Blog Post

North Olympic Peninsula Agricultural Business Advising

Business Consulting for Farmers


The North Olympic Peninsula Resource Conservation & Development Council (NODC) was awarded a USDA Rural Business Development grant of $85,763 to support the agriculture sector in Clallam and Jefferson Counties, helping farms to expand and to retain or increase jobs. The project began September 30, 2020 and ended December 29, 2021 with the following objectives:


  • Provide intensive, in-depth, individualized technical assistance to up to 10 agricultural enterprises
  • Partnering with WSU Extension’s Small Farms Program, provide in-depth, specialized workshops for at least an additional 30 agricultural enterprises


As a result of COVID, technical assistance was provided through a variety of methods as COVID rates allowed – in-person, outdoors and masked, over the phone, by email, or through Zoom calls. Despite these challenges, NODC was still able to provide intensive technical assistance to 15 agricultural enterprises, exceeding the goal by 50%. NODC also provided shorter-term technical assistance and/or referrals to an additional ten farms. 


NODC and WSU Extension offered 7 specialized workshops, all held via Zoom, with an average attendance of 37 people. Topics included:


  • Applying for USDA Grants
  • Setting Your Farm Up for Employees
  • Employment Insurance
  • Costs of Farm Labor
  • Agricultural Leases 101
  • Preparing for a Farm Loan
  • E-Commerce Marketing Strategies


Workshop recordings are linked below.


For more information, contact Elise Wright, Project Coordinator: Food Sector Business Development at elise@noprcd.org



The webinars below have been recorded and are hosted on the WSU Extension Regional Small Farms Program YouTube channel.


Webinar – Farm and Food Grants

Tuesday, February 6, 2024


Hosted by the Jefferson County Farmers Market Association, North Olympic Development Council and Washington State University Extension Regional Small Farms Program. Speakers include Carlotta Donisi with USDA Rural Development and Ryan McCarthey with NODC. 


Topics include:

An overview of federal, state and independent grant opportunities.

Submitting your strongest application.

Knowing your resources.



Webinar – E-Commerce Marketing Strategies for Farms and Food Businesses

Tuesday, Nov 9, 2021


As the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted consumer buying habits, farm and food businesses need to rethink their e-commerce marketing strategies. Is your e-commerce platform and presence up to the challenge? Susan Shoemaker, Business Assistance Specialist with NODC, shares her thoughts on several topics including:

– Optimization of your website and online search presence
– Practical tips on using social media
– The development and linking of websites and e-commerce platforms
– And some thoughts on setting up a website and e-commerce platform if starting from scratch


Hosted by NODC and WSU Extension Regional Small Farms Program, this free webinar is made possible by funding from USDA Rural Development.



Webinar – Preparing for a Farm Loan

Wednesday, Oct 28, 2021


As farmers looking to purchase ag land, here is a session just for you. Two experts in the field of agriculture real estate lending share their perspective on this topic. This free webinar is made possible by funding from USDA Rural Business Development.



Webinar – Agricultural Leases 101

Wednesday, Sept 8, 2021


When leasing land, developing a strong agricultural lease is important to all parties involved. In this webinar, we will walk participants through important considerations of an ag lease. This free webinar is made possible by funding from USDA Rural Business Development.



USDA Grant Programs Webinar and Farmer Q&A

Thursday, Feb 25, 2021


NODC and WSU Extension Regional Small Farms Program moderated a discussion about upcoming USDA Grant Program applications and how each program may work for your farm. There was also a Q&A session with a local farmer and recipient of multiple USDA programs, sharing their experience and lessons learned. 


View the recording on the WSU Extension Regional Small Farms Program YouTube channel. This free webinar is made possible by funding from USDA Rural Development.


Additional videos in this series can be found at the WSU Extension online learning site.




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