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Build your toolkit for financial resilience.
Resilience comes in many forms. Join us to learn how to evaluate opportunities for increasing profit potential for small, diversified farms, including value-added options.
A menu of support presented by The Carrot Project
This work is supported by the Massachusetts Agriculture Innovation Center, funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Agriculture Innovation Center Grant. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.
Are you wondering what’s the next thing that’s going to impact your net farm income, for good or bad?
We are too. Farming has never been an easy way to make money, and from all accounts, even with a surge of interest in buying local, it’s not getting any easier. Have you thought about adding an enterprise? Perhaps by turning your farm’s products into value-added goods?
Value-added production could lower your risks from severe weather and climate change, from raw input inflation, or the next global disruption. But there’s a lot to consider. Maybe you’ve thought about it a bit and decided to put it aside, or put it off entirely.
Well, you don’t have to go it alone. Nor do you have to bootstrap getting started. The Carrot Project and MA Agricultural Innovation Center (MAAIC) are here to help you plan and begin value-added production or improve your existing operations .
What You'll Learn
Value added production or not, you'll leave knowing how to evaluate opportunities for increasing profit potential, from improving your recordkeeping and bookkeeping practices, to key considerations and expenses related to your existing crops/products and value-added production.
How This Works
The Carrot Project offers the following services to help you consider, plan, or launch your value-added enterprise this winter:
- Online Workshop: When and How to Work with a Dedicated Bookkeeper
- Online Training Series: Building Farm & Food Business Resilience: Adding Profitable Enterprises
- Quick Books Office Hours: Sign up for help with your financial records. Appointments are available November through March. Register for the first group of sessions from November 29 to December 19 below.
- Individual consultations and referrals to other experts
- One-on-one advising on creating and implementing financial management plans for value-added production
- Connections to loans and support for other capital
Cost and Participation
For participants in CT, MA, and RI, our support is offered free of charge, or subsidized based on household income. Participate based on your interests, needs, and schedule. When space is limited, priority is given to businesses in RI, MA, and CT.
Support currently available only in English.
Mix and match based on your interests, needs, and schedule. Register below.
Online Workshop:
When and How to Work with a Dedicated Bookkeeper
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Noon to 2PM
Zoom (online)
Register with the button below
Online Training Series
Building Farm & Food Business Resilience: Adding Profitable Enterprises
Wednesdays: January 11, 18, 25
10AM to Noon
Zoom (online)
This workshop is divided into three, two-hour sessions.
Register with the button below
Quickbooks Office Hours
Meet with The Carrot Project's advisors in live, open virtual office hours. Bring your questions and learn from your fellow farmers. Register for one or more office hours using these links:
- Tuesday, Nov 29, 12 PM: Evaluating QB Desktop vs. Online: Making the right choice for your business
- Sunday, Dec 4, 2 PM: Using Classes to Improve Tracking
- Friday, Dec 9, 2 PM: Setting Up Your Chart of Accounts: Issues & Ideas
- Sunday, Dec 11, 5 PM: Creating Products and Services & Tracking Inventory
- Monday, Dec 19, noon: Staying on Top of Your Books
One-on-One Advising
Email our staff directly to schedule:
Jeff Cole, Client Services Specialist (jcole@thecarrotproject.org)
Amanda Chang, Outreach Coordinator (achang@thecarrotproject.org)
or call us at 617-674-2371.
As always, The Carrot Project’s trainings include access to all of our support services. Services are free or cost-shared for participants living in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Our services include:
- Professional business advisors to help you apply what you learn to your business
- Support in finding loans or perhaps responding to grants to implement your plans
- Support accessing USDA programs such as loans, disaster assistance, and insurance
- Business plan review
- Development of financial statements
- Cash-flow budgeting
- Enterprise planning and development of financial projections
- Setting up financial tracking systems such as QuickBooks
- And more!
The workshop and training are offered free to participants from CT, MA, and RI. To register, please complete the form below and press submit.
If your business is outside of these states, Jeff or Amanda will contact you directly.
Thank You!
You have registered for our workshop or training series. We look forward to seeing you!
A copy of your registration details will be emailed to you.
Questions?
Email Jcole@thecarrotproject.org, or call 617 - 674 - 2371 with any questions.