04/06/06 Learning the Business of Farming

Learning the business of farming. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. So you've thought about starting your own small acreage farming operation. But where do you get the information you need to make it successful? Thanks to cooperative effort from the University of Idaho and Washington State University, a program called Cultivating Success offers a series of courses that provide beginning and existing farmers with the planning and decision-making tools, production skills and support necessary to develop a sustainable small acreage farm. These courses are available through local extension offices. Vicki Contini with the WSU Extension office in Pasco, Washington says many people take advantage of the courses. CONTINI: It's a neat little program because it is specifically designed for small farmers. People that are maybe trying to figure out just what it's going to take or if they can convert that hobby in their backyard into something that could actually make them some money. Whether it's to help with retirement and keep them active and healthy during their retirement or whether it might eventually blossom into something else that could replace their day job. The courses are offered in various locations in Washington and Idaho once a week for 12 weeks. Contini says there is still room for a few more students in the upcoming class in Pasco. And she says that you may have to search for certain courses. CONTINI: Not all of the pieces are available everywhere. Some of them are only available on the Pullman campus. They have a web site, literally, cultivatingsuccess.org and that can give you some specifics on just where all of the programs are taking place throughout the state. Students work through a text book and there are guest speakers from various aspects of the farming business. One of the major aspects is developing your own business plan. CONTINI: People will sometimes too have a tendency to sounds like its fun and just jump into things and we wonder why we don't succeed. Quite often it's because we haven't stopped to do any planning. We need to stop and take a look at what we want to do and what steps are we going to take to get there and how are we going to insure our success. The Cultivating Success courses will help you learn what it takes to have a successful small agricultural enterprise, and help you to acquire many of the skills to make that happen. Whether you`re interested in sheep, chickens, berries, asparagus, goats, vegetables, herbs, potted plants, or value-added products, this unique program will help you make your small farm dream come true! That's today's Line On Agriculture, I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.