Introduction to Farming Course and Materials : Agriculture Alternatives

Agriculture Alternatives - Goal Evaluation and Business Planning

Suiting your business to your personal and economic goals and solidifying your ideas in a business plan will give you a tool for periodic business evaluations and give you a better chance for success. This session went over the basics of these two concepts.

Each participant was given a copy of the NRAES guide # 32 Farming Alternatives- A Guide to Evaluating the Feasibility of New Farm-Based Enterprises. Purchasing this workbook is $8 well spent. 607-255-7654 or www.nraes.org . Currently the authors are updating the book and may create more targeted versions to be released in the near future. The chapters currently are Personal and Family Considerations, Identifying Alternatives, Marketing, Production, Profitability, Financial Feasibility, and Making a Decision.

Another excellent purchase is Exploring the Small Farm Dream: Is Starting an Agricultural Business Right for You? from the New England Small Farm Institute 413-323-4531 http://www.smallfarm.org/ for $20. It also is in workbook format and some of the resources are available online at http://www.smallfarm.org/explorer/.

Both publications help you identify your goals like the following from our participants

And while it is important to identify a commodity you would like to produce, if it conflicts with either your personal or business goals you are unlikely to be satisfied and successful. Depending on your situation (land, capital, labor, markets) and goals, often your ideal commodity may become apparent more than be a conscious choice. Good farmers often reevaluate their enterprises. Seeing yourself as a small agricultural business owner rather than say a dairy farmer, just for example, allows for a broader framework to make decisions in. The ability to change and be flexible can often be the difference between a succesful farmer and a bankrupt one.

Is Owning Your Own Business Right for You? by Small Business Administration

Starting an Ag-Business? A Pre-Planning Guide by Steve Richards can be found online at
http://agviability.cornell.edu/pre-planning_guide.htm

Knowing Your Market – The Most Challenging Part of a Business Plan by Charles Schlough, Cornell University found online at http://aem.cornell.edu/special_programs/hortmgt/smart_marketing/

Finding the Niche: Case Studies of Beginning Small-Scale Farmers With Recommendations for
Programs for Beginning Farmers by Wisconsin Rural Development Center.

Evaluating a Rural Enterprise Marketing & Business Guide by ATTRA found online at http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/evalrural.html

Enterprise Budget Ananlysis by Penn State Extension found online at http://agalternatives.aers.psu.edu/farmmanagement/Farm.html

Business Planning

Building a Sustainable Business: A Guide to Developing a Business Plan for Farms and Rural Businesses can be purchased for $14 from 1-800-909-6472 or Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, 411 Borlaug Hall, Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108. Found online at http://www.misa.umn.edu/publications/bizplan.html

Sample Business Plans:
Landscape Business Planning Guide by Jeremy Stark, Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853-7801
Writing a Business Plan: An Example for a Small Premium Winery by Mark E. Pisoni and Gerald B. White Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University

Financing Options

Cornell University's Department of Applied Economics and Management
Educational Outreach Materials online at http://www.aem.cornell.edu/outreach/materials.htm
Horticulture Business Management and Marketing Program http://aem.cornell.edu/special_programs/hortmgt/index.htm
Entrepreneurship Education and Outreach Program (EEO) http://www.eeo.aem.cornell.edu/

Ag Business and Marketing Resources from the EEO

Great Places to Find Information about Farming Alternatives by Mary Gold, Alternative Farming Systems Information Center, National Agricultural Library, ARS, USDA online at http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/AFSIC_pubs/findinfo.htm

Holistic Management - A New Framework for Decision Making Savory and Butterfield, Jody (155963488X) Island Press $30.00 Book

For Educators

Goal Evaluation Microsoft Powerpoint presentation