Completed Project Report


Rising Out of the Weeds: Reducing Risk with Sound Decision Making

  • Award Amount: $30,264
  • Regional Center: Northeast Extension Risk Management Education Center
  • Grant Program: 2015 Education Projects
  • Project Director: Kelly Coleman
  • Email: kelly@buylocalfood.org
  • Organization: Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA)

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Project Overview

This project helped 71 small western Massachusetts producers learn sound business decision-making practices to reduce their financial risk. Business decision making is a critical skill for farm owners and managers at all stages of business development. This project provided concrete tools for and examples of building decision making into the cycles of farm life to improve long-term profitability and sustainability. Producers participated in a combination of 3 skill-building workshops, 7 decision-making workshops and cohort meetings, up to two hours of one-on-one consulting to learn and practice tools for making major farm decisions, and received written support materials. Topics included financial record-keeping, business structure options, goal-setting, decision-making tools, and metrics. Upon completion, 44 farmers had practice with business decision tools,  20 farmers understood how to assess the risks and opportunities of major business decisions, and fifteen have implemented new record-keeping or decision-making strategies.

Number of Participants: 71

Outcomes

Project Steps

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

There are no promotional materials available for this project.

EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

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REPORTS & EVALUATIONS

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DELIVERY AREA

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INDIVIDUAL STORIES / EXAMPLES OF SUCCESS / QUOTES