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CORVALLIS - The Oregon State University Extension Service is offering a series of workshops in Eastern Oregon this November to help farm and ranch owners, families and managers learn how to create a business plan.

Three regional workshop sessions are planned. They will be held in The Dalles, starting Nov. 12, 1-4 p.m. at Columbia Gorge Community College; Pendleton, starting Nov. 13, 1-4 p.m. at Blue Mountain Community College; and Redmond, starting Nov. 14, 1-4 p.m. at Central Oregon Community College, Redmond Campus. Subsequent workshop dates will be discussed at those first meetings.

The workshops are made possible through a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant and will be conducted in cooperation with Columbia Gorge, Blue Mountain and Central Oregon community colleges.

"These workshops are unique in that they include instructional seminars and one-on-one sessions with professional farm advisers," said Bart Eleveld, OSU Extension Service economist and coordinator of the workshops.

"Each workshop series consists of five to six seminars and three to five consultations, with the ultimate goal of a complete, written farm or ranch business plan for each participant," Eleveld added.

The workshops will cover a range of topics including how to set personal and business goals and objectives, considerations for estate planning, how to inventory farm resources, and planning for changes with budgets.

The registration deadline is Nov. 1, and early registration is encouraged. The workshop series will be limited to 12 farm/ranch businesses or families at each location. Registration will be handled by the cooperating community colleges. The registration fee is only $150, Eleveld said, because much of the workshop costs have been subsidized by the USDA grant.

For more information, contact the OSU Extension Service office in counties where sessions are planned, or Bart Eleveld at the OSU Department of Agricultural and Economic Resources, telephone: 541-737-1409; FAX: 541-737-2563; e-mail: bart.eleveld@oregonstate.edu.