By Andi Anderson
Running a successful farm requires more than managing crops, livestock and soil health.
Farmers must also understand business operations, legal responsibilities, marketing strategies and financial planning. To support these needs, a new learning opportunity has been created for emerging farmers and food business owners across Michigan.
Michigan’s Emerging Farmers and the Michigan Good Food Fund are partnering to host a free virtual learning series focused on essential farm business topics. The program is designed to help participants strengthen their business knowledge while building confidence to grow and sustain their operations.
The online sessions will take place weekly on Wednesdays from March 4 through April 15, 2026, running from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Each 90-minute webinar will be co-hosted by staff from the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems and the Michigan Good Food Fund.
The sessions will be held live to encourage interaction and discussion, and recordings will be shared afterward for those unable to attend in real time.
Each session will feature an experienced subject matter expert from across the state. Presentations will be followed by small group breakout discussions that allow participants to ask questions, share experiences and learn from peers.
Topics covered in the series include scaling farm business models, exploring additional sales channels, understanding customer insights and marketing, managing human resources, learning farm business law and liability insurance, and improving financial literacy.
The series will also include a wrap up session that highlights peer-to-peer learning with a farmer sharing real world experiences. This final session celebrates participant progress and reinforces practical lessons learned throughout the program.
The learning series was developed in response to feedback from participants in the Michigan Good Food Fund Seed Award program, who requested more education on business basics. The goal is to equip farmers with tools they can immediately apply to daily operations and long-term planning.
Interested individuals are encouraged to register early to take advantage of this free educational opportunity designed specifically for emerging farmers and food business owners seeking sustainable growth and success.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-sisoje
Categories: Michigan, Business, Education, General