Advanced Workshops

The advanced workshops outlined below provide opportunities for a deeper dive into relevant topics for the emerging farmer audience.  These workshops are offered on an à la carte basis and will held either in-person or online via Zoom.  In-person advanced workshops are $50 per person (includes lunch) and will be held at various locations across the state of South Carolina. Online advanced workshops will be held via Zoom and are $35 per person.  SCNBFP Class of 2024 cohort members can receive a discount on workshops held prior to December 2024 using their assigned promo code.

These workshops will usually be between 4 and 6 hours in length.  Workshop descriptions and dates are below.  Workshop locations and times will be provided closer to the workshop date.  Advanced workshop dates and times are subject to change. Click here to view all workshops on our Eventbrite page.

Registration Questions and Refunds
If you have a workshop logistic or content question please contact the workshop coordinator listed for each workshop (see below).  If you have a registration question or you can no longer attend a workshop that you have registered for please email Ben Boyles at boyles2@clemson.edu to request a refund.  Note: refunds can only be issued before the workshop registration deadline.

2024 Advanced Workshops

Opportunities in Agritourism

Saturday, September 21, 2024 | In-Person | Lowcountry Region

Time and Exact Location TBD

Interested in adding an exciting revenue stream for your farm business? Learn all about agritourism trends, programs, and resources while exploring agritourism venues in South Carolina’s Lowcountry Region.

Prerequisite Knowledge: None
General Public Cost: $50.00 (SCNBFP Class of 2024 Discount Available)
Deadline to register or request refund: Monday, September 16, 2024 at 5:00 PM
Coordinator: Charley Maxwell, Clemson Extension, chmaxwe@clemson.edu

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Land Acquisition, Transfer, and Stewardship

Tuesday, September 24, 2024 | In-Person | Pee Dee Region

Time and Exact Location TBD

What is common to all farms?  Land. This in-depth workshop will feature a series of lectures from specialists on a variety of agribusiness and production topics related to your farm’s biggest investment. Participants can expect to learn how to access, finance, conserve, preserve, and make plans to transfer land to the next generation. Come with your current and future land goals in-mind (or written!) and learn about tools, practices, and assistance that can help you reach them.

Prerequisite Knowledge: None
General Public Cost: $50.00, includes lunch (SCNBFP Class of 2024 Discount Available)
Deadline to register or request refund: Wednesday, September 18, 2024 at 5:00 PM
Coordinator: Bethany Funkhouser, Clemson Extension, bnf@clemson.edu

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Organic Production and Certification

Tuesday, October 1, 2024 | In-Person | Time TBD

Workshop Location
Wild Hope Farm
575 Wild Hope Farm Road, Chester, SC 29706

If you are contemplating organic production practices and/or certified organic, this is the workshop for you! We will start with an introduction to what organic is, walk you through the certification process, and show you organic production in action. A combination of lecture, discussion, and tour will be used to share information.

Prerequisite Knowledge: None
General Public Cost: $50.00, includes lunch (SCNBFP Class of 2024 Discount Available)
Deadline to register or request refund: Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at 5:00 PM
Coordinator: Ben Boyles, Clemson Extension, boyles2@clemson.edu

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Farm Financial Management and Recordkeeping

Tuesday, October 8, 2024 | Online on Zoom

Time TBD

Understanding financial management and recordkeeping is crucial to responsible and profitable management of any farm business. This workshop focuses on advanced topics of farm financial management including everything from liquidity analysis to solvency analysis, and profitability analysis. Advanced recordkeeping will also be covered where you will have the opportunity to meet with area agents and learn about recordkeeping for specific enterprises you're interested in or currently pursuing.

Prerequisite Knowledge: This workshop assumes participants will be familiar with basic financial management tools such as income statement, profit & loss, and balance sheets.
General Public Cost: $35.00 (SCNBFP Class of 2024 Discount Available)
Deadline to register or request refund: Friday, October 4, 2024 at 5:00 PM
Note: You will be emailed a zoom link 2-3 days prior to the workshop.
Coordinator: Matt Fischer, Clemson Extension, fische3@clemson.edu

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Financial Assistance through Farm-Focused Grants

Thursday, October 17, 2024 | Online on Zoom

Time TBD

Learn about specific funding opportunities relevant to new farmers and techniques for successfully applying to these programs!  Learn how to determine your eligibility, planning and write your proposal, prepare supporting documentation including business plans, and what to do if you are awarded.  This workshop will cover current Federal, State, and Local grant opportunities.

Prerequisite Knowledge: None
General Public Cost: $35.00 (SCNBFP Class of 2024 Discount Available)
Deadline to register or request refund: Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 12:00 Noon
Note: You will be emailed a zoom link 2-3 days prior to the workshop.
Coordinator: Will Culler, Clemson Extension, wculler@clemson.edu

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Comprehensive Business Planning & Business Plan Development

Tuesday, October 22, 2024 | Online on Zoom

Time TBD

Turn your ideas and efforts into a roadmap for success!  Gain an understanding of costs of starting and running a business: capital costs, cost of goods sold, overhead costs, and necessary profit. Understand the concept of positioning. Learn how to calculate costs, plan for profit, and develop a pricing strategy. Take your basic business concept and transform it into a comprehensive business plan using the University of Minnesota’s AgPlan business planning tool.

Prerequisite Knowledge: This workshop assumes that participants will have a basic understanding of financial management as well as a clear concept for your business.
General Public Cost: $35.00 (SCNBFP Class of 2024 Discount Available)
Deadline to register or request refund: Friday, October 18, 2024 at 12:00 Noon
Note: You will be emailed a zoom link 2-3 days prior to the workshop.
Coordinator: Ben Boyles, Clemson Extension, boyles2@clemson.edu

Register >>

Developing a Year-Round Operation Plan

Tuesday, October 29, 2024 | In-Person | Pee Dee Region

Time and Exact Location TBD

Developing an operation plan is essential for any business, and planning production and marketing of agricultural products has unique challenges.  A year-round planning program model will look different depending on production cycles.  This workshop looks to engage all levels of production and various enterprises and will cover a wide array of planning components.

Prerequisite Knowledge: This workshop assumes basic understanding of the seasonality of production and marketing. Participants should be prepared by having knowledge of their own individual production needs.
General Public Cost: $50.00, includes lunch (SCNBFP Class of 2024 Discount Available)
Deadline to register or request refund: Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at 5:00 PM
Coordinator: Bethany Funkhouser, Clemson Extension, bnf@clemson.edu

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Enterprise Budgets and Profitability

Thursday, November 7, 2024 | Online on Zoom

Time TBD

Learn how to calculate your cost of production so you can price for a profit! Explore the concept of an enterprise budget including how they use costs, sales, and labor data to determine the profitability of your market channels.  Learn how to use the Veggie and Livestock Compass Tools to predict the financial impact of different farm scenarios for the future and to assess your farm’s financial progress over time to locate efficiencies, set prices based on actual costs of production, and increase farm profits.

Prerequisite Knowledge: This workshop assumes that participants will have a basic understanding of financial management as well as a clear concept for your business.
General Public Cost: $35.00 (SCNBFP Class of 2024 Discount Available)
Deadline to register or request refund: Tuesday, November 5, 2024 at 12:00 Noon
Note: You will be emailed a zoom link 2-3 days prior to the workshop.
Coordinator: Will Culler, Clemson Extension, wculler@clemson.edu

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Tax Management for Farm Businesses

Thursday, November 14, 2024 | Online on Zoom

Time TBD

Stay legal while leveraging tax laws to your best advantage by learning about advanced tax management specifically for farm businesses. This workshop will also cover the Schedule F form and you will learn who should file and go through step-by-step instructions for completion.  Note: This workshop is for general educational purposes only.  Participants are responsible for obtaining individual tax advice based upon their circumstances from their own independent professional advisors.

Prerequisite Knowledge: None
General Public Cost: $35.00 (SCNBFP Class of 2024 Discount Available)
Deadline to register or request refund: Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 12:00 Noon
Note: You will be emailed a zoom link 2-3 days prior to the workshop.
Coordinator: Matt Fischer, Clemson Extension, fische3@clemson.edu

Register >>

Advanced Social Media and Web Presence Optimization

Thursday, November 21, 2024 | In-Person | Lowcountry Region

Time and Exact Location TBD

Having an online presence is critical for all businesses, including farm businesses.  During this training participants will learn techniques for best utilizing popular social media and other web-based platforms to gain exposure for and market their farm businesses and products.  This training will also cover interpretation of web analytics for critical decision making, optimizing branding and online presence, and web-based marketing techniques.

Prerequisite Knowledge: This workshop assumes participants will have a general knowledge of social media use and basic website navigation.  It will be to your benefit to have established at least one social media account.
General Public Cost: $35.00 (SCNBFP Class of 2024 Discount Available)
Deadline to register or request refund: Monday, November 18, 2024 at 5:00 PM
Note: You will be emailed a zoom link 2-3 days prior to the workshop.
Coordinator: Charley Maxwell, Clemson Extension, chmaxwe@clemson.edu

Register >>