Virginia Sustainable Farms and Agribusiness Education
An educational webinar series for farms and agribusinesses
“Sustainability” has become a buzzword, overused and often misunderstood. While resource conservation and environmental protection are important components, long-run economic viability and social responsibility are also essential factors to developing and maintaining a sustainable farm or agribusiness.
Join us for a webinar series developed by the Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics as we get to the heart of what sustainability is and what it looks like for your farm and agribusiness.
*Note that each webinar requires pre-registration - click on the links in "program schedule" table below to register.
We will share insights on how to improve your farm’s or agribusiness’ economic, environmental, and social responsibility and to market the sustainable practices you undertake. The content we will present draws on current and cutting-edge research findings on sustainable farms and food generated by researchers and industry partners within Virginia’s SmartFarm Innovation Network. The program will support both beginning farmers in search of basic information about business management, and long-time farmers seeking to improve their economic viability, environmental sustainability, or social responsibility. Please register for each webinar you would like to attend using the links in the program schedule below.
Dr. John Bovay, Assistant Professor and Program Host
John Bovay is an assistant professor in the Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. As extension lead, he coordinates the department’s extension and outreach programs. His research focuses on the economics of food and agricultural policy in the United States, and has written research papers on topics such as the economics of food-safety regulation, food labeling, and food waste, and analysis of voting on regulations affecting farms and food. Bovay received his B.A. from Washington and Lee in 2007 and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, in 2014. He then worked as a researcher at the USDA Economic Research Service and as an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut before returning to Virginia in 2019.
The Virginia Sustainable Farms and Agribusiness Education Initiative consists mainly of webinars on a variety of topics related to the various aspects of sustainable farm and business management. The webinars are organized under 5 topic areas or modules. Click on the topics below to view handouts (reading material) that accompany each webinar. These resources can be used as convenient references.
Webinar and handout topic areas/modules:
- Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Profit
- Production Risks, Crop Insurance, and New Technologies
- Marketing Risks, Quality Standards, and Local Foods
- Financial Risks and Evaluating Investments
- Legal Risks and Social Responsibility
Webinar schedule:
Module # |
Date |
Time |
Topic |
Presenter |
Registration Link |
1 |
Tuesday, January 19 |
4:00pm |
Business goals and sustainability |
John Bovay |
Business goals and sustainability webinar Zoom |
1 |
Monday, January 25 |
4:00pm |
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a business strategy |
John Bovay |
CSR as a business strategy Zoom |
1 |
Monday, February 1 |
4:00pm |
Profit and cost |
John Bovay |
Profit and cost Zoom |
1 |
Thursday, February 4 |
2:00pm | Pricing strategies |
Tim Pierce |
Pricing strategies Zoom |
2, 3 |
Tuesday, February 9 |
12:30pm |
Animal welfare standards and marketing |
Leonie Jacobs, John Bovay |
Animal welfare standards and marketing Zoom |
2 |
Tuesday, February 16 |
4:00pm |
Crop insurance |
John Bovay |
Crop insurance Zoom |
2, 3 |
Monday, February 22 |
4:00pm |
Non-GMO, GMO, and bioengineered food labeling requirements |
John Bovay |
Non-GMO, GMO, and bioengineered food labeling requirements Zoom |
2 |
Monday, March 1 |
4:00pm |
Greenhouse horticulture |
Rosa Raudales (University of Connecticut) |
Greenhouse horticulture Zoom |
3 |
Thursday, March 4 |
2:00pm | Essentials of marketing farm and food products |
Tim Pierce |
Essentials of marketing farm and food products Zoom |
3 |
Wednesday, March 10 |
1:00pm |
Direct marketing to consumers through farmers' markets and other channels |
Zoë Plakias (The Ohio State University) |
Direct marketing through farmers' markets and other channels Zoom |
3 |
Monday, March 15 |
4:00pm |
Government and private third-party quality labels |
John Bovay |
Government and private third-party quality labels Zoom |
4 |
Thursday, March 18 |
1:00pm |
Business financing |
Jenny Ifft (Kansas State University) |
Business financing Zoom |
4 |
Monday, March 22 |
4:00pm |
Breakeven analysis, income statements, and balance sheets |
John Bovay |
Breakeven analysis, income statements, and balance sheets Zoom |
4 |
Thursday, March 25 |
4:00pm |
Wind, solar, and geothermal energy production on farms |
Josh Ignosh |
|
5 |
Monday, March 29 |
4:00pm |
Food safety regulations |
John Bovay |
Food safety regulations Zoom |
5 |
Monday, April 5 |
4:00pm |
Environmental regulations and conservation incentives |
John Bovay |
Environmental regulations and conservation incentives Zoom |
5 |
Monday, April 12 |
4:00pm |
Food waste, food prices, the environment, and hunger |
John Bovay |
Food waste, food prices, the environment and hunger Zoom |
5 |
Monday, April 19 |
4:00pm |
Food insecurity and hunger in Virginia |
John Bovay |
Food insecurity and hunger in Virginia |
5 |
Monday, April 26 |
4:00pm |
Marketing the health and nutrition benefits of food products |
John Bovay |
Marketing the health and nutrition benefits of food products Zoom |
5 |
Thursday, April 29 |
4:00pm |
Social responsibility and agricultural labor |
Diane Charlton (Montana State University) |
Social responsibility and agricultural labor Zoom |
The Virginia Sustainable Farms and Agribusiness Education Initiative is supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2018-70027-28585.
