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AgPlan within AgritourismSD Program

Kara Harders

Summary

AgritourismSD utilized AgPlan’s program to facilitate business planning for agricultural entrepreneurs wanting to diversify their operations and/or develop new enterprises. Instead of overwhelming participants with the complexity of writing a business plan, the program leveraged AgPlan to break down the process into smaller, more manageable components. The most recent group of participants were able to use the Agritourism template which was particularly useful. This allowed participants to focus on one piece of a section at a time, making the task less daunting and more achievable. It helped guide participants through key areas such as describing their businesses, identifying operational requirements, creating financial projections, and developing a marketing plan.
Using this method, participants were able to identify risks and pitfalls sooner. The program created an interactive learning environment where entrepreneurs could engage with others to hear diverse perspectives on ideas they had and problems they faced. As a result, many participants gained a clearer understanding of the risks involved in entering new markets and developed more confident, informed strategies for managing those risks.
When asked, “As a result of AgritourismSD, did you increase your knowledge, skills, and experiences in adapting agricultural production practices to diversify risk in support of your agritourism enterprise(s)?” 100% of participants selected “yes”. Additionally, 100% of participants shared they now have a business plan.
This presentation will demonstrate how utilizing AgPlan helped facilitate the development of usable business plans and manage the risks. This model can be adapted to help others who are pursuing new market opportunities.

Details

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