Farm Credit has received a grant to cover the tuition and make a new e-learning financial and business management course available to North Carolina farm families.
The on-line training will be offered statewide through North Carolina’s three Farm Credit associations. The Farm Credit University curriculum includes training geared toward business plan development, financial planning, budgeting and other money matters essential to a farm’s success.
The program is funded by a $94,500 grant from the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. The N.C. General Assembly established the commission in 2000 to help tobacco farmers, farm workers and related businesses impacted by the transition out of tobacco farming.
The commission’s funding comes from money paid by cigarette manufacturers as a result of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement.
Farm Credit’s e-learning program targets young, beginning, small, and minority farmers throughout the state. Priority will be given to former tobacco farmers and others impacted by the Tobacco buyout. The grant provides for training 30 producers in a set of 2 classes over the next 2 years.
Applications will be available soon with the first class beginning in September of 2009. Contact your nearest Farm Credit for more information.
“This is a unique opportunity for this group of farmers to learn and benefit in ways that will certainly improve their family farm operations,” said William Upchurch, Executive Director of the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.
Farm Credit is the state’s largest agricultural lender. Carolina Farm Credit (www.carolina farmcredit.com) serves the western half of the state. AgCarolina Financial (www.agcarolina.com) serves the Triangle and northeastern part of the state. Cape Fear Farm Credit (www. capefearfarmcredit.com) serves the southeastern corner of the state.
The Farm Credit financial training program is one of 20 projects across the state that received a combined total of $3 million in 2009 grants from the commission.
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