The Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (KCARD) will be hosting a series of five “Growing Your Farm and Food Business” webinars this October to assist agricultural producers and food businesses with understanding business fundamentals, identifying grant opportunities, and developing a strategy to seek funding.

“Business planning goes hand-in-hand with the grant writing process: To know what grants to pursue, you must first understand the current needs of your business. Our goal in hosting these webinars is to guide farmers in the development of their business plan, provide an orientation to funding opportunities, and equip them with the knowledge they’ll need to write a grant application," explained James Barrett, KCARD Grant Facilitator.

The KCARD Growing Your Farm and Food Business webinar series will provide an in-depth understanding of business plan and marketing plan development along with an overview of funding options for farmers and agribusinesses in Kentucky. Webinars will take place from 10:00am – 11:30am Eastern/9:00am -10:30am Central and will be available for later viewing.

• October 8: Basic Business Planning

• October 15: Understanding Financials

• October 22: Funding Programs (State)

• October 29:  Funding Programs (Federal)

• November 5: Writing Grants

Programs from USDA, the Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy, Kentucky State University, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, and other agencies will be covered with many of these entities present and available for questions. For further information and to register visit the Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development’s Facebook page or register for the live webinars here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Lfts4eb9Q1aUHKPwj_Smsg.  

If you are unable to join and are interested in the content, the webinars will be recorded and uploaded to our YouTube Channel once the series is over. For additional questions about the webinar series, contact Haleigh Young at hyoung@kcard.info or call 859-550-3972.

The Kentucky Agribusiness Grant Facilitation Program, funded by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board and led by KCARD, helps agricultural producers and rural businesses in Kentucky learn about, apply for, and receive funding available through numerous programs.

The Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development works with agricultural producers, rural businesses and agribusinesses across the Commonwealth to provide specialized assistance increasing the chances for business success. KCARD provides a range of services including business planning, grant and funding assistance, strategic planning, business management reviews, operations and cost analysis, record keeping development, feasibility studies, and on-site business consultations. To learn more about KCARD services visit www.kcard.info.