October 2024 was the highlight of our season because we had been planning behind the scenes since March, a workshop sponsored by National Center For Appropriate Technology NCAT. Finding the perfect people and getting them to agree on speaking for 45 minutes at a time was not an easy task, but it all came together and everyone did a fabulous job and enjoyed themselves immensely. Our introductory speaker and Master of Ceremonies was NCAT Representative Hakeem Holmes who drove from Tallahassee Florida. Gabriella Soto-Velez also representing NCAT flew in from Ft. Myers, Florida to demonstrate Mushroom Cultivation, giving several starter kits to the audience. Roslyn Dickens of Rosie's Hometown Meat shared the floor about being a hometown girl, marrying into a cattle farming family, and now the owner of a brick and mortar Meat market. Amanda Prochaska of the Oconee Enterprise our Watkinsville newspaper spoke on the importance of marketing and using the local resources to get the word out about small businesses. USDA Programs representative Kaneisha Miller, simplified some of the program language for those interested in EQUIP and various other programs funded by the agency. Georgia Department of Agriculture representative, Anna Thornton, talked about Cottage Food laws, that 45 minutes was an eye opener! Financial advisor Marcus Alford from Northwestern Mutual finished us off with the importance of financial planning, by sharing with the audience a personal experience involving unsecured heirs property. That story resonated with many in the audience, because many women think they don't have the finances or business acumen to make good judgements about land security and ownership. I think Mr. Alford will be getting some calls in the near future. Oh I almost forgot my role, I spoke for 45 minutes about my land, how it works for me, the importance of the water on my land, the indigenous plants, the fruit trees I've planted and the value added products we make to sustain our business during the off season. The day was full and the lunch was filling. Our family will be eternally grateful to all who participated, and traveled from Mississippi, Florida, Atlanta, Athens, Watkinsville and North High Shoals to support our farm field day.

Thank you,

Margo