BattleGround to Breaking Ground Program

Interview Questions
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1. Please explain your prior experience with Farming/Ranching. Please Include:

 4-H or FFA program

 Childhood experience

 Currently Farmer/Rancher

 Past experience

 Owned/Operated Farm/Ranch

 Worked on an agriculture operation

 Hobby farm/ranch

 Etc.

2. Please describe your experience with the following business management skills. 

 Business Planning

 Financial Management (including financial statements, budgeting, taxes)

 Operations Management (personnel management, operations plan, inventory

management, risk management, quality control, etc.)

 Marketing (marketing plan, strategies, sales, customer service, distribution,

customer acquisition)

 Management and Organization (establishing a management team, business

structure, etc)

 How do you plan on obtaining these skills?

 BattleGround to Breaking Ground Program
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3. What other agriculture and/or business management programs/education have you

accessed or attended? Please include:

 Internships and/or apprenticeships

 Workshops

 Field Days

 Degree programs

 Continuing Education

 Online education

 Books

 Also include any programs/education you plan on you plan on attending. Please
include the names of the programs/education

4. Please describe the future goals of your farming/ranching operation. Please include:

 Your knowledge of your proposed agriculture enterprise/s. If you do not feel you
have adequate knowledge of your proposed agriculture enterprise/s, please
describe how you plan to acquire this knowledge.

 Describe your estimated timeline for achieving your farming/ranching goals

 Describe your plan for marketing your future products

 BattleGround to Breaking Ground Program
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5. Please describe where you are in the planning process of your current/future farm/ranch?

 Describe your process- may include answers to questions such as:

o Have you created a business plan, operations plan, marketing plan etc.?

o Have you done market research?

o Have you created budgets?

o Have you identified/established your management team? Resource team?

(i.e. CPA's,USDA, Extension, etc.)

 Describe your perceived areas of weakness for your current/proposed agriculture

business (i.e. Lack of knowledge, lack of capital, lack of access to land, etc.)

 Describe your plan of overcoming your perceived weaknesses

 BattleGround to Breaking Ground Program
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6. Do you have access to land? If so, please describe your land. If not, please describe the
land that you will need for your proposed operation. Please include the following in your
answer:

 If you have access to land:

o Is the land owned or leased?

o If leased, how long is the lease for?

 If you do not currently have access to land, when do you plan on acquiring land?
Are you looking to purchase or lease?

 Describe the land you currently have or are looking for

o Include: number of acres, grassland or forestland, number of pastures, soil

quality if known, topography, water sources, etc.

 Describe the barriers to your current production that your land faces/or may face

o How do you plan on overcoming these barriers?

7. Please describe your current farm/ranch or the farm/ranch you currently work for. If you
don not currently have an agriculture operation, please describe the farm/ranch you
would like to have. Please include:

 Type of production-i.e cattle, goats, poultry, vegetable

 Production practices i.e. organic, grass-fed, hydroponics, aquaponics, intense

rotational grazing, etc.

 Describe the general operations of you current/proposed farm/ranch (i.e. Brief

overview of necessary tasks)
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8. Please tell us about your current infrastructure that you have on your land and/or about
the infrastructure that you will need.

 For those with current infrastructure, describe your current infrastructure

o Include: fencing, cross fencing, buildings, equipment, etc.

 For those with and without current infrastructure, describe what infrastructure

needs you have:

o Include: fencing, cross fencing, buildings, equipment, etc.

o How do you plan on obtaining your infrastructure needs?

9. Who will support you in the process of starting/running your farm/ranch? Please include:

 What support needs you have (i.e. skills acquisition, knowledge, business
management, disability services, etc.)

 Describe your support network (i.e. Mentors, family, resources such as:
Extension, USDA agents, VA/TWC counselors, etc.)
 BattleGround to Breaking Ground Program
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10. Please describe what your current priorities and time commitments are and how
completing this program fits into those.
 What are your current priorities (i.e. family, school, job, etc.) & current time
commitments?

 How do you expect these priorities & time commitments to change over the next
year?

 How do you anticipate that your current/future priorities/time commitments may

impact your ability to complete the program?

 How will you ensure that you will complete this program regardless of competing
priorities/time commitments?

11. Phase 2 of this program will require a minimum of 6-10 hours per week for 16 weeks of
dedicated time to read/listen to course material, submit discussion questions, and submit
your business planning assignment. Additionally, you will be required to have at least 1
IEP call, 1 VetAdvisors call, and submit 1 webinar assignment.

Please describe your plan for completing all of these requirements.

 BattleGround to Breaking Ground Program
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12. Phase 3 requires you to complete 2-3 online lessons in production per week and at least 1
IEP call and 1 VetAdvisors call per month. Additionally, you will be required to
complete 100 hours of hands-on education with a mentor or at approved events.
Please describe your plan for completing all of these requirements.

13. Please answer these questions:

 Why do you feel like this program will be beneficial for you? Your family? Your
community?

 Why do you feel like you will be a good fit for this program?

 A majority of this program relies on a peer-to-peer model. What qualities/skills do

you feel you possess that will benefit others? 

14. Anything else you would like to disclose. Please include:

 Why you are applying for this program

 Any area that may be lacking in your application or in your experience

o How do you think this program can help you in these areas?

 Anything else
 BattleGround to Breaking Ground Program
Interview Questions
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