Completed Project Report


Hybrid Education to Advance Business Succession Readiness

  • Award Amount: $48,966
  • Regional Center: Northeast Extension Risk Management Education Center
  • Grant Program: 2021 Education Projects
  • Project Director: Mark Cannella
  • Email: mark.cannella@uvm.edu
  • Organization: University of Vermont Extension

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Project Overview

UVM Extension Agricultural Business developed a hybrid educational model enabling farm business owners to assess their readiness for business succession and to implement a targeted step(s) to advance the process. This project developed online assessments and a learning platform that to  match specific educational resources to participants needs and offered targeted, consultation to identify and execute key implementation steps. Existing farm and maple business owners in Vermont were the primary audience of this program, inquiries from the rest of New England and New York were handled as well. This model served an audience of farm owners that prefer to self-navigate steps in transfer planning or need to self-pace their progress in often complex realm of succession planning. Participants were able to utilize the online learning platform independently or engage with Extension educators trained for in person, online meeting, or phone support.  

Two articles (2,500 readers) and three clinics (30)  provided education and promotion that directed participants to the learning environment.  A peer validated library was organized for customized resource referrals to 147 participants that increased their learning. Forty-one farm owners competed an assessment to identify their next succession action step and 32 owners committed to that action.  Twenty-one implemented changes, agreements or planning outputs. 11 Vermont farms and 2 Maine farms are now enrolled in long-term, professionally-supported succession planning programs designed to pass ownership to a new generation of farmers. 

Number of Participants: 147

Outcomes

Project Steps

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.

DELIVERY AREA

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