BF 210: Stress Reduction for Farmers

Work Smarter, Not Harder

Interested in creating a farm that runs smoothly, having time for off-farm interests, and reducing your overall stress? In this course, farmer Allyson Angelini shares Holistic Management tools and other time-tested wisdom from her 10+ years of farming. Conduct an annual review, establish priorities, create an achievable plan, and connect with peers for support and encouragement!

With Allyson as your guide, you’ll approach farming with intention, an eye for efficiency, and in ways that are more self-supportive. When farm systems are organized, they are more manageable and that reduces risk of farmer burnout. You are your farm’s greatest asset. It’s important to care for yourself just as you would prioritize the health of your soil, crops, or animals. Move towards your goals while establishing a manageable farm operation now. Why wait? Invest in yourself and your farm today!

In addition to guidance from Allyson, this course showcases knowledgeable guest speakers. Past contributors to this class have included:

Beth Satterwhite, vegetable farmer with experience in scheduling and staff management
Julie Bradley-Low, farmer body worker and yoga teacher
Kayla Hedman, digital marketing expert
Larry Manire, farm monitoring systems specialist
Phil Metzger, holistic financial planner

Target Audience

Beginning to Intermediate: No prerequisite knowledge is required, and newer farmers/homesteaders are welcome. However, farmers with one or more years of experience, who are able to conduct an annual review of their farm and work through tangible assignments to improve current farm systems, will benefit most from this course.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you will know how to:

• Conduct a year end analysis
• Identify areas in your farm and home life that you want to prioritize
• Set achievable goals and take steps toward incremental progress
• Build a farm calendar that supports your priorities
• Set up systems for clear communication
• Work more efficiently
• Install monitoring systems to reduce stress
• Make more time for things that matter most to you

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 presenters and ask questions in real time. If you miss one, they are always recorded and posted for later viewing.

Webinar Schedule

In 2024, this course will be offered live for 6-weeks on Mondays from 7:00 – 8:30 PM (Eastern) from November 4 – December 9. While we encourage live attendance, so you have the opportunity to engage with presenters and ask questions, all webinars are recorded and posted in the online classroom to watch anytime. Once 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. Join us!