Farm Focus Newsletter - 
April 2013


Business and Nonprofit Coaching
Working on a 2013 business plan? Need a fundraising strategy for your nonprofit? 
Trying to make the most of your marketing dollars? Schedule a free session with one of the professionals available monthly at Hannah Grimes! Click here for a full list of available coaches. If you are interested, contact Jillian at Hannah Grimes or call 603-352-5063.
Events in the Monadnock Region:

Apple Grafting & Pruning with Organic Orchardist & Author, Michael Phillips, Saturday, April 6, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., St.Paul's School, Concord. 

Cost: $50. Click here for more information and to register. 

Learn grafting and pruning techniques with organic orchardist Michael Philips, author of  The Holistic Orchard. This workshop is limited to 50 participants.  

 

Farm Feast Breakfast & Open House, NewHampshireFarms.net, Sunday, April 7, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., Dorchester. 

$5-$15 suggested donation. Click here for more information and to register. 

The first Sunday of every month, D Acres hosts an All-You-Should-Eat breakfast featuring pancakes made with local flour, NH maple syrup, local free-range eggs, D Acres meat, potatoes and greens, and fair-trade coffee from Cafe Monte Alto. Work off your breakfast indulgence afterward with a tour of the organic farm. 

 

Alicia Drakiotes Gallery Reception and Open Gallery, Friday, April 12, 5 - 7 p.m., Hannah Grimes Center, Keene. Cost: free. Click here for more info and to register. 

Join us for a gallery reception for Alicia Drakiotes. The exhibition   "A Painters Journey" at Hannah Grimes Center highlights works from the artist's current collection which date 1986 to present. Works focus on local landmarks past and present, local scenery and East Coast explorations .  Please join Alicia on this walk in a"A Painters Life". There will be refreshments provided by a number of members from the Hannah Grimes Marketplace. 

 

Greater Monadnock Earth Days, Keene and Rindge, NH and Marlboro, VT

Click here for more information and to join in on the fun!

Two weeks of events to celebrate our earth and community including but not limited to these events: 

Green Up Keene, Saturday, April 13, 8 a.m.

Sustainability Work Day, Wednesday, April 17, 1:15 p.m., Marlboro, VT

Monadnock Earth Day Festival, Saturday, April 20, 9 a.m.

Campus Garden Building Parties, Monday, April 22, 9 a.m., Rindge

 

Facebook for Your Farm Business with Christine Halvorson, Tuesday, April 22, 12 - 2 p.m. Hannah Grimes Center, Keene. Cost: free. Click here for more info and to register. 

In this workshop you'll learn the difference between your personal presence on Facebook and a Business Page, including how to set one up. You'll learn strategies for drawing people to your page and then interacting with them in a way that will bring you more business or help you meet your farm's business goals. Be prepared to ask lots of questions and to learn from each other!

 

Earth Day Grape Vine Pruning Clinic, Walpole Mountain View Winery at Barnett Hill Vineyard, Monday, April 22, 4:30 - 7:30 p.m. Cost $25. Click here for info & to register.

This is an outdoor walking tour with demonstrations.  You will be hiking short distances up and down steep, potentially slippery, slopes in the vineyard.  Registration includes a coupon for one free wine tasting glass and 6 wine samples during regular business hours, Memorial Day through Christmas 2013.   

 

Getting Started with Fruit Trees and Shrubs, Cheshire County Conservation District, Saturday, April 27, 9 a.m., Alyson's Orchard, Walpole. Cost: free. Call the CCCD for more information 603-756-2988 ext. 116. 

Are you interested in learning more about how to take care of the fruit trees and bushes on your property? Carl Majewkski of UNH Cooperative Extension will discuss planting and pest management techniques and discuss site considerations. Carl is always willing to answer your questions and supply helpful fact sheets.  

 

Backyard Mushroom Demonstration, Cheshire County Conservation District,  Saturday, April 27, 11 a.m., Alyson's Orchard, Walpole. Cost: free. Call the CCCD for more information 603-756-2988 ext 116. 

Here is a great opportunity to learn more about how to add mushrooms to your garden.  Dave Wichland of Wichland Woods will talk you through the process of inoculating a log and answer all your questions about backyard mushrooming.  Wichland Woods is a unique local myco-business located in the Monadnock Region of NH. There will also be mushrooms ready to eat for sale!   

 

4 Things to Consider Before Starting a Business Workshop with Helaine Iris, Thursday, May 2, 2-4 p.m., Hannah Grimes Center, Keene. Cost: free. Click here for more info and to register. 

So you think you want to start your own business? In this workshop visionaries will go over the four things you need to consider before diving in to starting a business. This workshop involves building the skills needed to run a business while realizing that passion needs to be tempered by reality. 

News & Resources to Inform & Inspire
Originally posted on NEFarmAccess.com
Northeast Farm Access believes there is a critical need for new, equitable approaches to farm investment. Our mission is to secure social and financial capital in farmland using methods that work well for farmers, investors and the land. The core of our work is to establish long term connections between investors and farmers, rooted in the interests of each and in the land, resulting in long-term and affordable tenure. Click here to learn more on Social Investment. 
 
 Originally posted on HannahGrimes.com
Existing businesses in the Incubator Program realized an average increase in revenues of 44% in 2012 up from 29% in 2011. Factoring in businesses new to the program, combined revenues increased 315% over the prior year translating to over $403,000 in new growth for the Monadnock region. Interested in becoming a Business Incubator Associate? Click here for more information and to apply. 
 

Kiva Zip: A Nonprofit Organization that Provides 0% Interest Loans to Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners in the US and Globally

Originally posted on Zip.Kiva.org 

Hannah Grimes became a trustee of KivaZip in 2012, and our sponsorship of our first borrower, TC's Pantry, helped them to secure their loan! You can view TC's Pantry here, and learn more about the KivaZip experience for possible support for your business.  If you are interested in receiving a loan, making a loan or sponsoring a borrower contact Kiva Zip at contactZip@kiva.org or visit them at Zip.Kiva.org for more information. 

 

Join Monadnock Buy Local Today! 

 We invite you to  join Monadnock Buy Local, a network of retailers, service providers, restaurateurs, non-profit organizations and more.  We're in our fourth year and we hope to connect with you, your business and your customers and clients. While member surveys show that most of us joined Monadnock Buy Local to encourage our customers to "think local first" (and make locally-owned businesses their first choice), we also joined to help our local economy grow, meet like-minded business owners and find ways to source more of our own products and services locally. Our values may drive us to join - but we also enjoy many membership benefits, such as a listing in Monadnock Buy Local's annual Buy Local Guide, that is distributed throughout the Monadnock Region, and group marketing opportunities during public education campaigns such as Plaid Friday. 

For more information contact us today or call 603-283-5401.