Course Overview: This course is designed for students who foresee starting a farming operation in the future or who currently own/manage/work on one. The complexity of whole farm planning is covered in the course through agricultural business planning, organizational design, decision making, leadership and management (employees, systems and record keeping).

Learning Objectives: Practical skills such as hand tool use, essential farming techniques, tractor and small equipment use will be emphasized in addition to marketing, market research, selling crops and storage issues. Value-added production, CSAs, selling wholesale (grocery, restaurant), cooperative CSAs, agritourism and farmers market management will also be components of the course. Viable farm models that support the health of the land and owners will be developed. A major portion of the course includes a project that is either conducted in partnership with an existing financially stable farm, or an individual farm business plan.