WEST UNION, Iowa — The Northeast Iowa Beginning Local Food Farmer Network, facilitated by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, will be hosting an exciting workshop designed to help local food and direct-marketing farm businesses achieve financial health.
Paul Dietmann and Craig Chase will lead the sessions and teach producers how to analyze their business profitability, to compare the costs and returns from different enterprises, and to make decisions about renting or buying land, building infrastructure and capital investment.
This two-part workshop series will take place on Saturday, March 11, and Saturday, March 25 from 9:00 AM- 3:30 PM at the United Methodist Church, 301 Hansen Boulevard, in West Union, Iowa. This workshop is geared towards producers in Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette and Winneshiek counties. The cost is $25.00 per attendee and will cover two lunches. Attendance will be capped at 15 farms for robust one-on-one assistance from presenters, so preregistration is required ASAP to reserve a seat. To register, contact Kayla Koether at 563-382-2949, or koether@iastate.edu.
Paul Dietmann is Emerging Markets Specialist with Badgerland Financial, and the former Director of the Wisconsin Farm Center. He has helped scores of farm families develop and analyze their financial plans. Craig Chase is the Local Foods Program Manager at ISU Extension and Outreach. He has 27 years of experience in farm business management specializing in applied economics, food crops, niche markets, and alternative agricultural enterprises. Craig, Paul, and others co-authored the book Fearless Farm Finances: Farm Financial Management Demystified.
As a participant in this workshop, you will create financial statements and calculate key financial ratios, then use them to understand the financial health of their food or farm business and plan for the future. With guidance during worktime from the presenters, you’ll walk away with outputs for your own farm, a great start on your business plan, and the know-how to keep using these tools year after year. Plus, in the comradery of local farm folks, even financials can be fun! This workshop is supported with funding from USDA Rural Development, Iowa Food Hub and the NE Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative.
Click here to view a flyer for the event: Workshop-Achieving Farm Financial Health
— Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
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