WESSELS LIVING HISTORY FARM

We aim to improve the general understanding of agriculture- how large of a field it is, different ways to be involved, and an appreciation for the progress made in agriculture, as it has been the driving force behind so many technological advances. In order to do this, we have established organizational goals, as follows:

1. Improve our organizational structure through transparency and staff and board development, with the help of the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands.

2. Address program needs through brand awareness, community partnerships, applying for grant support, increasing revenue and building our employee base in order to support our mission.

3. Increase our educational value, through added content on our website, the addition of demonstrations and classes at the farm and collaboration with schools and other educational programs.

We are working towards a Guidelines and Principles Partnership status with NAM.

As the budget allows, we will increase the paid employees needed to handle the growth of the organization, with an Educator position at the top of the list.

Through our marketing plan, we are targeting travelers, schools and folks living outside of York County.

We have increased our budget for part time employees during the busy season by 150% over last year. With potential grant funding, we may double that by mid-2018.

We have a dedicated volunteer work force- over 110 volunteers in 2017 contributed to nearly 4000 hours.

With the support of our local York County Visitors Bureau, the Nebraska Tourism Commission and others, we are able to market to out of county and out of state potential guests, increasing our revenue, making possible the continued growth in our educational programs.

2018 is our 13th season. In that time, we have grown to seeing nearly 8000 guests per year, with a reach extending to an almost two hour drive in three directions in attendance of our educational classes.

Our website receives 100,000- 200,000 hits per month, from all over the world. Plans are in place to continue to add content- articles, videos and photos.

We are targeting group tour companies in order to boost revenue for the farm while boosting our educational reach.

We have collaborated with more than 50 area organizations and the list is growing!

An increase in farm demonstrations with antique machinery in the past few years has boosted attendance at ag-related events.

A variety of events on the farm will attract visitors who may not yet know how a living history farm relates to them.

We have specific goals pertaining to increasing the number of memberships, educational classes, and general attendance.

Continued educational opportunities for our board members, director, staff and volunteers are on the agenda.