Farm business class for women coming to Nevada

University of Missouri Extension and the Vernon County Commissioners are offering an evening farm business course for farm women, Annie's Project, beginning Nov 4. The course includes six evening classes on Thursday evenings, Nov. 4, 11 and 18, and Dec 2, 9 and 16. The classes will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Nevada Telecenter.

Course topics include: communication, working with different personality types, farm record keeping, business plans, how property is titled, leases and legal issues, financial statements, retirement and estate planning, using spreadsheets, risk management, livestock marketing, insurance, computer software tools and much more. The course will be taught my University of Missouri Extension specialists and will also include guest speakers.

Annie's Project began in Illinois years ago. Annie was a woman who grew up in a small town in northern Illinois. Her goal was to marry a farmer and she eventually did. Annie spent her lifetime learning how to make better farm management decisions with her husband. Together they did great things, but it was not easy. This course is Annie's Project -- to take her experiences and what she learned about farm management and share it with other farm women living and working in a complex business environment.

The goal is to empower farm women and help them make better management decisions through networking and by utilizing critical financial information. The course is to provide mentoring for farm women with varying levels of business skills. Farm women come from many different backgrounds, from rural to city life. Women who are new to the farm business may be overwhelmed and afraid to ask questions. Women who are accustomed to the farm business may understand agriculture, but feel helpless with new technologies like computers.

Over a six-week period, Annie's Project gives these farm women the opportunity to learn from Extension specialists as well as from each other. The class is being partially funded by a grant from the North Central Risk Management Center. The cost for the six-night course is $50. Class size will be limited to 20 women to ensure sufficient group interaction and one-on-one assistance so participants must preregister.

For more information or a brochure call or stop by the Vernon County Extension Center at (417) 448-2560 or vernonco@missouri.edu.