Planning for Long-term Success
Whether you intend to borrow money or not, heading into a farm venture without a business plan is like setting out on a long-distance journey without a map. Arm yourself with a business plan and you will have a guide to aid your farm decision-making and demonstrate to yourself and your family that your ideas are feasible. This steady-paced course is designed to help you build your plan, including developing financial statements.
Target Audience
All levels – This course is geared for new farmers as well as those expanding or transitioning from one farm enterprise to another. Before enrolling in this course you should already know the type of farm you want, some short-term and longer-term farm business goals, and the geographic area or state where you intend to farm. You should have at least some first-hand experience with farming, including personal research into the type of farm you will operate.
NOTE: If you are new to farming or are still exploring ideas, it may be helpful to take BF 101: Starting at Square One before enrolling in BF 202.
Course Objectives
Upon completing this course, you will have a full business plan in a format ready to be implemented on the farm. The business plan may be used to guide you in decision-making in the course of running the farm business. Additionally, the business plan will be in a form ready to submit to a banker, private investor or grantor, in the event you are seeking outside funding.
Graduates of BF 202 have obtained equipment and operating loans, and mortgages, for start-up and expanding farms.
Webinars
The bulk of the course happens on your own time, with discussions, readings, and assignments in Teachable, our virtual classroom. To add to the experience, webinars will be woven into the online interface of the course to allow you to meet on a weekly basis to learn from outside presenters, ask questions, and collaborate with other participants and the instructor to address your farm issues in real time. If you miss one, they are always recorded and posted for later viewing.
Webinar Schedule
Live instruction for the 2021-2022 season has ended, and the next live
session will be in January 2023.
While we encourage
live attendance so you have the opportunity to engage with the presenters and
ask questions, all webinars are recorded and posted in our online classroom for
students to watch anytime. Once you have enrolled in this course, you will
retain access to all materials indefinitely, and can return to participate in
the live webinars in future offerings of the course if you wish.
Your Instructor
Rebecca Schuelke Staehr owns and operates Cayuga Pumpkin Barn, a seasonal vegetable farm and roadside stand in Springport, Cayuga County, NY. Rebecca and her husband Ed own an operate a grain crop farm, Staehr Family Farm. Corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa and more and grown using conventional farming practices, certified organic, and certified non-GMO farming.
She has worked for Cornell Cooperative Extension and the NY Farm Viability Institute. She is a past chair of CADE, the Center for Agricultural Development & Entrepreneurship. Rebecca serves on the board of Cayuga County Farm Bureau. She has taught classes in business planning, time management for beginning farmers, starting a farmstead cheese/dairy value-added operation, and more.
Course Curriculum
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StartInstructor Contact
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StartWebinar Schedule, Weekly Webinar Link, and Participants' Guide
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StartPre-Course Survey
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StartKiva US - 0% interest loans up to $15,000
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StartFORUM: Questions and Conversations
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StartBusiness Plan Templates (Business Plan, Cash Flow, Income & Expenses, Balance Sheet)
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StartNavigating in Teachable; Getting a Course Completion Certificate; and More
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StartWeek 1 Webinar Link, Slides & Recording
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StartFORUM: Introduce Yourself
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StartFORUM: Tree Fruit Growers
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StartACTIVITY: SWOT Analysis of Your Farm Business
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StartACTIVITY: Business Plan Cover Page and Farm Summary
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StartResource: Find Your Local Cooperative Extension
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StartResource: SWOT Analysis: A Tool for Making Better Business Decisions
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StartResource: How to Do a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis
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StartResource: Conducting a SWOT Analysis of Your Agricultural Business
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StartWeek 2 Webinar Link, Slides, and Recording
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StartFORUM: Share Your Mission Statement
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StartActivity: Cash Flow Plan
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StartActivity: Mission Statement, Goal Statements
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StartResource: "Harvesting A Profit" Guide by Farm Credit
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StartFinancial Statement Resources
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StartResource: Twelve Steps to Cash Flow Budgeting
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StartResource: "Cash Flow Budgeting for Farms and Ranches," University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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StartResource: "Cash Flow Budgeting," University of Wisconsin-Madison
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StartResource: "Financial & Economic Terms," Penn State Extension
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StartResource: Developing a Mission Statement for your Agricultural Business
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StartResource: Developing a Mission Statement for Your Agricultural Business (Rutgers)
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StartResource: Five Tips for Setting Farm Goals (Farm & Dairy magazine)
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StartResource: Writing SMART Goals for Your Farm (Rutgers)
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StartResource: SMART Goals: Setting Goals for the New Year (The Ohio State)
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StartResource: Setting Farm and Family Goals (University of Missouri Extension)