Farm Credit to hold AgBiz classes

WESTMINSTER, Md. — The MidAtlantic Farm Credit has announced Oct. 31 as the deadline to register for the next class of the AgBiz Masters program.

This two-year educational program is available to young, beginning, and minority farmers located in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, who are interested in broadening their financial and management skill set as they look to begin their career in agriculture.

David Kohl, professor at Virginia Tech, developed the AgBiz Masters educational series, which includes online sessions and coursework, as well as regional face-to-face learning experiences led by industry experts.

Topics covered by the course include trends in agriculture, strategic business planning, preparing for your lender, constructing a balance sheet, understanding lending decisions, and ethics.

This program provides young and beginning farmers with the tools they need to develop and run a successful operation, said Bob Frazee, CEO of MidAtlantic Farm Credit.

“Farm Credit has always been supportive of those looking to begin a career in agriculture, and we’re proud to be able to offer our AgBiz Masters courses as a way to help them obtain the skills they need to get started,” Frazee said.

The next class begins in November and will run through March 2015. The registration fee for the program is $225. Scholarships and reimbursement opportunities may be available.

For more information about the AgBiz Masters program, visit www.mafc.com/startright-education, or www.agbizmasters.com, or call 888-339-3334.