
Subject: Now Open: Farmers Build Wildfire Resilience - An Online Course for Farmers
Are you farming in a fire-prone area and overwhelmed by the “new normal” of wildfires? Wondering how to adapt?
In Topics Business & Financial Planning, Staff, HR & Worker Safety, Insurance, Livestock, Beginning Farmers & Ranchers, Women in Agriculture, Weather & Climate Change
In General FarmsReach community


Subject: Taking the Leap: Health Insurance
Hi Farmers! I am gearing up to take the leap and quit my day job and be a farmer full time but have the big stumbling block of health insurance coverage. Does any one who has done this recently have any advice? I am wondering if there is some kind of farmer's guild that would offer group health insurance.
Thank you!
Melinda
Peace and Plenty Farm
In Topics Insurance
In General FarmsReach community
Melinda Price | Peace and Plenty Farm | Kelseyville, CA commented
Thanks for the reply and tip, Greg! Glad to hear the healthy lifestyle of organic farming has done well for you! We love Lake County and do fine here year-round but appreciate your feedback.
Best,
Melinda
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Subject: There's still time to register for the FarmLink Business Skills Camp!
In Topics Marketing & Sales, Business & Financial Planning, Funding Opportunities, Staff, HR & Worker Safety, Insurance, Farmland Conservation, Sales & Estate Planning, Beginning Farmers & Ranchers, Women in Agriculture, Urban Agriculture, News & Events, Anything Goes
In General FarmsReach community, Yolo Farmers Guild, California FarmLink, CA Women, Food and Agriculture Network, Nevada County Guild

Subject: Crop insurance for organic farmers
Because the topic of crop insurance came up recently, we hope you saw in the Events calendar that CCOF and CA FarmLink are co-hosting a webinar next Tuesday 6/19, 12-1:30pm PT called "Accessing Crop Insurance for Organic Farmers."
In Topics Insurance, News & Events
In General FarmsReach community

Subject: Farm B&B Insurance Conundrum
I run a 2-acre permaculture farm in North Marin County that is also a B&B that I rent through Airbnb. I have been through 13 brokers trying to get insured. They eventually say in some form or another that there just isn’t a policy that will do what I need; cover replacement costs AND liability.
Before it was a B&B the other 4 units were month-to-month rentals and I had both homeowners & rental insurance through State Farm, but when I went over to the ‘transient occupancy,’ State Farm said they wouldn’t insure the 3 rental structures, only my residence. When my policies expired and were cancelled, my mortgage company put lender-based policies on the 3 rental structures at an exorbitant cost, and (I just found out while doing my taxes), the coverage is only to pay the lender in the case of loss; I will get nothing to replace or rebuild. And, of course, there is no liability coverage for my business,
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In Topics Insurance, Women in Agriculture
In General FarmsReach community
Mike Burgess | Lucky Monkeys Ranch | Willits, CA commented
You might try Grange Insurance Company (washington state) They cover our farm, home, tractor, solar, and may cover short term stay-overs. Or you may need a commercial policy for that.
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Subject: Atypical insurance policies
We're having some difficulty finding an insurance policy to cover our operation, or even part of it. We're looking for a general liability policy to cover if someone was to get hurt by livestock, livestock was to wander out to the street and run into a car, if a tree falls on someone, etc. Not particularly concerned about valuing any structures/equipment on property, though open to it (100 year old hay barn, 40 year old pole barn, shipping containers, solar panels). Not looking for product liability.
We raise a small herd of pigs, goats and sheep (4 sows, ~14 does, ~8 ewes) in a rotational grazing system and run a tiny (2/3 acre) market garden and are growing ~100 trees. We milk animals for our own use, make cheese, and feed whey to pigs. We sell piglets, kids, and lambs. We own the land, but don't have a home on it, or own our own homes elsewhere, so can't connect it to a homeowners policy.
We are off
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In Topics Insurance
In General FarmsReach community
Michael Fritts | Golden Feather Tea | Concow, CA commented
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Subject: Agritourism: Negotiating permits & regulations archive, presentation slides and Q&A overview
- Archived video - Speaker 1: Karen Giovannini of UCCE, Ombudsman (26:49): http://uc-d.adobeconnect.com/p2n1m4ivgrx/
- Archived video - Speaker 2: Tom Parcel of El Dorado Planning Department and Q&A segment (27:18): http://uc-d.adobeconnect.com/p3qqu7dn6yi/
- Karen's presentation slides only: http://uc-d.adobeconnect.com/p7279u1y7wy/
- Karen's handout: http://sfp.ucdavis.edu/files/242227.pdf
- Tom's presentation slides only: http://uc-d.adobeconnect.com/p8qte5iul2n/
Below is a summary of what was covered in the Q&A section, if you want to jump to the spot in the second video recording
In Topics Marketing & Sales, Food Safety, Business & Financial Planning, Insurance
In General FarmsReach community, California Agritourism

Subject: Revisiting Your Agritourism Strategy for Increased Income
If you offer any kind of agritourism - from U-Pick to to bed-n-breakfast - we think you may be interested in the upcoming Agritourism Conversations hosted by UC Small Farm Program and FarmsReach! It is a series of 5 practical webinars with ongoing Q&A and resource-sharing by presenters and the community online in between. It kicks off on May 19th and continues through July 14th.
If you are an agritourism operator and have a burning question about how to improve or expand your operation, you can also share your questions in the new CA Agritourism group ahead of time, or email: paleff@ucdavis.edu. We will make sure your questions are answered!
SCHEDULE – all webinars will be 11am-12pm PT:
-
Thursday May 19 – The Strategy: Identifying, Reaching & Connecting with YOUR Agritourism Customers
Presenters: Kristen Skaggs and Anna Farrell, Farrell Design Group; Al Courchesne (Farmer Al), Frog Hollow Farm.
In Topics Marketing & Sales, Business & Financial Planning, Staff, HR & Worker Safety, Insurance
In General FarmsReach community

Subject: Answer 25 farming questions - and we'll mail you a hat
Dear farmers!
We're a small team on a big mission - to make precision agriculture concepts affordable and accessible to even the smallest of farmers. We need some input to be smarter about what we're building.
Our name is Farm Dog (http://farmdog.ag/) and we'll gladly send a Farm Dog hat to the first 50 people that will answer the 25 questions in this survey form: http://goo.gl/forms/88SywcPrlt
Yours,
Michael Hermon
Co-founder and CTO
Farm Dog
In Topics Soil Fertility Management, Seed & Planting, Trees, Vines & Planting, Pest & Disease Management, Water & Irrigation, Harvesting, Washing, Packing & Packaging, Waste Management, Marketing & Sales, Food Safety, Equipment, Trucks, Delivery & Logistics, Growing Structures: Greenhouses, Hoop Houses, etc., Facilities, Cooling & Energy Systems, Business & Financial Planning, Funding Opportunities, Staff, HR & Worker Safety, Immigration & Farmworker Rights, Insurance, Certifications, Farmland Conservation, Sales & Estate Planning, Wildlife Management, Livestock, Beginning Farmers & Ranchers, Women in Agriculture, Weather & Climate Change, Urban Agriculture, Policy, News & Events, Anything Goes
In General FarmsReach community

Subject: Grange Farm School offers residential, vocational training in 2016
The Grange Farm School is looking for a special kind of student. You think holistically rather than in parts. You see the importance of asking high quality questions. You are innovative, ambitious, persistent, and collaborative. You want to be part of the new face of agriculture that will transform our world for the better.
Our 14 week residential, Student Program offers you the tools and confidence to manage a successful agricultural enterprise, whether in farming, ranching, or related fields. You will live and work on a beautiful 5,000 acre ranch with diverse vegetables, grains, fruit trees, and livestock. Guest instructors and staff members provide a comprehensive curriculum in business management, industrial arts, animal husbandry, soil and ecology, and crop production, supported by an understanding of the theory and history of our food systems. You will leave with hands-on practical experience, and
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In Topics Soil Fertility Management, Seed & Planting, Trees, Vines & Planting, Pest & Disease Management, Water & Irrigation, Harvesting, Washing, Packing & Packaging, Waste Management, Marketing & Sales, Food Safety, Equipment, Growing Structures: Greenhouses, Hoop Houses, etc., Facilities, Cooling & Energy Systems, Business & Financial Planning, Staff, HR & Worker Safety, Insurance, Certifications, Farmland Conservation, Sales & Estate Planning, Wildlife Management, Livestock, Beginning Farmers & Ranchers, Women in Agriculture, Weather & Climate Change, Urban Agriculture, Policy, News & Events
In General FarmsReach community