🧮 Optimize your business model 🧮
🧮 Increase your profitability 🧮
🧮 Develop your financial management process 🧮
Cost: $250 [Financial Assistance Available]
What can I expect from this training?
- This fundamental training helps define, align, and strengthen the key elements of your farm’s finances.
- Farm business owners will establish a solid financial foundation with expert-led instruction, tools, and coaching.
- The training consists of 3 live, virtual group sessions PLUS one 50-minute one-on-one consulting sessions with FFI’s Farm Program Manager.
- Through group instruction, one-on-one consulting, and a plethora of tools and resources, this training will equip you to embark on a path towards profitability.
Financial Assistance Available
Many farmers qualify for free or reduced-cost training. Here are some ways you may be eligible:
👉 If you sell in direct-to-consumer markets, you may qualify for FREE admission. To learn more, email Janel Hutchison, FFI Program Coordinator
👉 If you have been in business for 10 years or less AND are seeking to raise capital, you may qualify through our Unlocking Capital for Beginning Farms Program — learn more and apply here.
👉 If you are pre-revenue, have been in business for less than two years, or are a member of an underserved community, we welcome you to apply for a scholarship here!
This is right for you if …
You want to have a financially healthy and consistent farm business
You face financial challenges such as maintaining cashflow or securing financing
You have questions about how to run the financial side of your farm business
You’ve never reached profitability, or your profitability is eroding and you know things need to change
You’re unsure about your financial future as a farm business owner
Participants Say …
“With our trainer’s background in banking, he knew what a loan officer would be looking for when a farmer is applying for financing. This really helped me as a young small business owner to be more aware of the whole picture of financing, banking and lending. We recently got a $95,000 loan for a refrigerated vehicle through RFSI, which is helping us grow our business.”
— Ryan Sullivan, Sullivan Family Farm
What are the financial foundations of a farm business?
Financial foundations are the elements that need to be in place for your farm to get and stay profitable.
They include your business model, profitability calculations, and financial management processes.
To build strong financial foundations, farm businesses need the right processes, tools, and expertise. All of these are provided in this 3-part training!
Included in the Training:
- 3 live virtual workshop sessions (2 hrs. each)
- 50-minute one-on-one expert consulting session with our Farm Program Manager
- Dozens of financial tools and resources to start using immediately
- 1-year Unlimited Learner Pass for our on-demand courses
What to Expect
Optimize Your Business Model
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
- Understand how your business model forms the foundation of your success.
- Define your ideal customer and understand the unique value you deliver to them.
- Analyze the competition and highlight what sets you apart.
OUTCOMES:
- Actionable strategies and tools to refine your business model, empowering you to make smarter business decision
Profitability
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
- Assess: are you making money?
- Understand the process for costing your products to account for unforeseen costs the business may incur, and guarantee profitability.
- Price products with overhead and determine your break-even.
OUTCOMES:
- Walk away with a cost build-up spread sheet that models out your consumer price.
Financial Management Process
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
Understand and get familiar with how to use a farm’s three most important financial documents:
- Profit and loss statement
- Balance sheet
- Cash flow statement
OUTCOMES:
- Be able to plan the future growth of your farm business with confidence.
Meet Your Instructor: Anna Thomas
FFI Farm Finance Specialist Anna Thomas is an entrepreneur and finance professional with deep experience in building and scaling food businesses. Her work focuses on helping farm and food entrepreneurs strengthen financial management, access capital, and develop the systems needed for sustainable growth.
Anna founded and operated Landmark Creamery for more than a decade, gaining firsthand experience in launching and growing a value-added food business. During that time, she managed all aspects of the company, including business planning, pricing, financial management, distribution, and brand development. She also secured bank financing, grant awards, and worked with equity investors, building practical expertise in capital strategy and business operations within the dairy and specialty food sectors.
Earlier in her career, Anna worked as a project manager for financial institutions and healthcare organizations, overseeing complex projects involving budgets, timelines, and cross-functional coordination. She also served as a Financial Specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, supporting projects that redeveloped contaminated land for commercial use.
In addition to her operational and financial work, Anna has contributed to food and agriculture journalism, including a decade writing a weekly column and feature stories for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, covering farmers, food businesses, and regional food systems.
At the Food Finance Institute, Anna works with entrepreneurs to strengthen financial systems, evaluate funding strategies, and build businesses that are both profitable and resilient.
Outside of her professional work, Anna enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling, and visiting farmers markets. She lives in Verona, Wisconsin, with her family. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Urban Studies at Brown University.
Scholarship opportunities are available, learn more.