The Strategic Business Planning for Commercial Producers Program

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The Strategic Business Planning for Commercial
Producers Program

• Cole Ehmke
• Triennial Conference, Lexington, KY
• 16 June 2004

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• The Need a comprehensive business management
  program for farmers
• The Funding Farm Credit Services of Mid-America
• Four state region Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and
  Tennessee with headquarters in Louisville
• The Developers Purdue Universitys Center for
  Food and Agricultural Business
• Betty Jones, Cole Ehmke, Mike Boehlje, Craig
  Dobbins, Alan Miller, Allan Gray and others

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The Delivery

• Two Project Objectives
• Provide producers with the practical, concepts
  and tools for achieving long-term efficiency and
  profitability in their farming operation
• Provide educators the teaching resources to use
  in their own programs

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Meeting Objective 1

• Provided multi-session classes to three classes
• Four 2.5 day sessions per year for each class
• Approximately 25 operations per class (two
  managers per operation attending)
• Content built ability to write a business plan
  for the farm

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Content Summary

• Comprehensive Content Provided in 10 areas

• Management Skills
• Business Environment
• Finance
• Strategy
• The Business Plan

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Content Summary

• Marketing/Risk Management
• Implementation/Key Strategic Decisions
• Investment and Project Analysis
• Human Resources/Relationships
• Business Succession

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Meeting Objective 2

• Released content to Educators for use in their
  own Extension programs via website
• www.agecon.purdue.edu/ext/farmplan
• Site has three modules strategy, finance,
  marketing. Each includes
• a) PowerPoint lectures
• b) Instructor notes in PowerPoint
• c) Applied exercises
• d) Reference papers
• e) Case study

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www.agecon.purdue.edu/ext/farmplan
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• Please visit the Web site and use our materials
  in your management education programs.
• But . . .
• dont forget to give credit where it is due.

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Participant Profile and Response to Class Sessions
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Operation Size and Scope

• 64 had annual gross sales more than 1,000,000.
• 70 farm more than 2,000 acres.
• 100 have access to a computer connected to the
  Internet.

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Satisfaction

• The Institute is showing todays young farmers
  how to be successful agriculture leaders of
  tomorrow . FCS officer

The program will take you to the next level of
business management. participant
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Strategic Business Planning for Commercial
Producers