Sessions

Keynote Session
Harvest the Humor:
​A Celebration of Life on the Farm 
Presented by Jolene Brown
Sunday, February 6 | 8:15-9:30


In this joy-filled tribute to those of us living and working on the farm, you’ll find yourself laughing and commiserating with your friends and neighbors. Together we’ll discover that juggling farm life with a smile can save your sanity--and your marriage. Get ready for real life lessons learned as we deal with breakdowns and parts runs, family in-laws and farm priorities and communication (or lack of it!). 
Most of all, you’ll leave with big smiles on your faces and be mighty glad that your farm roots run deep. It’s time to celebrate!



“Stop the Fighting on the Way to the Funeral Home!”™
Presented by Jolene Brown
Sunday, February 6 | 9:45-12:00


In this generational diversity of needs and dreams, we have forgotten that sound and profitable business and transitional management must be based on more than genetics, tradition, assumptions and emotion. 
It happens far too often in agriculture. Promises are spoken and broken, facts are assumed, habits are hardened…and before we know it, we’ve got family fighting on the way to the funeral home. It’s time we learn from the mistakes of others and work for positive results. This insightful and fun-filled presentation highlights the stupid things families do that break up their business. We will discuss in-laws and out-laws, money expectations, daily communications and important meetings. From conversations to contracts, assumptions to     clarifications, complaints to celebrations, we will open eyes and save fighting on the way to the funeral home.

OBJECTIVES:
  • Learn the top ten assumptions that create major problems for intergenerational and family businesses.
  • Explore questions that must be answered before someone is allowed to join or work for a business.
  • Identify the hidden areas of business agreements which often start as a conversation but must end in written documentation.
  • Recognize the value and the impact of in-laws, off-site family, and employees.
  • Discuss the egos, emotions, and decisions involved in estate and management transfer planning.
  • Receive 8 take-home tools to increase productivity, profitability and document the succession of a business.
  • Understand the need for courtesy and celebration.

This workshop will provide a time of laughter, appreciation, understanding, real life stories…and most importantly, proven working “tools” to implement. We will build on the best of the past as we receive the “How to’s” for the advancement and succession of a business. 
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Delegating Responsibilities Effectively
Member Panel – Jeff Probst, Dale Davis, Olivia Telschow
Sunday, February 6 | 9:45-12:00


​Delegation is a vital management skill. But for some, it’s the hardest to put into practice. 
Are you someone who:
  • Thinks it would take longer to explain the task than actually completing it yourself.
  • Enjoys completing certain projects, so you prefer not to reassign them.
  • Feels guilty about adding more work onto another employee’s to-do list.
  • Lacks confidence or trust in who you need to transfer the project. 
  • Believes that you’re the only one who can do the job right.

By delegating tasks to team members, you can free up time to focus on higher-value priorities while also keeping your staff engaged with greater autonomy.
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In this member-led panel session, we will discuss our own daily battle with delegating responsibilities, the benefits of empowering our staff and tips for delegating effectively.

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Creating a Memorable Customer Experience
Presented by Rita Suiter
Sunday, February 6 | 9:45-12:00


If you give customers an experience that they cannot get anywhere else, they will not go anywhere else.
In this session we will delve deep into the following aspects:
  • Customer Expectations
  • Customer & Coworker Engagement
  • Communication: Face-to-Face – Telephone – Email – Social Media
  • Customer Touchpoints…Everything Speaks!
  • Delivering A Winning Customer Experience

Bringing Your Records to Life
Presented by Alex White
Sunday, February 6 | 9:45-12:00

Everybody loves keeping and analyzing records, right? Doc White will help you see how you can use your records to make better financial decisions. We will talk about why you need to keep records and which records you definitely need. Find out how to use your records to take control of the finances of your operation.
  • Why records are necessary
  • Which records to keep
  • Talking with your lender
  • Budgeting (spreadsheet exercise)
  • Sensitivity Analysis (spreadsheet)
    • Breakeven prices or quantities
    • Shock testing on key variables (impact of 10-25% changes in costs, sales, etc.)
  • Forecasting your cash flow
    • Using a quarterly or monthly cash flow spreadsheet
  • Possibly going over some financial ratios (on spreadsheet) if time allows ​​
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Regenerative Agriculture
Presented by Will Harris and Jodi Harris Benoit
Sunday, February 6 | 9:45-12:00

We believe that regenerative agriculture is the restarting of nature's cycle. 
Some of these cycles are: Mineral cycle, Carbon Cycle, Energy Cycle & Water Cycle
The more consumers that understand the importance of restarting nature's cycle, the more regenerative agriculture will catch traction. 
This session will cover the following
  • Complicated vs Complex
  • Reductionist Science Application
  • Linear vs. Cyclical
  • Scalable vs. Replicable 
  • Efficient vs. Resilient 
  • Bringing it All Together - "Cowboy Arithmetic"
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Key Managers Only Session
Presented by Hunter Hall, Sarah van Heeswijk, Jeff Manley
Sunday, February 6 | 1:45-4:00

This interactive session is broken into three parts and will cover aspects on how to best enhance your role as a Key Manager of the operation. 

Part One - Managing "up" is just as important as managing "down."  Neither are possible without a defined Business Strategy and understood Business Results. Come learn how you can bridge the gap with your team so you can hit the business results you want to see. 

Part Two - How to create a positive culture through your leadership and by building a successful staff team with employees from different generations.

Part Three – Experienced key manager panel’s Tips for Success 

Event Planning Panel: Marketing - Logistics - Ticketing
Hugh McPherson, Jenny Ferels, Tammi Packer
Sunday, February 6 | 1:45-4:00


​Whether you’re planning to host your first event, or have been doing it for years, this session will cover everything that you should be considering when planning an event on your farm.
We’ll touch upon aspects of the following:
  • Budget, pricing, number of attendees and financial returns.
  • Basics of permits, zoning and regulations.
  • Logistics, activities, vendors, partners & sponsorships
  • Entertainment, food & beverage, misc (tents, porta-potties etc.)
  • Ticketing
  • Parking
  • Marketing & promotions
  • Staffing, Security & Emergency Preparedness plan

Branding & Marketing Strategies
Presented by Rita Suiter
Sunday, February 6 | 1:45-4:00

If you build it and they come, will they stay and return?
​
With years of branding experience across an array of industries, Rita will cover a broad swath of information to help bolster your operation’s marketing and branding strategies.
In this session we will cover the following:
  • Ag Marketing Defined
  • Best Marketing Practices
  • The Power of Storytelling
  • Essentials to Brand Strategy
  • Start Small to Build Large

Assessing Your Financial Health & Analyzing the Finances of New Ventures
Presented by Alex White
Sunday, February 6 | 1:45-4:00

Ever wonder how your business is doing financially? Or do you prefer not to know?! Doc White will show you how to assess your financial condition without too much pain. We will talk about key financial ratios you can use to identify the financial strengths and weaknesses of your entire operation. We will also look at analyzing the financial health of new ventures you are considering.

Assessing Your Financial Health
  • Looking at 5-6 financial measures
  • Benchmarking
  • Improving your operation
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Considering adding a new enterprise or new assets to your operation? Doc White will show you methods of projecting the cash flow and profitability of the new venture. We’ll talk about enterprise budgets, cash flow statements, and investment analysis methods.

Analyzing a New Venture
  • Budgeting
  • Sensitivity Analysis
  • Investment Analysis​

POS: Beyond the Software
Presented by Scott Skelly
Sunday, February 6 | 1:45-4:00


Purchasing a new Point of Sale system can be daunting as there are so many moving parts to finding the system that works best for you. As you search, every system promises to be life changing and so simple a child could do it, but the more you learn the less you know. Yet a good POS can be a powerful tool. In this session we will take a new approach at looking how to get more out of the systems you already use and better understand how all the pieces work together. Scott will use Vend POS and Square as personal examples of maximizing your POS, but this general POS knowledge can be helpful in a variety of systems. 
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Discussion points will include:
  • Computers and tablets: what should your registers use
  • How credit card machines talk to your POS and why they sometimes double charge
  • Receipt printers: USB, Wired, WiFi and Bluetooth
  • How barcode scanners work and if you really need to buy that overpriced one your POS recommends
  • Barcode printing: What printers work great and how barcodes and UPCs are not the same thing, plus what is a price computing barcode?
  • Bad built in reports? Export to CSV and use Excel Pivot tables to get the data you need
  • Tracking inventory movement: how purchase orders and stock counts can improve your buying
  • Syncing with online stores
  • And More!

Keynote Session
Five Components of Extraordinary Teams
Presented by Lee Rubin
Monday, February 7 | 8:15-9:30


Machines are evaluated based on the output of the entire unit, not the impressiveness of their individual parts. Extraordinary teams, like great machines, require certain components that hold their pieces together. While most organizations focus exclusively on building the skills of their individual members, elite organizations invest in the “stuff” that transforms a collection of talented individuals into extraordinary, machine-like teams.

Key Points
  • Individuals must make sacrifices to achieve the team’s COMMON GOAL
  • Open and honest COMMUNICATION is the foundation for trust
  • Daily, focused discipline is the key to CONSISTENCY

Deeper Dive into the Five Components of Extraordinary Teams
Monday, February 7 | 9:45-12:00


During this interactive workshop, Lee will take a deeper dive into the concepts presented during his keynote on the same subject, 5 Components of Extraordinary Teams.
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Specifically, he will share best practices for:
  • Encouraging team members to make personal sacrifices to achieve broader organizational goals
  • Creating a culture that encourages open, honest, and respectful communication
  • Leveraging times of adversity and uncertainty to build stronger relationships

​This interactive workshop will be the perfect time for attendees to ask questions on how to apply the 5 Components to their organizations.

Lavender Production & Events Panel
​Panelists: Bill Bakan, Scott DeBuck, Debbie Wickham, Dale Wickham
Monday, February 7 | 9:45-12:00


Let's talk Lavender!  
  • Hear from three farms about their unique lavender experience and how it fit into their farm & business plans
  • See how each farm laid out their fields, decided on acreage, what they planted & why
  • Learn profitable pricing models, additional revenue add-ons, and ticketing options
  • Find out what worked and what didn't!

Making Sense of HR Madness
Presented by Jean Seawright
Monday, February 7 | 9:45-12:00


To help keep you up-to-speed with the latest HR issues, Jean will provide an overview of critical HR challenges including:
  • Mandated paid sick leave laws
  • Essential handbook policies
  • New employer risks from shifting government agency philosophies
  • Common wage and hour practices to avoid
  • Best practices for terminations
  • Best kept secret for sourcing talent
  • And more…
You don’t want to miss this important session where you’ll leave with practical ideas, critical tips and vital knowledge to minimize HR risk and successfully manage your human resources.

Hiring Made Simple: Best Practices to Staff Your Agritourism Business 
Presented by Jami Armstrong
Monday, February 7 | 9:45-12:00


During this interactive workshop on hiring best practices, you will receive detailed instruction on how to attract and select the right candidates for your extended busy season, while utilizing streamlined processes and tools to save time and increase your recruiting effectiveness. 
Attendees will learn and practice:
 
  • The basics of creating attractive and accurate job descriptions tailored to your business
  • How to incentivize your current networks to spread the word (and sing your praises) to attract more (and better) candidates
  • How to create an effective recruiting process
  • How to select the right candidates using effective interview tools and processes
 
Attendees will leave with:
  • Recruiting process handbook including workflows
  • Job description template
  • Interview questions toolkit template (includes evaluation form, do’s and don’ts of interviewing, question bank, interview agenda)
  • Social media post prompts
  • List of unique job boards
By the end of this packed two-hour session, you will be able to apply turnkey methods to improve your hiring process with less stress and less time.

Prioritizing Your Priorities
Presented by Katrina Hutchins
Monday, February 7 | 9:45-12:00


Current research shows that employees are exhausted and burned out, as they are experiencing higher levels of stress, anxiety, relationship-breakdown, insomnia, depression, emotional and physical fatigue. As leaders, managers, and team members attempt to be productive at work and responsive to the needs of their families and fulfill many other roles, the realities of their personal and professional struggles often are unspoken and unaddressed.  The exceptionally urgent need for a safe space to share their realities, connect with peers with similar experiences, and learn new maneuvering skills, is often not provided. 
In this interactive session, participants will explore tools and strategies for maneuvering through:
  • Stress, Anxiety, Exhaustion and Burnout
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Effective Communication and Voice
  • Self-Care for Positive Mental Well-Being and Health
This session is designed to help participants re-focus, re-direct, re-engage, and re-energize!

Donuts Panel
Carolyn’s Country Cousins and Whitehouse Fruit Farm
Monday, February 7 | 1:45-2:45


Whether you are simply thinking about incorporating donuts as a value-added product or have been offering it to your guests for years, this panel session will cover all the bases including:
  • Equipment
  • Mixes
  • Creativity
  • Pricing
  • Display
  • Packaging 

​Come with your questions prepared for our NAFDMA operations and learn how to make your donuts a positive and profitable experience.

Partnering with Other Businesses for Successful Events
Presented by Wendy Winkel
Monday, February 7 | 1:45-2:45


This presentation is meant to give a clear reasoning as to why to partner with other businesses for events at your establishment and to lay an easy-to-follow road map of finding and implementing these event partnerships. 

Although I am newer to Agritourism, partnering with other businesses has led to the rapid growth of my business. 

Topics to be covered are: 
  • why partner with other businesses for events
  • how to get started in identifying partners
  • partnering goals
  • business types that I have personally teamed up with
  • basic and detailed examples of business partnerships 
  • smaller everyday examples of business partnerships
  • possible collaborations ideas and the mutual benefits

Get Them in the Door and Coming Back
Presented by Julie Keene
Monday, February 7 | 1:45-2:45

At Flinchbaugh’s Orchard & Farm Market our goal is to create an atmosphere that engages and inspires visitors to our farm and orchard year-round.  
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In this session you’ll learn how to get your customers in the door and keep coming back again and again for your killer products, amazing customer care, lively events and well-planned marketing.

Stone Mountain Park Overview
Presented by Michael Dombrowski
Monday, February 7 | 1:45-2:45

​Stone Mountain Park is located 16 miles east of downtown Atlanta.  The park is approximately 3,400 acres, including woodlands, lakes, attractions, and its centerpiece, Stone Mountain, one of the world’s largest exposed granite monadnocks.  Often considered to be the State’s greatest natural tourist attraction, several million people visit Stone Mountain Park each year. 

In 1998, the State of Georgia entered into an agreement with Herschend Family Entertainment to manage all revenue aspects of the park. 
 
We will cover the following in this session: 
  • The importance of Herschend’s vision, mission, and core values on our performance
  • Drivers of our revenue growth and how creating a new culture got us there
  • The power of marketing and creating a sense of urgency
  • What we learned through COVID that applies to our go-forward strategies
  • Park Events & Attractions including
    • World famous Lasershow Spectacular
    • Pumpkin, Christmas, and Yellow Daisy Festivals 
  • Food and Merchandise operations
  • Lodging - hotels and largest campground in Georgia

Following this one-hour overview will be a separate one-hour Q & A Roundtable with the presenters.

Agritourism Ready: Emergency Preparedness
Presented by Eric Barrett, Rob Leeds
Monday, February 7 | 1:45-2:45

Agritourism is a growing sector of the agricultural economy, with everything from farmers’ markets to large agritourism operations with thousands of guests per day.It is important for these agritourism operations to minimize risks and enhance business sustainability, viability, and resilience of agritourism enterprises using emergency planning and preparedness education for planning and implementing best business practices. This session will lay out a framework for how these businesses can develop and benefit from the adoption of emergency preparedness plans. We will review business strategies for adoption while considering the risks and hazards that affect your business throughout the year. Farms will be able to address potential emergencies based on the specific activities and events hosted at their farms.

Eric Barrett will also present a session on Emergency Management Plan Development. 

Sharing a Workplace with Your Spouse Roundtable
Presented by Scott & Laura Skelly
Monday, February 7 | 3:00-4:00


​Marriage isn’t easy to begin with, but when you are also co-owners, co-managers, or simply co-workers, the relationship dynamics can become even more challenging. Many agritourism businesses feature spouses working and managing together. While numerous materials exist for building a strong marriage, few take into consideration the extra challenges of running a business together. However, many key concepts to a strong marriage can also spill over into a strong workplace, and finding ways to navigate one can area benefit the other.
Come to this roundtable ready to share your experiences of sharing a workplace with your spouse. This won’t be a marriage class; it’s meant to be a time of sharing. Attendees will be encouraged to share what ways they have found to communicate and work well with their spouse at work. Moderators Laura and Scott Skelly, co-owner agritourism farmers themselves, will facilitate posing questions to the group to help everyone learn from each other. If you’ve ever felt a little different than other couples because you spend more time together at work than at home, then this is the group of people for you. Plus, if you’re a couple considering having a spouse join the business full time, come learn from other couples. Attendees are encouraged to attend as a couple, but individuals are welcome too.
Possible discussion topics:
  • What you love about working with your spouse
  • Designating decision roles
  • Managing disagreements
  • Dividing up workload
  • Managing off-work time
  • Balancing family and work responsibilities
  • Adding a spouse to the business

Manager - Idea Conception to Reality Roundtable
Presented by Jay Schwinn
Monday, February 7 | 3:00-4:00


As a key manager, successfully growing your idea from concept to completion requires a variety of skillsets, regardless of your experience.

Together we will discuss the best practices, and potential pitfalls of the following:
  • Adding your twist to the stakeholder’s idea and Adding the stakeholder’s twist to your idea
  • Effectively explaining your concept to stakeholders, and convincing them to move forward
  • Building attractions with what you have available
  • Celebrating your individual wins and those of the operation

Young and Transitioning Operations Roundtable
Presented by Rob Leeds & Doug Joyer
Monday, February 7 | 3:00-4:00

Join the discussion with other young or transitioning owners to share experiences and gain knowledge to enhance your operational best practices.
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Send your most pressing questions ahead of time to Jeff Winston, Education & Operations Manager – jeff@nafdma.com

Stone Mountain Park Roundtable Q & A
Presented by Michael Dombrowski
Monday, February 7 | 3:00-4:00

As a follow-up to the previous overview session, join the Roundtable to take a deeper-dive into Stone Mountain Park operations and marketing strategy. 
​

Stone Mountain Park is located 16 miles east of downtown Atlanta.  The park is approximately 3,400 acres, including woodlands, lakes, attractions, and its centerpiece, Stone Mountain, one of the world’s largest exposed granite monadnocks.  Often considered to be the State’s greatest natural tourist attraction, several million people visit Stone Mountain Park each year. 

Emergency Management Plan Development
Presented by Eric Barrett
Monday, February 7 | 3:00-4:00

Anticipating what may go wrong is the first step in developing a plan for your farm. A plan is all about managing risk for the safety of your customers, the future of your business and your piece of mind. This session will enable your operation to develop a plan to prepare, mitigate and recovery from emergency situations.In this interactive session we will:
  • Lead you through the development of a plan that can meet the needs of your specific business that is simple and easy to use when needed.
  • Help you build the bones of your plan that meets the needs of your business.
  • Review scenarios to help you anticipate the needs for your specific plan.
Your final Emergency Action plan will be a flip-chart to post in employee areas and to use in employee training. It will cover:
  • Planning for Natural Disasters
  • Planning for Man-Made Disasters
  • Planning for Security Emergencies
  • How to Recover from Emergencies
  • Additional Resources for your Business

Haven't registered yet?

The 2022 NAFDMA Agritourism Convention & EXPO will be hosted in beautiful Atlanta, Georgia. Accommodations will be with the Atlanta Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort.
4021 Lakeview Dr., Stone Mountain, GA 30083