ISU Farm Business Management Program
Given Idaho Professional Technical Education
Special Program Award
The Idaho State University Farm Business Management Program was recognized during the 52nd Annual Professional Technical Educators' (PTE) Summer Conference with the Idaho PTE Special Program Award.
Farm Business Management (FBM), taught by Ralph Jones, is offered through ISU Workforce Training. Over the past five years, enrollment in the program has increased from 31 students to 140 students. While the national standard is 40 enrolled farms per instructor, the ISU program has 92 farms enrolled with one instructor. This program is one of the largest single-instructor programs in Farm Business Management in the western states. It has been a featured program three times over the years by the National Association of Farm and Ranch Management Educators Association.
The FBM program is designed totally to accommodate the needs of the participant. Classes are offered on the ISU campus in Pocatello and at off-campus locations in American Falls, Arimo, Rigby, St. Anthony and Terreton with various training times available. The program offers multiple curriculum levels and sequential skill building over a four year format. Classes offered include farm business records, farm business analysis, farm business finance and farm business organization. Each year, the program offers a special Saturday training seminar to students and the agricultural community in general.
The FBM program offered through ISU is a certified vendor for providing mandatory training to those in agriculture who have a loan guarantee from the Farm Service Agency. It is also the largest recipient in the state of funds from the Alternative Careers in Farming grant administered through the University of Idaho. A very successful arrangement between ISU instructor Ralph Jones, and Brad Jahn of the University of Idaho has allowed participants to receive funding for the program. This past year, 34 program participants received funding, totaling more than $15,000. Additional scholarships are also available.
Coordination with private industry helps to make this program a success. Throughout the year, outside presenters provide information on accounting and tax instruction; life, property, casualty, health and crop insurance; estate planning; and a commodity broker facilitates teaching of futures, hedging and options. Jones regularly speaks at industry conferences, trade shows, seminars and high school career days. Over the years, private industry members of the advisory board have included members from banking, insurance, education, machinery dealerships and the Farm Bureau Federation.
For more information on the Farm Business Management program at ISU please contact Workforce Training at (208) 282-3372.
Third year student Glenna Rasmussen views some of the elk on her family’s Thunder Mountain Elk Ranch south of Soda Springs. This ranch brings in thousands of dollars annually to the economy of Caribou County as they sell about 15 hunts each year. This is a certified elk hunting operation with oversight provided by the Idaho Department of Agriculture.
Dairymen David Korn of Terreton is seen visiting with program instructor Ralph Jones. David is discussing the Brown Swiss and Holstein dairy operation he runs with his father. David will be a fourth year student this year and uses his computer to track herd genealogy and production expenses.
Third year student Jeff Walters examines potatoes being fresh packed at Walters Produce in Newdale. Jeff, a certified public accountant and attorney manages the family fresh pack shed. Brother Shawn, also a third year student, is also a certified public accountant and manages the family’s 7,000 acres farming operation. He is also the current president of the Idaho Potato Commission. Between Jeff and Shawn, they have 100 employees during the peak of the potato harvest season and contribute millions of dollars to the upper Snake River Valley economy.
Program graduate Jay Miller is seen here working with his hives of bees north of Blackfoot. Although a four year business graduate of Idaho State University, Jay took the class to upgrade his skills. The owner of 2-J Honey Farms along with his wife Heanna, they bring significant out-of-state revenue to Idaho. The bees are placed in almond groves in California in February and March and the Washington apple orchards in April and May for the purpose of pollination. Then in June they return to southern Idaho for honey production. Miller is such an advocate of the Farm Business Management program that for the last three years he has arranged for program instructor Ralph Jones to teach at the national conference of the American Beekeepers Federation.
Back to the College of Technology