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Munsch featured speaker at KRC Growing Your Farm Profits WorkshopKansas The Kansas Rural Center announces Jim Munsch as the featured speaker at its workshop "Growing Your Farm Profits: Understanding the Marketplace and Positioning Your Farm to Succeed". The workshop is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., on, Jan. 9 at the Lawrence Holidome Conference Center, 200 McDonald Drive, Lawrence, Kan. Munsch raises organic, pastured beef on his Wisconsin-based Deer Run Farm. Munsch, who has been in the beef business since 1981, was certified organic in 1999 and markets his beef in partnership with a large organic vegetable CSA. He also works part-time as a pasture specialist for his local conservation district and is a business consultant to local organic vegetable producers as well as both organic and conventional beef producers. "Jim has an extensive understanding of the production and marketing issues for small and medium-sized farms. Anyone involved in selling farm products will benefit from the process of examining their business whether they think things need a little tweaking or a major reevaluation," Mercedes Taylor-Puckett, Local Foods and Farmers Market Coordinator for the Kansas Rural Center, said. Munsch's topics included in the workshop are "A Look at the Front End: The Marketplace," which examines the importance of setting your product apart from others, and "A Look at the Back End: Product Profitability" which zeros in on the margin between cost of production and the price you receive. "Farmers excel at producing a high quality product but often find the marketing aspect a bit mystifying," Taylor-Puckett said. "Jim's goal--by the end of the workshop--is that producers will have defined their products' value proposition; identified realistic distribution channels, and determined whether products can be profitable." A producer panel, including John and Yvonne Bauman of Cedar Valley Farms and Debbie Yarnell of Homespun Hill Farm, provides local, real-life examples of the concepts on the agenda. Lunch features speaker Josh Svaty, Acting Kansas Secretary of Agriculture and is held in conjunction with the Kansas Farmers Union Conference. Registration is $30 if mailed to the Kansas Rural Center at PO Box 133, Whiting, Kansas 66552 on or before Jan. 4. After Jan. 4, please register at the workshop. Cost of walk-in registration is $35. According to Taylor-Puckett the cost of registration includes take-home resources, such as the costing tool Munsch is developing for the USDA Risk Management Agency that assists farmers in increasing farm income. This workshop is held in conjunction with the Kansas Farmers Union Changing Times Conference. Group discount rates for lodging are available at the Lawrence Holidome by calling 785-841-7077 and mentioning the Farmers Union convention. For more information on the workshop or to register, please contact Mercedes Taylor-Puckett at 785-840-6202 or mercedes.taylorpuckett@gmail.com or Mary Howell at 785-292-4955 or marshallcofair@networksplus.net. For more information or to download the event flier and registration form see KRC's Farmers Market website at: www.ksfarmersmarkets.org/events/meat-producers-growing-your-farm-profits-workshop?v=producers. Funding provided in part by USDA Risk Management Agency.
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