Running your own small farm is demanding enough, but making it profitable presents a host of further challenges. In this business-savvy guide to farming on a small scale, Sarah Aubrey covers everything from financial plans and advertising budgets to web design and food service wholesalers. Learn how to isolate your target audience and craft artisanal products that will delight and amaze customers. With a solid business strategy in place, you can confidently turn your passion into a productive and profitable venture. “Great tips for newbies who need to determine the feasibility of following their dreams, and still helpful to those who have been at it awhile.” ForeWord “Aubrey leads the agri-preneur from business plan to market research, from USDA guidelines to product pricing and into the strange world of marketing….This book will help farm operators find a plans that works for them.” Berkshire Eagle “Here is everything you need to know about launching a small agricultural enterprise, from initial start-up to consumer marketing.” American Small Farm You Can Farm for a Living With entrepreneurial drive, a practical business plan, and some marketing savvy, you can run a successful small-farm business that brings your products to your target audience. The demand for fresh, local, organic, naturally raised, lovingly crafted, or sustainably produced small-farm products is on the rise. With seasoned farmer Sarah Beth Aubrey as your guide, discover how you can make the most of these opportunities. Learn how to: *Develop a viable business plan *Conduct market research *Secure financing *Comply with USDA and other food safety guidelines *Protect your assets *Determine correct product pricing *Choose your selling venues: farmers' markets, farmstands, the Web, direct mail, wholesalers *Create a marketing plan that tells your story *Adjust and revise your plan as your business grows Throughout, Aubrey includes profiles of successful farm businesses for inspiration, as well as checklists, contracts, and sample forms to keep you on track. You Can Farm for a Living With entrepreneurial drive, a practical business plan, and some marketing savvy, you can run a successful small-farm business that brings your products to your target audience. The demand for fresh, local, organic, naturally raised, lovingly crafted, or sustainably produced small-farm products is on the rise. With seasoned farmer Sarah Beth Aubrey as your guide, discover how you can make the most of these opportunities. Learn how to: *Develop a viable business plan *Conduct market research *Secure financing *Comply with USDA and other food safety guidelines *Protect your assets *Determine correct product pricing *Choose your selling venues: farmers' markets, farmstands, the Web, direct mail, wholesalers *Create a marketing plan that tells your story *Adjust and revise your plan as your business grows Throughout, Aubrey includes profiles of successful farm businesses for inspiration, as well as checklists, contracts, and sample forms to keep you on track. Sarah Beth Aubrey is the author of Starting and Running Your Own Small Farm Business . She holds a B.S. in Agricultural Communications from the University of Illinois and is the owner of Prosperity Consulting, LLC, a Certified Women’s Business Enterprise. Starting & Running Your Own Small Farm Business By Sarah Beth Aubrey, Sarah Guare, Deborah Burns Storey Publishing Copyright © 2007 Sarah Beth Aubrey All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-58017-697-2 Contents PREFACE, INTRODUCTION, 1 Build a Plan, 2 Test the Waters, 3 Get the Money, 4 Choose Your Business Type, 5 Follow the Rules, 6 Protect Your Assets, 7 Price Your Products, 8 Select Your Selling Venues, 9 Spread the Word, 10 Reflect and Revise, EPILOGUE, APPENDIXES, A: Business Plan, B: Sample Market Research Questionnaire, C: Simple Advertising and Marketing Budget for New Business, D: Press Release/Customer Correspondence, E: Sample Venture Capital Agreement, F: Profit and Loss Statement, G: Cash Flow Comparison, H: Resources, Index, CHAPTER 1 BUILD A PLAN The soil now gets a rumpling soft and damp, And small regard to the future of any weed. The final flat of the hoe's approval stamp Is reserved for the bed of a few selected seed. — Robert Frost, " The Strong Are Saying Nothing " Long before the first seed is planted and the cool earth turned to create the furrow, a farmer conceives the idea to produce a crop and make something edible from the land. This annual act of turning the soil and planting the seed, so commonplace to those of us who know agriculture, is in fact something of a miracle. Every spring, the earth renews itself, and those involved in gleaning the goods of Mother Nature's bounty play a role in this eternal cycle. Very few people now ever get to know the daily joys and trials of building their lives from the land and homes where they live. Today, farmers make u