The Julian Samora Research Institute, in collaboration with the Michigan Food and Farming Systems and the National Immigrant Farming Initiative, has designed and offers farm management courses to Latino farmers with small operations. The core objective of the program is to promote the integration of Latino farmers into the nation’s agricultural industry by teaching them the “nuts and bolts” of farm business management. 

The project consists of a two-course sequence on Introduction to Farm Management taught in Spanish. These courses are each a semester long and are offered through Lake Michigan College – South Haven campus. The courses cover several topics, including: Overview of the United States Agriculture Sector; Marketing Analysis; Introduction to Business Plans; Financial Planning; Record Keeping; Farm Management Security and Produce Storage; Credit and Loan Management; Filing Taxes; Hiring and Managing Workers; and Management Strategies for Success. Each student is required to present a business plan at the end of the second semester.