Developing a Business Plan can be one of the most important and useful exercises involved in the development of new farms. Not only is this process useful in helping to understand and articulate what the farm enterprise will look like, it is also important in building a farm development plan that is economically sustainable, and can be essential in procuring the necessary funds with which to purchase land, equipment, and other resources necessary to get started. The following resources offer a number of excellent free publications and tools to help you on your way.
Those of you interested in Farm Business Planning, may also be interested in out Financing (Loans/Grants) Page, and our Risk Management Page.
1) The New England Small Farms Institute’s Growing New Farmers Program helps to answer the question: ‘Do I need a Business Plan for my Farm?’ by providing advice through a number of free publication resources related to this question at: http://growingnewfarmers.org/main/for_new_farmers/new_farmer_q_and_a/business_plan_for_my_farm/
2) Free Business Planning from the University of Minnesota. “AgPlan,” designed specifically for farms and ag businesses, provides guidance in writing your business plan, offers the option of collaborating with one or more advisors, and allows you to save your planning work online (or print it out). Online software at http://agplan.umn.edu/
3) And the USDA National Agricultural Library’s Rural Information Center offers Small Farm Funding Resources which include documents which assist in the development of a Farm Business Plan at: http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/ricpubs/small_farm_funding.htm
4) Building a Sustainable Business: A Guide to Developing a Business Plan for Farms and Rural Businesses is a fantastic, 280 page web publication put out by the the Minnesota institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA). Print copies are available for $17.
5) Building a Business Plan for Your Farm: Important First Steps is a 20 page internet publication prepared by Rodney Jones for the 2003 Risk and Profit Summer Conference in Manhattan Kansas. It gives a good overview of how to get started.
6) North Carolina State University has an Organic Farm Business Planning Page which features a number of publications and links related to financial planing for organic farmers. Some are specific to North Carolina, but many or not.
7) The National Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA) publishes a short online guide to Agricultural Business Planning Templates and Resources which provides links to ‘General Ag. Business Planning Resources’; ‘Internet and Print Resources’; ‘Personal Assistance’; ‘Software Resources’; and ‘Training Courses’. ATTRA also provides a Marketing. Business, and Risk Management Page which contains a number of publications on business planning and other important financial aspects of the farm enterprise.
8) Beginning Farmer and Rancher Resources is an excellent blog site which offers comprehensive resources on Bookkeeping and Other Basics; Cash Flow Budgeting and Managing Debt; Small Farm and Ranch Income Taxes, and more. This blog is packed with useful information.
9) The U.S. Small Business Association has a number of programs and resources to help small businesses grow and succeed. They are a national organization with a number of local offices.
10) Purdue University’s Center for Food and Agricultural Business Educational Resources provide a number of useful resources and tools for learning about planning food and farming businesses.
Each of these resources can be extremely useful for people at all stages of thinking about or planning to start new farms or farm related businesses. Many of the successful beginning farmers I have interviewed consider business planning to be the most important, and an often overlooked aspect of starting a farm.
