Saturday, December 13
CISA's Women in Agriculture Network- Wreath Making Workshop 10:00am
Join us at the Atherton Farm in Buckland for a hands-on balsam wreath making workshop. Lilian Jackman of Wilder Hill Gardens and Sue Atherton of The Atherton Farm will share techniques that can be applied to making wreaths out of balsam, dried herbs and flowers, and fresh flowers. This is a skill that can help farmers extend their season and expand their farm offerings, and participants are invited to stay for lunch and social time with other women in agriculture. Women who farm, are interested in agriculture, and others who support them are welcome to attend. The fee for the workshop is $10, which includes materials and lunch. Please remember to bring clippers and gloves. To RSVP for the event, contact Claire Morenon at (413) 665-7100 by Wednesday, December 10th.

NEW! Workplace CSA Manual Since the launch of CISA's Workplace CSA program in 2005, we have worked with seven workplaces and nine farms to start up off-farm CSA distributions. This manual is designed to impart some of the key lessons we've learned over the years and to help other non-profits, farmers, and workplaces replicate the project. To request a hard copy of the manual, or if you have any questions, contact Claire at claire@buylocalfood.com or 665-7100, ext 16. Community Supported Agriculture for the Workplace: A Guide for Developing Workplace Community Supported Agriculture Distributions

Wholesale Readiness Tip Sheets Selling directly to restaurants, retailers and institutions can be a great way to expand your business and develop a reliable customer base. Based on a workshop series CISA organized in winter 08, these tipsheets are designed to help farmers respond to the unique challenges in reaching out to and maintaining relationships with direct wholesale purchasers. Keys to a Successful Relationship Pricing and Invoicing

Online Marketing Tip Sheets Looking to create or improve your online marketing? Download one of these four tip sheets for pointers and guidance. They're full of useful tips and real-life experiences from local farmers. Looking for more help? Local Hero members can call Program Director Kelly Coleman for one-on-one consultation at 413-665-7100. Creating a farm Web site Online Stores Blogs Email Newsletters

Tip Sheets for Farm Businesses: Marketing to Enhance Farm Viability CISA's series of marketing tip sheets, "Marketing to Enhance Farm Viability," provides valuable information on a variety of topics for growers and agricultural businesses. The tip sheets include information from our work with Local Hero members and the expertise of experienced farmers, including several active in the Women in Agriculture Network. New tip sheets will be added over time; to suggest a topic, email Program Director Kelly Coleman. Tip sheets can be downloaded here: Tip Sheets in Color Customer Service Developing a Marketing Plan for Your Farm Merchandising Using Paid Advertising as Part of a Marketing Plan Working with the Media: Public Relations and Publicity Workshops and Classes as a Marketing Strategy Tip Sheets in Black & White Customer Service Developing a Marketing Plan for Your Farm Merchandising Using Paid Advertising as Part of a Marketing Plan Working with the Media: Public Relations and Publicity Workshops and Classes as a Marketing Strategy

Technical Assistance for Local Hero members

CISA offers technical assistance to farmers as well as the general public. We focus on marketing and business management as risk management tools. Technical assistance is provided through special programs, workshops, one-on-one training sessions, farm visits, and referrals. We’ve created and hosted workshops on a wide range of topics from farm transfer to agritourism; farm stand merchandising and display to writing press releases. Select from the links below to learn more about CISA's technical assistance activities.

Women in Agriculture
Agritourism
Agricultural Commissions
Consulting Services

Read how USDA income insurance can help small diversified farmers survive disasters, crop failures, marketing problems and more. Click here.

Thank you to FarmAid for its generous support of our technical assistance programs.