The Business, Agriculture and Rural Development (BARD) technical assistance training program at the University of Maine’s Maine Business School has received a $292,000 award from the Small Business Administration.

To fill the gap between current business education and agriculture in the region, the BARD program was founded by Maine Business School professor of management Stephanie Welcome and assistant professor of marketing Erin Percival Carter.

The program begins by recruiting students with an interest in commercial and sustainable agriculture through competitive applications, and trains them to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to work with agricultural producers and processors. Students complete a semester-long training and research program focused on working directly with small, sustainable, agricultural businesses. Product development, market intelligence and consumer research.

BARD’s first round, which ended in 2020, worked directly with Maine’s artisan cheese industry in partnership with the Maine Cheese Guild and the Maine Farmland Trust.

Percival Carter said: “Even though Covid hit mid-semester, the results were really impressive.” “Those students worked closely with their farmer clients and with the amazing support of our industry advisors, they were excellent, delivering full analyzes and proposals at the end of the semester. The importance of this type of mentoring exists in many agricultural industries in Maine, and students are hungry for opportunities to work on something practical and meaningful.

This year’s program focuses on the fiber industry – wool, alpaca, flax, hemp and other plant and animal fibers – and fiber producers and value-added in the state and territory. Fiber producers and processors in Maine understand the overall market and demand for their products, but struggle with a lack of information and guidance on how to manage production, price products to ensure profitability, and effectively differentiate product offerings in the minds of consumers.

The BARD program brings eager students together with fiber farmers, millers, dyers, retailers, designers and artists – along with experts in climate sustainability, business and sustainable agriculture – to ensure Maine’s fiber industry is positioned to take advantage of market trends. More sustainable textile production.

SBA’s funding of the BARD program will help expand a sustainable agricultural service provider pipeline in the region to effectively support the agricultural sector and support rural development through quality business advisory services, particularly the education and experience needed for agricultural producers. One that operates on a small scale or concentrates on producing a large number of good products.

“There’s a romance in farming that I know draws students in, but over the course of a semester they begin to appreciate not only the not-so-romantic, but also the help to navigate the complexities of running a business in an incredibly challenging industry,” says Percival Carter.

“At the end of the experience, we hope to have many students considering future career opportunities in agriculture, and especially agriculture in Maine. But even if they decide to work in something else, we know they’ve gained from this experience using what they’ve learned to help reinforce what’s most important.”

Contact: Sam Spain, samantha.schipani@maine.edu