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3. 2012 Women in Agriculture Educators National Conference

The Many Hats of a Farmer Entrepreneur

Beth Osmund

Summary

As the co-owner of a successful family farm business Beth Osmund will explore the many hats that she wears while running a diverse, direct to consumer farm business.

Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm has been in existence for almost 10 years, and for six years has been the sole source of income for Beth and Jody Osmund and their three children. Cedar Valley is one of the many new farm businesses that sell directly to consumers, making it possible to make a living wage off of a small acreage.

The demands of running a business, coupled with the responsibilities of raising livestock have meant that Beth and Jody have become accomplished at many different skills. Beth will survey the list of roles and responsibilities they fulfill, and offer insights how agricultural professionals who are engaged in outreach education can support new farmers like them.

Farmers who are running direct to consumer businesses have many jobs on their plates that are may not be thought of as traditional farm work, but are critical to running a successful farm business. Market research, media relations, customer communications, database management, logistics, marketing, and website/social media management are some of the tasks that are necessary for running Cedar Valley Sustainable. Beth will talk about the roles that she fills in her business and offer ideas for support and programming that can help meet these diverse needs.

Details

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