BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Illinois Farm Bureau kicked off its series of 2021-22 Live Local, Shop Local Winter Workshops this month. The program’s Monthly Business Development Series starts in October and runs through January 2022.
The workshop series provides a chance for farm and food businesses to gain new skills, expand their business and connect with industry peers facing similar challenges. Most of these workshops will be delivered online through a web-based platform, with some offering in-person opportunities.
The Winter Workshop lineup and number of sessions offered for each is the following:
- FSMA Food Safety (1 session)
- E-Commerce (4 sessions)
- Farmers Market (6 sessions)
- QuickBooks (1 session)
- Grant Writing (1 session)
- Human Resources (2 sessions)
Members are invited to attend one or more of these Illinois Farm Bureau professional development workshops at an exclusive member rate. Non-members are also invited to attend with an incentive to network and see first-hand Illinois Farm Bureau’s commitment to supporting food and farm businesses.
“Our Illinois Farm Bureau virtual workshops allow for more focused, in-depth resources directly meeting the needs of our members,” said Raghela Scavuzzo, associate director of food systems, Illinois Farm Bureau.
To deliver timely and relevant support and education, Illinois Farm Bureau partners with top industry organizations. These partners include, The Land Connection, Produce Safety Alliance, University of Illinois Extension, MarketMaker, Food 4 All, Local Food Marketplace, Illinois Farmers Market Association, Julia Shanks Food Consulting, Grant Training Center and Knowledge Navigators.
Illinois Farm Bureau hosted five in-depth business development workshops last spring with over 225 attendees. In addition, the IFB program will host the one-day in-person Live Local Conference on March 23, 2022.
Live Local, Shop Local is an Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) program that connects local food and farm businesses and Illinois communities. These programs are targeted to farmers, small business, agritourism business, farmers market managers, nonprofits and value-added producers.
To learn more about each business development session and to complete registration, please visit ilfb.org/LiveLocal.
The Illinois Farm Bureau is a member of the American Farm Bureau Federation, a national organization of farmers and ranchers. Founded in 1916, IFB is a non-profit, membership organization directed by farmers who join through their county Farm Bureau. IFB has a total membership of more than 372,326 and a voting membership of 77,462. IFB represents three out of four Illinois farmers.
— Illinois Farm Bureau
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