SPOKANE, Wash. – Three Spanish language sessions of “Ag in Uncertain Times,” the popular interactive online webinar series for agricultural producers and other professionals, will be presented in March. The free 90-minute sessions can be accessed by anyone with a computer, speakers, and a broadband Internet connection.
The sessions will be presented by a knowledgeable bilingual team headed by Ramiro Lobo, Small Farm Program Advisor from University of California Cooperative Extension in San Diego. The team includes agricultural economist Karina Gallardo with the Washington State University Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center; WSU Extension small farms specialist Malaquias Flores; Oregon State University plant pathologist Luisa Santamaria; and Laura Tourte and Jose Aguiar with UC Cooperative Extension.
The first webinar in the series will be held on Wednesday, March 10, on the topic of Financial Management and Access to Credit in Agriculture. It will feature a panel discussion exploring the trends, challenges, and opportunities for Hispanic/Latino farmers. The session also will include a discussion on recordkeeping, accounting basics, and developing and understanding financial statements.
The second session will be on Wednesday, March 17, on the topic of business planning and market strategies. The final webinar will be on Wednesday, March 24, discussing strategies, tools and resources for crop or enterprise selection and diversification.
All webinar sessions will begin at 4 pm Pacific Time. Each session will be 90 minutes with plenty of time for participants to interact with the presenters. Montana State University is hosting the sessions and all of the webinars can be accessed at http://www.msuextensionconnect.org/aginuncertaintimes/.
No advance reservation is required, but each session is limited to 500 participants on a first-come basis. Participants should log on several minutes early to assure connection, see information on how to ask questions, and to make sure the audio is functioning.
For more information about the topics and speakers for the series, visit http://www.farmmanagement.org/aginuncertaintimes/. The webinar sessions will be archived at the website, and available for reference and downloading free of charge.
The Western Extension Committee, an organization of Extension economists from the 13 western states, Guam and other Pacific Islands, presents the series.
Organizations contributing making the webinar series and supporting web pages available include: The University of Arizona, The University of California Davis, Colorado State University, Montana State University, The Western Center for Risk Management Education and Washington State University, The University of Wyoming, and the Center for Farm Financial Management.
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