Women's Agricultural Network Blog

Contact: Beth Holtzman
Beth.holtzman@uvm.edu
BERLIN, VT – This fall, the University of Vermont Extension Women’s Agricultural Network will offer in-person and on-line sessions of Growing Places, a non-credit course for people interested in starting or expanding an agricultural business. The in-person course will start September 23 in Berlin. The on-line course will start the week of October 13.
No prior experience is necessary, and people interested in all types of farm enterprises are welcome. “Growing Places is designed to help ag entrepreneurs get off to the right start in business planning and development,” says WAgN Coordinator Beth Holtzman.
Whether in person or on-line, Growing Places offers the same curriculum. Participants develop goals for themselves and their businesses, become more familiar with financing options, identify and evaluate available resources, examine marketing strategies, and learn about agencies and organizations that provide support and assistance to farmers.
“The course covered a lot of topics at a reasonable depth, giving us concrete information as well as a lot of food for thought,” said a recent Growing Places graduate. “Now I feel much more confident about what I need to do next and how I should operate my business.”
Since 1995, more than 280 people have completed Growing Places. WAgN piloted the on-line version in early 2006 and found that the course translates well to the on-line environment. People for whom travel time, family and work commitments make participation in an in-person class difficult, may find the on-line course a good option. Individuals with slower Internet connections, who prefer “live” interaction, or who are less comfortable with written communication may prefer the classroom setting.
Growing Places is open to anyone. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
The two fall 2008 course schedules are: Berlin on six Tuesday evenings beginning Sept. 23; and online beginning the week of October 13. Tuition is $125, but there is a $25 discount for people who register by the early bird deadline. The discount registration deadlines are: Aug. 29 for the Berlin class and September 23 for the Middelbury Class. The regular registration deadlines are September 12 for the Berlin class and Sept. 27 for the online class.
Additionally, limited scholarship assistance is available to qualified individuals. For more information and to obtain registration materials, visit WAgN’s website at www.uvm.edu/wagn. Or, contact WAgN Outreach Coordinator Beth Holtzman at 802-223-2389 or toll-free in Vermont at 866-860-1382.
Growing Places is offered by the Women’s Agricultural Network (WAgN) a program of University of Vermont Extension supported by the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Competitive Grants Program of the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, USDA and the USDA Risk Management Agency.
UVM Extension and USDA, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation and marital or familial status.

On Thursday August 7, 2008 the topic on VPR’s midday program Vermont Edition featured beginning farmer programs in Vermont. The host of the show, Jane Lindholm, interviewed me and Christine Bourque of Blue Heron Farm in Grand Isle.
For beginning farmers who didn’t grow up on the family farm, the business of farming can be intimidating to learn. Here in Vermont, several mentoring programs help pair the experts with those just learning the trade. We talk with UVM Extension Associate Professor, Mary Peabody, who directs the Women’s Agricultural Network, and with beginning farmer Christine Bourque, of Blue Heron Farm in Grand Isle. Listen to tape of the program at http://www.vpr.net/episode/44186/
More about Blue Heron Farm…
Blue heron Farm is a family producer of vegetables, eggs, and pastured poultry. We are organic certified by Vermont Organic Farmers, LLC. We have been operating here on Quaker Road since 2004, and have run our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program since 2005. We sell our produce at the Champlain Islands Farmer’s Markets in Grand Isle (Saturdays) and South Hero (Wednesdays). We also have a farmstand and welcome anyone who would like a tour.
Please come see us!
Adam, Christine, and Sadie
(This listing was last updated on Mar 19, 2008)
Location
34 Quaker Road
Grand Isle, VT 05458
Contact Information
Adam Farris & Christine Bourque
802-372-3420

Cheese was front and center at the Vermont Statehouse on Tuesday evening where the Vermont Agency of Agriculture hosted a reception for a delegation of Spanish cheesemakers and agriculture officials. On hand were the owners of Quesos Ibar. Although I don’t speak Spanish and they speak no English I was still treated to a wonderful tasting tour of their products. The language barrier did not stop me from appreciating their wonderful array of cheeses.
Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Roger Allbee and his counterpart from the Basque Region of Spain signed a MOU initiating an ongoing commitment to continue building the relationship between these two distant geographic regions that share an affinity for small-scale farms and great cheese.

Mateo Kehler of Jasper Hill Farm was on hand to share some of their fine cheese. It was a challenging time to get cheesemakers to attend since the American Cheese Society’s Annual Conference and Meeting had just concluded in Chicago a few days before. I’m proud to say that Vermont appears on the judge’s list of winners a fair number of times!
And the beverages included a great selection of Vermont hard cider and some great wine from a relatively new source in Berlin, VT. Keep an eye out for Deer Tracks Farm wines.