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 - 2025 Advanced Workshops

Opportunities in Agritourism

Saturday, September 21, 2024
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Online on Zoom

Interested in adding an exciting revenue stream for your farm business? Agritourism might be for you!  Learn the business and operational sides of agritourism including:

  • Agritourism in South Carolina
  • Agritourism Trends
  • Taxes and Agritourism
  • Agritourism Safety

Additionally, participants will hear from agritourism providers and be able to ask questions. You will leave feeling motivated and prepared to start your agritourism venture or refresh your existing practices!

Prerequisite Knowledge: None
General Public Cost: $35.00 (SCNBFP Class of 2024 Discount Available)
Deadline to register or request refund: Friday, September 20, 2024 at 12:00 PM
Coordinator: Charley Maxwell, Clemson Extension, chmaxwe@clemson.edu

Register >>

Land Acquisition, Transfer, and Stewardship

Tuesday, September 24, 2024
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM

In-Person Workshop Location
ArborOne – Florence Office
800 Woody Jones Blvd
Florence, SC 29501

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

Register >>

Organic Production and Certification

Tuesday, October 1, 2024
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

In-Person 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!

Topics covered:

  • Organic Production 101
  • Organic Approaches to Pest and Disease Control
  • Organic Soil Fertility Management
  • Navigating the Organic Certification Process
  • The Business Side of Organic Production

Participants will also tour Wild Hope Farm, a certified organic farm, and be able to ask questions, farmer to farmer!

Prerequisite Knowledge: None
General Public Cost: $50.00, includes lunch (SCNBFP Class of 2024 Discount Available)
Deadline to register or request refund: Wednesday, September 26, 2024 at 12:00 Noon
Coordinator: Ben Boyles, Clemson Extension, boyles2@clemson.edu

Register >>

Farm Financial Management and Recordkeeping

Tuesday, October 8, 2024
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM

Online on Zoom

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 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 >>

Financial Assistance through Farm-Focused Grants

Thursday, October 17, 2024
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Online on Zoom

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

Register >>

Comprehensive Business Planning & Business Plan Development

Tuesday, October 22, 2024
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Online on Zoom

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: Monday, October 21, 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
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

In-Person Workshop Location
ArborOne – Florence Office
800 Woody Jones Blvd
Florence, SC 29501

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 various levels of production and 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: Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 5:00 PM
Coordinator: Bethany Funkhouser, Clemson Extension, bnf@clemson.edu

Register >>

Enterprise Budgets and Profitability

Thursday, November 7, 2024
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Online on Zoom

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

Register >>

Advanced Social Media and Web Presence Optimization

Thursday, November 21, 2024
9:30 AM - 3:00 PM

In-Person Workshop Location
Clemson TEACH Center
The Citadel Mall
2070 Sam Rittenberg Blvd
Charleston, SC 29407

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: $50.00 (SCNBFP Class of 2024 Discount Available)
Deadline to register or request refund: Monday, November 18, 2024 at 5:00 PM
Coordinator: Charley Maxwell, Clemson Extension, chmaxwe@clemson.edu

Register >>

Tax Management for Farm Businesses

Monday, November 25, 2024
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Online on Zoom

Stay legal while leveraging tax laws to your best advantage by learning about advanced tax management specifically for farm businesses. 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: Friday, November 22, 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 >>