer’s Edge. This is a year-long course designed to give farmers the skills and tools needed to cultivate financially sustainable businesses. Whether you struggle to understand the economics of your business or just want to increase your farm’s profitability, this course is for you!

Group sessions begin in January (second Wednesday of the month) and meet on-line for 2 hours each month. The first hour is devoted to a specific business topic, such as QuickBooks or Cash Flow Budgeting. The second hour is an open discussion for participants to ask specific questions about their businesses. This “consulting collective” combines the benefits of a business workshop and one-on-one technical assistance, with the added value of peer-learning.

At the end of the year participants will have:

  • Comprehensive bookkeeping systems designed to help them manage your business
  • A cash flow budget and the tools to make sure they stay on track
  • Systems for understanding all the costs in their business
  • A strategy for how to grow their business profitability in the coming years
  • Financial analysis to decide where to focus their business

In other words, they will have a plan to increase profits!

Topics include:

  • QuickBooks set-up and maintenance
  • Systems for tracking revenue and expenses (so you can truly understand the profitability of all your products)
  • Managing Cash Flow
  • Analyzing profitability and evaluating ways to improve it.
  • Creating cash flow budget for coming years.
  • Evaluating growth and business investment opportunities.

This “consulting collective” combines the benefits of a business workshop and one-on-one technical assistance, with the added value of peer-learning:

  • Get the business support you need, when you need it, as challenges arise.
  • Cut travel costs and save time by meeting online.
  • Sessions are recorded, so you can catch-up and re-listen later.
  • Learn from your peers AND get one-on-one consulting.

Space is limited; reserve your spot now!

The group meets on the second Wednesday of each month.  We will offer two sessions: in the morning (10am – 12n ET) and afternoon (3pm – 5pm ET).  During peak growing season, sessions may be shorter to accommodate farmer schedules.  Extra sessions will be added in November and December as needed to ensure all participants get the value and tools they need.

Register before December 15, 2016 and receive $100 off the year-long membership price. Just enter in the discount code: TFE-Early

Tentative Schedule of Topics
(subject to change based on participants’ needs)

January 11, 2017 (Wednesday): Business Basics and Accounting Overview

February 8, 2017 (Wednesday): Getting Started in QuickBooks

March 7, 2017 (Tuesday): QuickBooks Part 2, Review day to day transactions, and systems for using QB to manage cash. Creating a budget

April 12, 2017 (Wednesday): Crop Profitability: Tracking expenses to better understand the cost of production

May 10, 2017 (Wednesday): Sales and Inventory: Systems for tracking sales and understanding which sales channels are most profitable

June 14, 2017 (Wednesday): Managing Cash in Lean Times

July 12, 2017 (Wednesday): Tools to streamline bookkeeping systems

August 9, 2017 (Wednesday) : Comparing Sales Projections to Actuals, are you meeting your goals?

September 13, 2017 (Wednesday): How to Read Financial Statements

October 11, 2017 (Wednesday): Channel and Crop Profitability Analysis

November 8, 2017 (Wednesday): Preparing for loans: deciding if a loan makes sense, how much you can afford and preparing the paperwork

December 13, 2017 (Wednesday): Creating Cash Flow Projections for the coming year

Learn more here!

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