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Location: American Legion, 100 Armory Lane, Vergennes, VT
Tickets: $25 per person
Full agenda and registration.
Aimed at people interested in grazing techniques and livestock management, this gathering includes presentations about grazing-related research, a workshop on improving communication on your farm, farmers sharing their experience using NoFence with goats and beef cattle, a farmer panel about bale grazing and filling out the new Vermont grazing template/worksheet.
Along with production-related sessions, the day includes "High Stakes Communication on the Farm: How to Talk to Anyone about Anything," led by Bruce Hennessey. The focus will be on interactive skill-building and storytelling to illustrate effective communication's essential farm and business benefits, especially in high-stakes situations. Topics will include: Building Trust within your community (family, suppliers, staff, customers and regulators) Checking our stories at the door: On the human instinct of creating a story to fit a set of facts, regardless of what the real story is. Strategies for having hard conversations while maintaining a standard of respect for all. Managing change on your farm (getting people to buy in and dealing with resistance) Why being vulnerable as a leader (NOT as a farm, business, or system) makes you more effective. Do you or people you work with react to challenging situations by clamming up or acting out? Learn about a third way that leads to better outcomes. The bedrock of resilience: relationships.