Wayne County Small Farm Management College
Location: Fisher Auditorium, 1680 Madison Ave, Wooster, OH 44691
Dates: April 8 & 9, 2026, April 15 & 16, 2026
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $60 for each person.
Each family receives only one binder of resources.
Participants are expected to attend every session.
Dinner is provided at each session.
Registration is required.
Registration deadline is April 2, 2026. Limited to the first 25 paid registrations.
Contact Information: John Yost (330) 264-8722 or yost.77@osu.edu
This 10-hour small farm management college is designed to help landowners examine potential ways to increase profits from their small acreage properties.
The program is open to all new or aspiring farmers, landowners, small farmers, and farm families looking for new ideas.
During this college, participants will be challenged to develop realistic expectations for their new farm business.
They will receive information about getting started, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of their property, and developing a farm business plan.
Small Farm Management College Syllabus
Note: Topic order may change depending on speaker availablity
Session I: April 8, 2026 Getting Started on Your New Farm Business
• Developing real-life expectations for your farm.
• Assessing your property and resources.
• Developing your family and farm mission, goals, and objectives.
• What is a farm business plan and why do you need one?
Session II: April 9, 2026 You Can't Measure What You Don't Track. (Farm Recordkeeping, Budgets and Taxes)
• Recordkeeping for farm businesses.
• Using enterprise budgets to project farm income and cost of production.
• Introduction to farm taxes.
Session Ill: April 15, 2026 The Legal Side of Small Farm Management
• Legal structures for farms.
• Farm leases and contracts.
• Licenses and permits for selling farm food products.
• Liability concerns for farms.
Session IV: April 16, 2026 Money, money, money! The Financial Side of Small Farm Management
• Developing farm and family balance sheets.
• Developing financial statements for your farm.
• Farm financing options.
• Developing your farm business plan.
