Top Three Reasons to Take GenerationNext: An Instructor’s Perspective

GenerationNext is a seminar series designed to help emerging agricultural professionals — particularly those in farming, fishing or forest product businesses — develop essential management and business skills. I’ve taught several sessions over the course of my Farm Credit East career, and here’s the value I believe participants gain from GenerationNext.

1. Networking

Each class brings together producers in similar stages of their business. Most participants are new to management. They’re either taking over for senior generations or starting a farm from scratch. This cohort of peers provides the opportunity to share experiences. Participants can seek feedback on situations that come up day-to-day managing a farm business.

Upon completion, participants gain a network of farmers in their region they can call if they are facing a challenge or new opportunity, such as questions that arise when managing a workforce, exploring diversifying into a new crop, or planning their risk management strategy.

2. Real World Examples

When I was renovating my house, I often searched YouTube for videos on how to remove stubborn wallpaper or tile the bathroom floor. These tools are great to provide background. When it comes to farm records, budgeting and management, it’s beneficial to have a case study that speaks to a farm’s unique situation.

In GenerationNext, we use real farming examples tailored to the group. For example, if we have a group of participants in the forestry industry, we’ll use forestry examples. For our retail-focused farms, we spend more time talking about the direct-to-consumer aspects of the business.

We expect participants to take what is learned in class and apply it to their own records. They develop their own tools, budgets, financial statements, and marketing and risk management plans.

3. Growth

We know farmers don’t get into farming for the paperwork. Farmers enjoy being outside, working with animals, being in the dirt or in a big piece of equipment. GenerationNext teaches the importance of other management tasks to the success of the business. This includes maintaining compliance records, budgets, taxes or risk planning. More importantly, the course helps participants develop confidence in using these tools to make informed decisions.

Next steps

As a GenerationNext instructor, I enjoy seeing the progress participants make during class and beyond. If you’re looking to take that next step in farm management, consider enrolling in a GenerationNext class today.

GenerationNext