COB helps Executive Farm Management Program go virtual

Brent Leggett (pictured) and his wife, Sue, own Leggett Farming, a 3,000 acre operation in Nashville, North Carolina

College of Business instructors took their curriculum to the internet as the Executive Farm Management program went virtual for local, regional and national farmers, agribusiness owners and managers.

Management’s Sharon Justice and the Miller School of Entrepreneurship’s Dave Mayo joined five additional instructors who delivered coursework centered around the business model canvas, an approach that could help the 48 plus attendees with matters related to their organization’s value proposition, infrastructure, customers and finances and people.

In the prior four years, the program was in-person and took 12 days to compete over 8 weeks. This year’s program was condensed down to three days where participants virtually worked with each other to discuss the curriculum and how it could be applied to their operations.

“The participants are some of the smartest people I have ever met,” said Justice. “They have very sophisticated operations, and they wanted to be challenged.”

“It’s great to be part of a program that helps these entrepreneurs with strategic decision making based on key, proven concepts,” added Mayo.

It’s all in the planning

Lexi and Jared Floyd

Lexi Floyd and her husband, Jared, maintain farms with nearly 10,000 acres outside Lubbock, Texas. Their crops rotate, based on the weather, between peanuts and cotton. They grow wheat in the winter to help with land management. They also have 200 head of cattle. Lexi’s background includes undergraduate and graduate degrees related to agriculture, and before starting her farm, she taught agriculture in Chicago.

Lexi heard about the Executive Farm Management Bootcamp from the president of the National Peanut Board. Taking advantage of the $150 stipend available to peanut farmers, Lexi enrolled in the program.

Why did she attend? Along with helping to manage the farm, Lexi provides bookkeeping services for several enterprises that vary in size and needs.

“I was able to apply the financial planning knowledge gleaned from the program to the needs of my clients,” said Lexi. “For one client, I helped him update his formulas that focused on expenses and inputs, and by doing so, I helped him better his cash flow.”

If possible, Lexi plans to attend next year’s boot camp in person.

First Generation

Sue and Brent Leggett

Brent and Sue Leggett are first-generation farmers who have a 3,000-acre operation, Leggett Farming, based in Nashville, North Carolina. Their farm grows tobacco, sweet potatoes, peanuts, cotton, soybeans, broccoli, strawberries, and certified sweet potato seeds. They’ve participated in a similar program out of Texas A&M. When the Leggett’s learned about the Executive Farm Management program and the fact it was virtual, they decided to attend based on their prior experiences.

“We walked away with good information concerning economic forecasting and standard operating procedures (SOP),” said Brent Leggett. “We have full-time employees who will benefit from our new SOP handbook we’ll create.”

When asked if they would recommend the program to any of their peers, Leggett said yes. “From exposure to the instructors and the ability to network, the program provides great opportunities.”

The Executive Farm Management program is an exciting program offered by NC State Extension and its partners; Clemson Cooperative Extension, ECU College of Business and University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. The program has been designed for large, family-owned operations across the Southeast. The program curriculum focuses on the management aspects of the operation, which is adaptable for all operations of any size, scale and commodity focus.

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