Farm & Food Business Start Up Training
Saturday February 22nd, 9am-1pm: The Basics of Starting & Operating a Business
Wednesdays, February 26th-April 16th, Noon-1pm: Zoom Webinar Series  

Join Cornell Cooperative Extension Broome County, the Small Business Development Center at Binghamton University (SBDC), and the Small Business Administration, along with guest presenters each week as we explore various aspects of a viable farm or food business, and apply it to your own business concept.

We will kick off this training on Saturday, February 22nd, from 9am-1pm as we explore various aspects of starting and operating a farm or food business. This will include understanding the options for business structures, creating a business idea which meets your goals, branding and marketing, etc.. This will take place at the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator (120 Hawley St, Binghamton).

Then over the next eight weeks we will cover the following topics in a weekly webinar series, taking place on Wednesdays, from Noon to 1pm. 

During the eight weeks we will cover the following:

• Session One:   Packaging, Distribution & Labeling


• Session Two:   Finance, part one (Cost of Goods Sold - Project Costs worksheet)


• Session Three:  Finance part two (Importance of Recordkeeping, using Schedule C & F)


• Session Four:   Customer Identification


• Session Five  Marketing & Websites, etc…


• Session Six:  Legal & Insurance/Risk Management


• Session Seven: Lending Resources/Accessing Financing


• Session Eight:  Labor (Recruitment, Retention, Training, Safety, Payroll, etc..): 

Overall goals for this entire series is to help farm and food business entrepreneurs create a strong local support network, building their toolbox, and emerge with a realistic and viable business idea that can be implemented or expanded upon in the near future.

Guest presenters will include:

• farm accountant


• agricultural lender


• lawyer


• insurance/risk management, and


• a panel of established farm and food businesses.

FSA borrower training credits application under review.

Cost: $100/farm. This includes access to experts, peer to peer discussions, forming support networks, and confidential consultations with both CCE Broome and the SBDC for up to one year. This will cover two attendees at February 22nd in-person event and zoom links. Payment must be received to hold spot. Refunds only available up to one week prior to the start of the series.