Teaching the Entrepreneurial Process

Teaching the Entrepreneurial Process

Summary

This project is training local service providers to deliver business skills curriculum. The process of entrepreneurial business planning will serve a sustainable agricultural community in the Northeast. Training is needed to help sustainable producers become more proficient in direct-to-consumer marketing so they can effectively use farm resources to meet consumer demands. The approach used will be a holistic enterprise and market planning approach. This method offers educators the tools to provide clients with a series of actions and functions leading to positive change.

We are using the NxLevel “Tilling the Soil of Opportunity” material as the core educational content. This curriculum has been used and refined by the University of Colorado and the University of Nebraska with some support from regional SARE grants.

The usual set of potential barriers was encountered during the startup of this new effort – name recognition, teaching skill set enhancement, prioritizing local needs, and adapting schedules to the commitment required from this material. The enthusiasm of the target audience for this curriculum continues to drive the increase in interest and participation of additional educators to become certified instructors.

The in-kind contributions of county-based extension educators, main campus faculty, and other agricultural educators have exceeded the anticipated level of participation.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Sixteen extension educators and other agricultural professionals trained as a result of this project will understand and support producers, and prospective producers, in working through the entrepreneurial process.

Trainings will be delivered that emphasize the importance of:

- Using feasibility studies

- Developing a business plan

- Using market research

- Developing a marketing plan

Accomplishments/Milestones

• At least 530 educators have been made aware of the upcoming instructor certication trainings in spring and summer via the use of print media, listserve, and individual contacts.Training materials collected, edited, and reviewed - summer.

  Instructor certification training delivered mid-August - 16 educators certified to deliver the curriculum.

  Evaluations done immediately after the training and three months later.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

• At least seven local producer classes are currently taking place, with at least 62 total participants across three states - ahead of schedule.Additional business-skill-development training offered at PSU for certified instructors, and any other interested educators - 14 total participants.

  Entrepreneurship web site in development stage.

  Lending library of entrepreneurship educational material started using other resources made available because of the Northeast SARE support already in place.

  Main campus faculty member prepared to take on a stronger leadership role anticipating building on this project.

  New Jersey instructor certification participants valued this educational material at a level that encouraged them to become the initiators in starting a similar state producer education network.