Improving the Sustainability of the Horse Industry through Equine-Related Business Planning

Improving the Sustainability of the Horse Industry through Equine-Related Business Planning

Summary

Planning and development is well underway for this project. A team of farmer collaborators has been identified and agreed to work on the project. The online survey for horse business owners was completed and results compiled. A workbook is in progress; a greenhouse textbook chapter is being adapted to be interactive and suitable for the horse industry. Rooms have been booked in two different locations and course specifics/speakers are being arranged. Promotional material is being developed and will be disseminated in early January.

Objectives/Performance Targets

• Assemble team of farmer collaborators- Complete
  Identify materials to use as basis for course workbook- Complete
  Develop and implement online business owner survey- Complete
  Adapt business planning workbook to horse industry-specific document; develop sample business plan based on “average” New Jersey horse farm (using survey results) – Complete
  Use farmer collaborator input to improve/complete workbook- In Progress
  Develop and disseminate advertisements and press releases for course- In Progress
  Produce 40 copies of workbook
  Hold course, collect initial feedback
  Edit workbook based on participant feedback, produce 40 more copies
  Develop press releases advertising success of the course and availability of workbooks
  Distribute remaining 40 workbooks and collect contact information for new participants
  Collect feedback from original course participants and workbook recipients at 6 and 12 months post-course to determine long-term impact of course/workbook
  Write and submit Rutgers Fact Sheet
  Write and submit Journal of Extension article

Accomplishments/Milestones

• The team of farmer collaborators has been identified and all have agreed to help with the project. They include Ann Dorsett, Sandy Denarski, Ryck Suydam, and Bix DiMeo. Ann Dorsett owns an Arabian breeding and boarding facility in New Jersey and has served as Vice President of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture. Sandy Denarski is the Vice President of Johnson and Johnson and a horse owner, bringing invaluable business experience to the team. Ryck Suydam is a prominent hay grower for the horse industry, partner in an insurance company, and Second Vice President of the NJ Farm Bureau, giving the team more insight into agricultural trends. Bix DiMeo owns and operates a successful Standardbred racing farm and is General Manager of Showplace Farms, one of the state’s largest Standardbred training and boarding facilities. His first-hand knowledge of the course content and consulting experience will ensure that the course material reflects “the real world.”
  The materials that will be used as a basis for the course workbook have been identified. Robin Brumfield’s chapter entitled “Business Planning” in the textbook Greenhouse Operations and Management will be the basis, and elements from her workbook “To Market, To Market” will be incorporated to create an educational and interactive workbook that can be used alongside a workshop or on its own. The workbook will include textbook material for background information on the various sections needed in a business plan, plus self-reflection questions and note-taking space to kick-start the writing of the business plan. The project team has met several times to discuss workbook format and contents, and remains in contact via e-mail as we make progress on the document.
  An anonymous, 10-question online survey was designed and approved by IRB. The survey was hosted on the website SurveyMonkey and disseminated online through email blasts and Facebook. The survey collected over 100 responses, though the website allowed only 100 to be viewed. This survey gave us information on New Jersey horse business owner demographic information and opinions about business planning and allowed us to narrow our focus.
  The greenhouse textbook chapter has been adapted to the horse industry. Specific examples were switched to equine examples and terminology. Some aspects needed to be removed as they were not relevant to horse industry, while other aspects were added. We also included formatting changes to break up the monotony of a textbook chapter, such as breaking paragraphs into lists and colorful charts. The document is quite long and must not overwhelm readers with pages of nothing but text. A sample business plan has been written to serve as an example for how to write each section and to give participants ideas for their own business plans.
  Some course specifics have been decided. It will take place on Tuesday nights from 6-9pm for seven weeks, starting on February 5. There will be two locations, one in a North Jersey Extension office and one in a South Jersey Extension office, which will run concurrently through a mixture of live speakers and videoconferencing technology. We are now contacting speakers and filling out the agenda for each night.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

At this point, the project is still in the planning stages, so there is little to report as far as impacts.

Collaborators: