Food hubs (regional aggregation points) have been identified by many as a clear need for scaling up Good Food. Have you picked the right place and time to build your food hub? What are the area’s resources and needs? How can you tailor your business to best meet those needs?

These questions can be answered by using a business planning approach, starting by completing a feasibility study. A crucial first step when embarking on a new venture, a feasibility study carefully examines the context into which the new undertaking would fit, and attempts to determine its likelihood of success.

This workshop-style webinar will step through two hot-off-the-presses food hub feasibility studies to illustrate how you might go about assessing your potential food hub venture. These studies also demonstrate two very different value chain environments, and come to some different conclusions.

Presenters:
Jim Slama, Founder and President, FamilyFarmed.org

2. Brownfields and Urban Agriculture Reuse Special Webinar Series – Click here for the  series flyer.

October 7, 1-3 PM CST: Policy Barriers and Incentives to Reusing Brownfields for Community Gardens and Urban Agriculture.  Register Now

This webinar will explore policy issues surrounding the growing of plants and food on urbaninfill lots, including:

How do existing state Voluntary Clean-up Programs address urban agriculture issues?

How does urban agriculture fit in to existing programs for land use determination?

What are the property control and ownership considerations for urban agricultureprojects?

How should economic development drivers influence decisions for using urban agriculture as a revitalization strategy?

How are innovative cities working within or changing their policy structure to make urban agriculture work for them?

Scheduled presenters include: Marcia Caton Campbell, Center for Resilient Cities; Amy Yersavich and Vanessa Steigerwald, Ohio EPA; Kathy Dickhut, City of Chicago; and Jenn Bildersee, City of Portland, OR.

We’re still finalizing details on our next event, but start making travel plans now.

Driftless Food and Farm Fall 2010 Meeting
Luther College, Decorah, IA.
October 19, 2010, 9 am to 2:30 pm

Email driftlessfoodandfarm@gmail.com to make sure you receive an invitation. Stay tuned for more details.

This one’s coming up fast.  This Friday, September 10.  See the bottom of the post for a little info on FONDUE.

Business FONDUE’s Showcase of Opportunity–Workshop on Marketing & Branding to be held on Friday, September 10 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the First National Bank & Trust’s Community Room, 1625 10th Street, Monroe, WI.

This hands-on workshop on marketing & branding focused for the Food-based Entrepreneur will include:

• The importance of business planning, marketing planning and how branding fits in
• A panel of entrepreneurs who have brought a new food product successfully to market
• Exercises and guidance in developing a brand and using it for marketing
• Cost is $20 and includes continental breakfast & lunch

Workshop facilitators include Janet Ady, Voltedge–a market strategist and client product research specialist, Jim Gage, grant writer and business strategist and Andrea Neu, Client Services and Brand Positioning Consultant

Click here to register.  Conference brochure here.

Business FONDUE is an initiative to bring information and resources to food-based entrepreneurs and those considering a food-based business. The cornerstone is a web-site with specific resources for Green County, WI food-based businesses. In addition, workshops and networking opportunities will be held to bring entrepreneurs together for a time of learning and fun. Business Fondue was created through a partnership between Green County Development Corportation, UW Extension Green County, UW-Extension-Agricultural Innovation Center  and Thrive, with help from an EDA grant.

Two more items below that caught our attention:

Critical Challenges in Aggregating, Processing, and Distribution Local Foods

Tuesday, September 28^th, 2010; 9 -11:30 am

Best Western Inn on the Park, 22 South Carroll Street, Madison, WI 53703

Please join us on Tuesday, September 28th for a ½ day program highlighting the findings of a 2-year research project focused on the transportation and distribution needs for local and regional food.   The day will kick-off with a keynote presentation by Michael Shuman, research and public policy director with Business Alliance for Local, Livable Economies (BALLE).  Several businesses highlighted in the research publication “Scaling Up: Meeting the Demand for Local Food” will participate in the session, sharing perspective on their challenges and innovative solutions for local food distribution.

Speakers include:

Larry Alsum -Alsum Produce

Lindsey Day Farnsworth -UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems

Diana Endicott -Good Natured Family Farms

Anne Pfeiffer -UW-Extension Agricultural Innovation Center

Annaka Witkop – Organic Valley

Lori Zuidema – Coop Partners Warehouse

To register for this free event, please email Sarah Wise at sbwise@wisc.edu

Building a Business in Specialty Foods Webinar Series

The eXtension Entrepreneurship webinar series is back for the fourth season. All webinars will air monthly on the second Thursday at 2:00pm (ET), 1:00pm (CT).

On Thursday, September 9, 2010 we open with a three-month series on specialty food businesses. September’s topic will be Starting Right in Specialty Foods. Join Brian Norder, Director of the Vermont Food Venture Center for an informative session on what it takes to start and grow a specialty food business. Brian has over a decade of experience assisting entrepreneurs in all phases of food-related business development.

On October 14 the webinar will focus on the importance of branding and will feature specialty food business owners Judith Moore of the Charleston Cookie Company (http://www.charlestoncookie.com) and Robin Rhea, Slather Sauce.

The November 11 webinar will conclude this series with a look at Culinary Tourism, an emerging niche that combines agriculture, specialty food and tourism. This presentation will feature a panel of Extension specialists working on Culinary Tourism initiatives.

No pre-registration is required and there is no fee to participate. About 10 minutes prior to the start time simply go the Adobe Connect Pro meeting room at http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/ecop/.