This project addressed financial, production, and marketing risks stemming from the transition to organic and diversified grain production practices, with special emphasis on enterprise diversification, marketing plans, and strategic planning.
The primary delivery method was four, 5-hour workshops across central Illinois with organic farmers and other experts presenting. These workshops targeted sustainable and traditional producers, and those in organic transition. Participants received record-keeping templates, contracts, invoices, and other resources. The workshops were video recorded and shared online.
All four workshops were executed, with 174 organic, transitioning, and conventional farmers in attendance. Twenty-two videos, totaling 15.5 hours of content, were made available for online viewing and download in the summer of 2017. As of December 2017, 340 people had viewed the workshop videos and have gained increased awareness of organic transition risks.