Do you have a business plan? Do you need to update your marketing plan? Want to learn more about common business issues faced by beginning or new farmers? Want to learn what you can do to control your company’s workers compensation premiums? Want to learn about farm insurance, or financing?

Then this Free training event is for you. All of the experts that can answer these questions have been brought together to bring you Agriculture Business Training. More than 20 different classes are available on everything from marketing your business to saving money on premiums and safety.

Course Descriptions and Presenters:
Agriculture Employment Standards - Overview of laws employer’s need to know to ensure they are in compliance with state employment laws. Includes discussion of the differences between state and federal employment laws. Presented by Tisa Soeteber, Employment Standards/Workplace Rights, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.

DOSH/Safety Consultations - Free consultations help you prepare an accident prevention plan, lower your costs and help your business thrive. Presented by Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

Everything You wanted to know about your L&I Account - Learn what happens when you open your L&I account. Learn how rates are set and adjusted; what are risk classes and how are they assigned; how claims affect rates; what you can do to control your company’s rates; and about the process for filing your quarterly premium reports. Presented by Roseann Collins, Employer Services Outreach, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.

Financing Options from Start-Up to Expansion - This panel discussion will present a full spectrum of financing options for food/farm based businesses ranging from small micro-loans to large-scale financing. Presented by Enterprise for Equity in collaboration with a range of financial institutions.

Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Preventive Controls – Beyond HACCP Understanding the proposed changes to current regulatory requirements for food processors. Test your knowledge with a hands-on exercise identifying hazards in a model facility. Presented by Washington State Department of Agriculture.

Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) – Proposed Produce Rules: Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption. Join this session to better understand how you can plan create a farm food safety plan. Test your knowledge with a hands-on exercise identifying hazards on a model farm. Presented by Washington State Department of Agriculture.

Introducing Recall Planning-Writing a Plan - Learn about current recall activities and how planning and preparing for recalls can help a business should it ever be subject to a voluntary or mandatory recall action. This session will be hands-on – and each participant will have the opportunity to begin writing a recall plan. Presented by Washington State Department of Agriculture.

Managing Claims to Control Your Industrial Insurance Costs – Department of Labor and Industries. Overview of the industrial insurance claims process for the new employer. We will help you understand the processes when an employee is hurt. We will explain your rights and responsibilities in the process and provide some insight on how to limit your costs. Presented by Gary Delozier, Claims, Washington State Dept. of Labor and Industries.

Marketing Directly to Institutions, Restaurants and Retail – Learn about the latest food hub projects linking farmers to new markets, as well as the farm-to-school and farm-to-prison efforts operating throughout western Washington. Presented by Lucas Patzek, Agriculture Extension Faculty, WSU Thurston County Extension; Lucy Norris, Director of Marketing, Northwest Agriculture Business Center; and Tricia Kovacs, Project Coordinator, Washington State Department of Agriculture.

Nuts and Bolts of a Business Start-up - Enterprise for Equity training specialists will highlight essential business planning tools and resources for food/farm based businesses including marketing, cash flow and operations planning. Presented by WSU Extension and Enterprise for Equity.

OMWBE Certification “Benefits of being certified as a Minority or Women owned business” - business development. The office of minority and women owned business enterprise is a state agency responsible for state certification of qualified minority and women-owned businesses. Certification is required by state agencies and educational institutions for goods and services from the private sector. Presented by OMWBE.

Options for Young Farmers – This session outlines existing and emerging options for developing skilled farm workers and farm managers through employment, internships, training and other strategies for food/farm based businesses. Presented by WSU Extension and Enterprise for Equity.