Second Workshop Agenda:
 Leaders, Members & Markets

 

Location: The Wild Thyme Farm, Oakville, WA

Friday, February 18 

6:00 – 9:00 PM              Dinner, Introductions, Overview, and Project Reports   

Continuing workshop participants give progress reports on their local forestry co-op or association, focusing on the Action Plans developed during the first workshop. 

New participants describe the mission, goals and objectives of the local forestry co-op or association they are working on; give a current status report on the project; identify the major strengths and weaknesses of their projects; and outline the primary goals they have for the workshop series.

Saturday, February 19

      7:00 – 8:00 AM              Breakfast 

      8:00 – 10:15 AM            Review of co-op case studies from IA, MA, MO focusing on
                                                “leaders, members and markets”  

10:15 – 10:30 AM          Break

10:30 – 11:30 AM          Small Group Sessions: Application of case studies to the 
                                           participants’ projects

11:30 – 12:00                 Small Groups report to full group

12:00 – 1:00 PM            Lunch

1:00 – 3:00 PM              Intro to Permaculture, including a woods-walk

3:00 – 3:15 PM              Break

3:15 – 4:15 PM              Chris Cassidy, Rural Development Manager with the USDA,                                           is presenting on funding programs through the USDA.

4:15 – 5:00 PM              Recruiting and retaining committed members

5:00 – 5:30 PM              Small group discussions of member recruitment and retention strategies

6:00 PM                           Dinner

Sunday, February 20

7:00 – 8:00 AM              Breakfast

8:00 – 10:00 AM            Marketing Strategies for landowner co-ops and associations (Tom Mix President of Sequim Growers Co-op, invited presenter)

10:00 – 10:15 AM          Break  

10:15 – 10:45 AM          Participants develop Action Plans  

10:45 – 12:00                 Full group presentations and discussion of Action Plans

12:00 – 1:00 PM            Lunch and discussion of next steps in the workshop series, and workshop evaluation.

Afternoon                       Casual interaction:  maybe post-conference farm tour