PlacerGROWN Farm Conference Scholarships Available

Scholarships are now available to apply for attending the 2013 PlacerGROWN Farm Conference. The application form (Microsoft Word format) may be downloaded online or you may contact contact Roger Ingram at 530-889-7385.  The application is due by January 18th.

The theme of the 2013 PlacerGROWN Farm Conference is Survive and Thrive. This conference will be held Saturday, January 26th at Lincoln High School from 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM. The conference is co-sponsored by UC Cooperative Extension and PlacerGROWN. The keynote part of the conference will feature a panel that will discuss trends over the next 5-10 years on the following topics: Land Use, Water, Regulations, Local Farms, Demographics, and Marketing of Local Food.

Participants will be provided an opportunity to respond to each panel member's presentation. There will be discussion on implications and potential responses with the audience.

After the keynote will be two workshops sessions, one before and one after lunch. Workshops will run for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Workshops have a theme of selling strategies, consumer education, and improving profitability.

Workshops include:

• Consumer Outreach to Enhance awareness and Marketing of Specialty Crops in the Placer and Nevada Counties
• Display Ideas and Interactions with Customers That Can Improve Your Sales
• Things to Consider in Becoming Effective at Direct Marketing
• Understanding Selling Wholesale and its Potential in Expanding Your Sales
• How to Project Profit and Cash Flow Before the Beginning of Your Production Year
• Production Planning Based on Economic and Cash Flow Projections
• Developing Your Niche Meat Business
• Learning How Social Media Can Improve Sales
• Determining Your Niche Meat Marketing Costs
  

The cost of the conference is $40 if you pre-register by January 18th and $50 after that date. Your registration fee includes: Continental breakfast, Proceedings, Trade Show, Keynote Panel, Workshops, and Lunch. Details for admission and registration are available at the PlacerGROWN website at www.placergrown.org.

Additional conference information is available online.