The workshops, which are the basis for the online course, were held at Crandall Public Library where we established an agricultural collection of materials for loan. Having the meetings at the library encouraged participants to use the library resources which could then be returned to any SALS library.

The meetings had a moderator who was the same person throughout the series to help provide continuity for participants and to make sure material wasn't repeated between segments. The material was taught by a guest educator and then followed by a farmer relevant to the topic.

There were eight meetings total held twice a month over four months in the winter. The schedule was Thursday nights from 7-9 pm (10 minute break). The farmers were asked to speak about their business in general but focus mainly on how they started and their evolution to their current state. We gave them a half hour at the end of the meeting and asked them to prepare a 15 minute presentation.

Feedback said participants would have liked more time with the farmers but we felt that the educational component was important. A longer meeting time probably would be the best compromise. We charged a $5 fee per meeting or $25 for the series since the grants underwrote most of the costs.

Follow up meeting topics were based on the main interests and needs of the participants. Two held were related to livestock health. One on sheep and goats and one on beef.

Meeting Flyer - html, Microsoft Word , Adobe Acrobat (PDF)* , Microsoft Publisher

Meeting Brochure -Microsoft Word , Adobe Acrobat (PDF)*, Microsoft Publisher

Press Releases -Workshop1, Worshop 2, Workshop 3, Workshop 4, Workshop 5 , Workshop 6, Follow up Workshop

Example Evaluation Sheet- Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF

*You need to have full version of Acrobat (not just reader) to modify