Caroline County

The Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC), University of Maryland Extension, and the Ag Law Education Initiative will host three one-day workshops on Jan. 13th in Mountain Lake Park, Jan. 27th at the Central MD Research and Education Center, and Feb. 11 at the Eastern Shore Hospital Center, in the English Room. The Farm Succession and Estate Planning workshops will be from 10 am to 2:30 pm.

The free program will assist Maryland farm families in starting the estate planning process, including creating a successful succession plan, having difficult conversations, and health insurance options for farmers. A grant funds the program through the Northeast Risk Management Education Center.

The workshop will feature Dr. Jesse Ketterman, Senior Agent, Dr. Alex Chan, Senior Agent, and a Farm Succession Coordinator, and Paul Goeringer, a Principal Faculty Specialist and Extension Specialist in agricultural law.

“Farm families often want to plan for the future but don’t always know where to start,” said Paul Goeringer. “These workshops give Maryland landowners the tools, confidence, and practical guidance they need to begin building a succession plan that protects both their operations and their families for generations to come.”

Lunch is provided with the workshops. Each workshop will begin at 9:45 am with a check-in, and the workshops will run from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm. Participants will receive copies of Extension fact sheets and other valuable documents as a part of the workshop series. This work is supported by the Northeast Extension Risk Management project award no. 2024-70027-42540, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Objective

Annie’s project is designed to empower women in agriculture, provide information on farm management, and build local networks throughout the state. The target audience is women with a passion for business, agriculture, and involvement in the farm operation.

Key Principles:

*Teach all five areas of agricultural risk: financial, human resources, legal, marketing, & production.*Invite local professionals to serve as guest instructors where possible. *Allocate half of the class time to discussion and hands-on activities.*Provide unbiased, researched based information.*Create a learning environment where mentoring is spontaneous.

Core Values:

*Safe Harbor - all questions or situations are welcomed for sharing and open discussion.*Connection - to each other and to professionals introduced to them in class.*Discovery - the moment when something makes sense where before it did not.*Guided Intelligence - at any one time there is a woman in the audience who knows more about the subject being presented than the instructor and is willing to share her experience.

FSA Borrower Training - Annie's Project is approved for FSA Borrower Training.

For questions visit the website http://extension.umd.edu/annies-project, email sdill@umd.edu or call 410-822-1244.

See tickets for individual class locations and site-specific details. This is a hybrid class that will be offered concurrently - In person in Centreville MD or online via zoom.

MidShore Maryland

6 Sessions, 6:00 – 9:00 pm

February 18, 2026 - April 1, 2026 (Wednesdays)(NO CLASS FEBRUARY 25)

Location: Queen Anne's County Extension Office

505 Railroad Ave # 4, Centreville, MD 21617

Virtual

6 sessions, 6:30pm-8:30pm

February 18, 2026 - April 1, 2026 (Wednesdays)(NO CLASS FEBRUARY 25)

Location: Live via Zoom, approximately 1 hour of time out of class on reading and assignments

F SA Borrower Training - Optional

As part of the USDA Direct Loan Program, some applicants may be required to receive Borrower Training. Annie's Project is approved for borrower training and includes two steps: 1) Attend an Annie's Project class with satisfactory attendance, participation and discussion. 2) Complete a farm management workbook and return it to the reviewer.

More information here

University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.

If you need reasonable accommodation to participate in any event or activity, please contact the UMD Extension office two weeks prior to the event at 410-758-0166 or 410-822-1244.