How Profitable will My New Orchard Investment Be? Evaluating Capital Investment Decisions in a Farm Business
The purpose of this on-line course is to help you learn to make informed investment decisions for your farm. The focus is on investment decisions that have long-term implications for your business. The course uses an apple farm, Smith Orchard, as an example, but the skills taught in this class are appropriate for any farm business. In this course you will learn to:
- Identify possible investment opportunities for your farm.
- Use your financial statements, farm financial information, and other data to evaluate your farm's performance and to help prioritize investment options.
- Develop an enterprise budget and use your enterprise budgets and partial budget analysis to evaluate the risk and profitability of potential investments.
- Use cost-benefit analysis tools that consider the time value of money to help you choose among investment options.
The course is held over 2 weeks and the primary mode of instruction will be online using Moodle. You will have access to instructional videos, written instructions, sample financial information and practice scenarios and on-line forums for discussion. This work can be done at a time and location that is convenient to you. Each week will end with a 1.5 hour Zoom session on Thursday from 3:00-4:30, where we will go over key concepts and answer any questions you may have. The Zoom sessions will be recorded if you are unable to attend.
Event Details
Date
February 29, 2024
Time
3:00-4:30
Location
Zoom
Cost
Registration : $25.00
Host
Eastern New York Commercial HorticultureWeek 1 of the course (February 23-Feb 29)
In week 1 you will learn:
- How and why to use a structured process to make investment decisions.
- Identifying the problem to be addressed, generating possible solutions and identifying what information you need to acquire.
- Gathering data and using farm financial statements and farm financial ratios to help make decisions.
You will have access to videos and resources to learn and practice using the concepts covered. In the zoom session we will consider scenarios and go over questions you may have.
Event Details
Date
March 7, 2024
Time
3:00-4:30
Location
Zoom
Host
Eastern New York Commercial HorticultureWeek 2 (March 1 - March 7)
In Week 2 you will learn
- How to develop an enterprise budget and use your enterprise budgets and partial budget analysis to evaluate the risk and profitability of potential investments.
- How to use cost-benefit analysis tools that consider the time value of money to help you choose among investment options.
Like week 1 you will have access to videos and resources to learn and practice using the concepts covered. In the zoom session on Thursday we will consider scenarios and go over questions you may have.
Apples
Apricots
Asparagus
Beets
Blueberries
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Cherries
Cucumbers
Dry Beans
Eggplant
Ethnic Vegetables
Garlic
Grapes
Horseradish
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lettuce / Leafy Greens
Melons
Nectarines
Onions
Parsnips
Peaches
Pears
Peas
Peppers
Plums
Potatoes
Pumpkins / Gourds
Radishes
Raspberries / Blackberries
Rhubarb
Rutabaga
Snap Beans
Squash - Summer
Squash- Winter
Strawberries
Sweet Corn
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Turnips
Upcoming Events
New York State Agritourism Conference
November 10 - November 11, 2025 : New York State Agritourism Conference
Saratoga Springs, NY
The first-ever New York State Agritourism Conference, hosted by the CCE Agritourism Program Work Team, is designed to support farms in growing successful visitor experiences. This statewide gathering will feature expert-led sessions, peer networking, and practical tools to help farms expand direct sales, education, hospitality, and entertainment offerings.
Date:
- November 10: A full day of educational sessions targeted at beginning or experienced agritourism operators.
- November 11: A half-day, interactive networking session with fellow attendees.
ASL 104sp Seleccion y organizacion del personal (Staffing and Organizing Your Team) taught in Spanish
November 12, 2025 : ASL 104sp Selección y organización del personal (Staffing and Organizing Your Team) in Spanish
ASL104-SP: Selección y organización del personal (Staffing and Organizing Your Team - impartido en español) ¡Inscripciones abiertas!
En este curso identificamos cómo escribir descripciones de puestos disponibles en el trabajo para atraer a los mejores candidatos. Aprenderá a encontrar empleados con un perfil deseado, cómo entrevistar y seleccionar a las personas adecuadas. Descubrirá cómo completar la documentación de nuevos empleados, la autorización de empleo y la contratación de personal (on-boarding): es decir, cómo efectivamente incorporar nuevos empleados al rancho en una manera exitosa y productiva.
Los temas incluyen:
- Convertirse en un lugar de trabajar preferido
- Planear cuántos y qué trabajadores se necesitan
- Diseñar descripciones de trabajos para un mejor reclutamiento
- Cómo evitar favoritismos y discriminación
- Cómo buscar y entrevistar los nuevos trabajadores
- Cómo decidir a quién contratar
- Y cómo dar una buena bienvenida al nuevo trabajador
Inicio del curso: miércoles, 12 de noviembre de 2025
Discusiones en vivo por Zoom: Cada martes 18 de noviembre - 23 de diciembre, de 1:00 a 2:00 p.m. (hora del Este)
ASL 105 Employee Development and Training
November 17, 2025 : ASL 105: Employment Development and Training
ASL105: Employee Development and Training
Three leadership practices are essential for supervisors: setting clear expectations, employee training and development, and providing performance feedback.
In Employee Development and Training you will learn best practices to plan and conduct training that engages employees, supports retention, and helps ensure great quality work. You will also learn how to create a culture of continuous learning and performance improvement through employee development, coaching, and career planning. This is a 6-week online course, taught in English.
Topics include:
- Planning effective training programs
- Onboarding new employees
- On the job training
- Staff development
- Creating a culture for continuous learning
- Coaching and career planning
Course begins: Wednesday, November 12 Live Zoom discussions: Tuesdays, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM ET beginning November 18 through December 23.
Registration closes November 17 at 5 PM ET.