During Global Entrepreneurship Week, the SE Innovation Center and the USDA sponsored an Ag-Forum, "Growing Entrepreneurs", at Glenn Auditorium on Tuesday, November 18. While Dr. James Stapleton, director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, organized all of the week's student activities, the staff at the SE Innovation Center focused their efforts on the entrepreneurs in the community. Over 165 small business owners and student entrepreneurs attended the forum which included guest speakers and panelists addressing the current trends, issues and opportunities for small fruit and vegetable growers and producers.
Dr. Indi Braden, agriculture professor at Southeast University, discussed food-based fuels and the impact of alternative fuels. She challenged the audience members to think about biomass (grasses and other plant parts) as another alternative to food-based fuels; fuels that take food out of the consumption supply chain.
Micah and Julie Janzow, owners of Janzow Farms in Cape Girardeau, began by telling the audience why they chose to start their organic farm; growing organic vegetables and raising range-free chickens and grass-fed cattle. Five years ago when Julie had her first son, she said that she started to realize that whatever she ate, her son also consumed. Therefore, she said, she and her husband made a decision to grow vegetables that were free of pesticides (Micah makes his own pesticides from environmentally-friendly products) and to sell their items locally to reduce the carbon footprint left by trucking items across several states.
Dr. Paul Schnare, entrepreneur and Southeast University agriculture professor, provided insight into the current, global food crisis. He said that grain demand is at an all-time high, but reserves are only at 1.7 months. Contamination is another problem world-wide, and Dr. Schnare sited several examples in the past year with milk, chocolate, meat and fruits. These global problems, he said, are what could help small growers and producers succeed. Dr. Scnhare said that in his opinion, the more the consumer is concerned about where his / her food comes from and of its safety, the more the consumer will turn to local growers like the Janzows or turn to farmer's markets to buy their fruits and vegetables. Local grower, David Diebold, owner of Diebold Orchards in Benton, Mo., stated that in the same time it takes for sweet corn to be stocked at local grocery store for sale, his sweet corn would already be considered to old to sell. In other words, the shipping time and stocking time, he said, can be up to several days. Several-day-old corn to him, he said, is too old to sell.
The keynote speaker, Don Steen, Missouri Director of Agriculture, told the audience that he has taken advantage of every opportunity that has presented itself to him in his life. He clarified by saying that no one job or position in his background made him qualified to be appointed by Governor Matt Blunt in June 2008. It was instead, he said, a series of different chances and choices that he had taken throughout his career. He wanted other entrepreneurs to leave with a feeling of empowerment, he said, that seizing any opportunity is the key to success.
Small businesses also heard from Mark Weidenbenner, VP and branch manager for Progressive Farm Credit Services. Weidenbenner made sure the entrepreneurs in the audience knew that even though the economy has hit a rough patch, that PFCS, and him in particular, were ready and willing to assist agriculture businesses with financing. He said that their company does have to mitigate their risk and that several factors are evaluated before approving or declining a loan. Those are: the owner's equity in the business, cash flow or the ability to repay the loan, collateral, management skills and work ethic of the owner, and owner’s previous experience in the business.
"If we don't loan money to small businesses," Weidenbenner said, "then I don't have a job. So trust me when I say that we want to help you. But remember, that we cannot take unnecessary risks. Otherwise, I still don’t have a job.”
The USDA co-sponsored the event and Robert Bentley, federal program manager covering 16 states in the Central U.S., focused on food safety/handling practices and regulations. Bentley said that while the USDA has many GHP’s (good handling practices) in place, growers and producers need to be aware that many companies and large grocery chains are just as concerned for the safety of their food as consumers are. He explained that some large chains might have restrictions or processing requirements, but not necessarily are those also USDA requirements. Bentley stressed that passing a USDA audit is not difficult, even though it may seem like it. He said that it requires the ‘buy-in’ of all of the staff from the field laborers to the warehousemen, to the delivery drivers and the front office staff. Another positive for a grower who is USDA-certified is as a marketing tool, Bentley said. Growers can capitalize on the fact that they have a certification that not many others have, and therefore, can market and advertise their farm and products differently.
Dennis Roedemeier, entrepreneurial advocate, CEO of the Missouri Research Corporation and Director of the SE Innovation Center, provided a few closing remarks of encouragement to the group remaining. He stated that planning is vital, and “If you can’t write down on paper, then you can’t do it.” While there are many reasons someone can say they weren’t successful, lack of trying is not a good rationale, Roedemeier said.
“That’s like saying ‘I could have been a major league baseball player if I would have learned how to hit a fastball’,” he said as an analogy. “Or I could have been a brain surgeon, but I never applied to medical school.”
Roedemeier has owned three companies and has been in charge of economic development and entrepreneurship for two, former MO governors, Carnahan and Holden. He believes that small businesses and entrepreneurial endeavors will continue to grow at Southeast University and in the Southeast Missouri region.
Several local growers and other organizations were featured at the forum. They were the USDA, Janzow Farms, ShowMe Fresh Farms, the Mississippi River Hills organization, Sunset Hills Vineyard, the Center for Environmental Analysis, the Southeast Innovation Center, and the Memphis Bioworks Foundation.
In February 2009, National Entrepreneurship Week will be held, and plans for that event are in the forming stages now, according to Gina Harper of the SE Innovation Center.
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