The Farm Friends Barn (FFB) project took a major step forward this week when board members held their first meeting with a group of St. Cloud State University students who will work with the organization to help create a business model, marketing strategy and fund raising plans for the organization that intends to build a multi-use agriculture-themed structure on property near the Sherburne History Center (SHC) in Becker.

 

FFB Chairperson Jean Johnson and board members Bill Bronder and Mike Brubaker met with SCSU Small Business Development Center regional director Barry Kirchoff and business/marketing students Renee Graff, Kristi Noble and Aaron Hofschulte-Beck on Thursday afternoon at the SHC to discuss the proposal. The meeting explored a wide variety of topics, ranging from the location of the planned structure, what efforts the organization has employed in terms of fund-raising and community awareness to this point, potential support from various governmental bodies in the area and the benefits of employing the student team to facilitate the next steps in the FFB project.

 

Kirchoff said he manages his courses as if they were a professional operation, and that he expects the same level of professionalism from his students that they will be required to display in their future careers if they intend to succeed.  A series of meetings will take place between the FFB board and the project creators, at some of which the board will be presented with a large number of potential avenues, with the FFC providing feedback.

 

The course project will culminate with a “shirt-and-tie” professional presentation by the students to the board and any local and county officials involved in the project, Kirchoff said, which will take place in May.

 

The FFB and the Little Farm hands (LFH) projects had some notable successes in raising their profile in the past year, including a very popular hands-on display at the Sherburne County Fair in July and a clay shoot fund-raiser at the Wild Marsh facility last September.