First Posted: 1/7/2014

LUMBERTON — Robeson Community College will offer a free seminar on Thursday designed to help area farmers expand their business.

The seminar will show participants the basics of establishing and building an agriculture-based business. The seminar will also cover various resources available to farmers to help increase profitability.

Participants will also receive information about an upcoming series of advanced agricultural seminars at the college. The series is set to conclude with a regional business plan competition open to people living in Robeson, Bladen, Brunswick and Columbus counties.

The seminar is part of the “Growing REAL Agriculture Based Entrepreneurship in Southeastern North Carolina,” an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business Enterprise Grant Program.

According to a statement, the seminar is made possible through the combined efforts of Robeson Community College’s N.C. Bio Ag Center, the North Carolina Cooperative Extension and N.C. REAL — a nonprofit dedicated to building entrepreneurial opportunities across the state.

The seminar will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at Robeson Community College in Lumberton. To register, call 910-272-3631.