(Apply today! Only a few spots left!!)

Self-Paced Interactive Online Workshop with Live Webinars February 21, 23, 28th, 2023 from 5:30-7:30 PM Mountain Time
Learn key business model and planning concepts while exploring pricing, marketing channels, opportunities, and challenges. Create your own business plan while determining viable markets for your farm or ranch. This course steps you through the basics of using the Holistic Management decision-making framework to guide your marketing and business planning. You will have the opportunity to develop your business model and explore marketing options so that you can more effectively create your marketing and business plan outlines. You will also identify key action steps to begin implementation of those plans as part of the strategic development of your farm or ranch.
This course is fully funded and any urban producers in New Mexico or Colorado can apply for FREE! We have limited spaces available so please fill out this short application form to tell us a little more about yourself and your operation and we will let you know if you’ve been selected within 2-3 days.
Application Deadline: February 19, 2023
Facilitator:

Cindy Dvergsten – HMI Certified Educator, Consultant at Whole New Concepts LLC, & Arriola Sunshine Farm Owner/Operator
Cindy considers herself a life-long farmer and grew produce for local markets from 1987 through 2015. She has raised a flock of Navajo-Churro sheep since 2004. She currently produces grass-fed lamb, raw and processed wool products, and registered breeding stock. Her other farm enterprises have included chicken eggs, heritage turkeys, and fruit. Arriola Sunshine Farm is an official HMI Learning Site. Cindy and her husband have demonstrated the power of holistic management in restoring land health, having nearly tripled their forage productivity.
Cindy has served as a mentor to the HMI Certified Educator program since 2003, having mentored over 20 persons to become Certified Educators. She hold a degree in Natural Resource Management and Soil Science from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Her experience includes working in natural resource management, small business development, land use planning, organizational development, and livestock breed conservation. She was a conservationist with USDA-NRCS for seven years and held positions with the USDI-BOR, USDA-Forest Service, USDI-BLM and USDI-National Park Service. She served on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Branch for Holistic Management and she is a director for the local RMFU chapter and currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Livestock Conservancy.
Cindy has practiced and taught Holistic Management since 1993. She provides in-person and distance training and consultation services in all aspects of Holistic Management and works with family-based farms and ranches of all types and sizes as well as new and beginning farmers, local food hubs, government agencies, non-profits, and Native Americans. She specializes in small business development and serves as an advisor with the SBDC.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coloradoholisticmanagement/
Website: www.wholenewconcepts.com
Farm website: www.arriolasunshinefarm.com
E-mail: [email protected]
TOPICS
►Key business model and planning concepts
►Exploring marketing channels and opportunities and challenges of each channel
►The importance of market research for developing a marketing plan
►Pricing and promotion
►Understanding your competition
►Resources for business planning
►The value of business and strategic planning
OUTCOMES
►Assess consumer trends, target markets, and potential competition
►Become familiar with the resources of direct marketing
►Assess the value or uniqueness of your product or service
►Develop a marketing plan
►Write SMART goals
►Write a SWOT Analysis
►Develop a business plan
►Tie your marketing and business plan to your holistic goal and holistic financial plan
►Set prices for products and service that allow you to be profitable
►Determine viable markets for your farm/ranch
“This training has helped to reinvigorate our Holistic Management practices, and enabled us to check in and see where we’re at—as a family and as a business. We redid our holistic context (goal). This is something that always helps. Even if Holistic Management practitioners have read the books and done the courses, it’s always helpful to revisit these.”
– Doniga Markegard, California, USA
Workshop Format:
- This course is built out in Google Classroom. There you will find all the learning materials necessary for your success. This includes: powerpoint slides, manual readings, exercises, articles, videos etc. These materials are yours to keep so please feel free to download them for future use.
- We will host three 2-hour webinars as part of this workshop. Cindy Dvergsten, a long time Certified Educator, will facilitate these webinars. These webinars are designed to be interactive so participating live is an important way to make connections, find support and build community, but if you are unable to join us live they are recorded for viewing at your leisure.
- Participants are invited to turn in exercises for feedback from Cindy and to set up one-on-one meetings too work with her on specific questions.
- This is a certificate course! If you turn in 80% of the exercises you will receive a certificate! (Which can be used as one of the prerequisites for the Certified Educator Training Program.)
Thank You to Our Funder
COVID-19 Policy:
Please note, the format and/or requirements for event attendance may change in light of shifting CDC and state public health guidelines. HMI will make every effort to communicate these changes in a timely fashion.
Media Policy:
By registering for this event, you hereby consent and agree that HMI has the right to take photographs, videotape, or digital recordings of you and to use these in any and all media, now or hereafter known, for HMI outreach and further consent that your name and identity may be revealed therein or by descriptive text or commentary.