Project Overview
Across Colorado new markets are emerging for small-farm producers where entry and successful competition depend on realistic planning, access to resources, developing new marketing channels, and securing financing. Although new markets produce new income streams, they also precipitate new production, price, policy and financial risks. This project expanded on Boulder County’s Building Farmers program, targeting 200 producers in 5 regions (Northern and Southern Front Range, Golden Plains, Western Slope, Southwest) who are beginning market-farmers, or farmers evaluating changes in tenure, production practices, marketing outlets or business planning to capture new markets. Each region worked to develop advisory committees to design classroom programs where beginning farmers learned risk mitigation strategies through business planning, identifying direct marketing outlets, agricultural service providers, and business development partners. Seventy-five ag producers completed the classroom program, 47 developed business plans and 5 subsequently worked with an experienced producer-mentor to implement their plans and advance their business goals during the 2010 season.
Number of Participants: 75
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
There are no promotional materials available for this project.
EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
There are no educational materials available for this project.
REPORTS & EVALUATIONS
There are no reports or evaluations available for this project.