Guidelines for Case Study Presentation
Attached are pictures and some financial information about a grain and beef farm in south central Kansas. The farm family consists of a husband and a wife (Tom and Jane Farmer) and their two kids (Nate and Amy). Nate is in college and Amy is in high school. This farm is located about 10 to 15 miles from Wichita in Sedgwick County. The farm is located along a paved 2-lane highway with easy access into Wichita. While this farm has been doing fine financially, the Farmers two children, Nate and Amy, have expressed some interest in returning to the family farm.
The Farmers are considering expanding into the agritourism arena. The Farmers know very little about agritourism other than what they have seen in other locations. Some of the agritourism farms they have visited include farms that offer petting zoos, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and u-pick vegetable and fruit operations. They know there are other possibilities as well.
About the farm
The Farmer’s farm consists of 2,504 total acres with 1634 crop acres, 785 pasture acres and the remainder of the farm in buildings and timber (85 acres). Of these 2,504 acres, the Farmers own 725 acres and rent 1779 acres. The Farmers raise corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, wheat, and alfalfa hay. In addition, they have 38 beef cows with 105 beef feeders. The 3 pages of financial information have more detailed information about their farm, the revenue and expenses for 2014, and their beginning and ending balance sheet for 2014.
Assignment
Your school’s assignment for the case study is as follows:
1)Develop a 4-minute PowerPoint presentation that, at a minimum, addresses the following questions:
- What is the current state of the Farmer’s farm and their outlook without making any changes?
- What are some agritourism businesses the Farmers should consider and what are the strengths and weakness of these opportunities
- How should the Farmers proceed under the assumption Nate and Amy want to return to the family farm.
2)The PowerPoint presentation will be the only part being graded. There are no other materials to turn in. The presentation should be geared toward anyone with a strong interest in the farm (i.e., other family members, lenders, input suppliers, etc.)
3)The material in the packet is just the starting for building your case study. The USDA has additional information about crop production, yield histories, cost of production, etc. for the state of Kansas. In addition, Kansas State University, through AgManager.info has plenty of information and tools that could be use for a case study. Google is always your friend as well particularly when it comes to researching agritourism.
4)The attached rubic provides details about how the presentations will be scored. This first year, every team will start with one point (the rubic only goes to 49 points). In addition, for this first year, no team will score lower than 25 points.
5)The pictures included of the farmstead are currently being used in support of the current farm operation but could be used to support any agritourism plans as well.