VGCC to offer Agricultural Entrepreneurship program at two locations

The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center will soon offer the “NC REAL Agricultural Entrepreneurship” program at two locations.

The seven-week course is designed specifically to help local farmers and budding entrepreneurs succeed in developing profitable, environmentally-sound small farms or agricultural businesses.

The class is scheduled to be offered at Granville Expo & Convention Center (4185 US Highway 15 South, Oxford) on Tuesday evenings, Sept. 12 through Oct. 24, from 6 until 9 p.m.; and on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County (Room 7109) on Saturday mornings, Oct. 7 through Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. until noon.

NC REAL Agricultural Entrepreneurship is designed for small business owners who grow crops or trees, raise livestock, or make sauces, pickles or jams with items from a garden. The goal is for participants to strengthen their business savvy in order to gain the highest profit margin possible.

Participants will consider challenges such as pricing their products; the logistics of getting their products to the market; selecting the best market; and how to generate income between growing seasons. Other topics include business development and management, finance and regulatory requirements, quality and safety standards. Participants will also be introduced to resources and contacts that can help them operate more efficiently and effectively.

For both classes, the instructor will be Carrie Harvey of Harvey Hills Farms in Oxford, who is also a client of the VGCC Small Business Center .

“This is a hands-on, interactive program, beneficial to farmers or anyone who grows a marketable agricultural product, who wishes to start a business or has been in business less than three years,” said Tanya Weary, director of the Small Business Center. Each participant will receive free, one-on-one counseling as a client of the Small Business Center, which will help them take their ideas to the next level of business planning.

Tuition for the course is $70, and the cost of the textbook is $25.

For more information and to register, contact Tanya Weary at (252) 738-3240 or smallbusiness@vgcc.edu.