Business of Farming Classes Offered

Low-cost opportunities to get a head start on the business end of agriculture are being offered by the Office of Continuing Education and Training (OCET) at Hawaii Community College.

Twelve-week classes in how to succeed in a farming or nursery business on the Island of Hawaii are being expanded to five locations around the island in coming weeks, beginning Saturday, Aug. 31 in Hilo.

Twenty-student classes are also forming in Honokaa, Kohala, and Pahoa to start on Sept. 4, and in Kona to start on Sept. 5. The enrollment fee is $25 per student.

Students are expected to learn how to develop an agriculture business plan, where to find local small business resources, marketing skills, management team development, financial skills, record-keeping methods, product design and development skills.

Successful students are awarded a Certificate of Professional Development certifying the 94 hours of classroom instruction.

Last fall some students receiving federal and private loans based on business plans developed in the course, according to an OCEI release.

Call the Office of Continuing Education and Training at Hawaii Community College, 808-934-2700, for more information, or email James Rushing, jrushing@hawaii.edu.

The classes are funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Rural Development Project.