"Brings the business planning process alive to help today's agriculture entrepreneurs transform farm-grown inspiration into profitable enterprises. Sample worksheets illustrate how real farm families set goals, research processing alternatives, determine potential markets, and evaluate financing options. Blank worksheets offer readers the opportunity to develop their own detailed, lender-ready business plan and map out strategies" --back cover.

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.

Transform your pastime into your livelihood. If your sweet corn is tall, your brood of chickens is beautiful, and your half-dozen goats give delicious milk, then you know firsthand the rewards of running a small farm. But what if you could turn that Do-It-Yourself hobby into a long-term source of regular income? Nurturing a healthy harvest is only half the battle--what you really need to know is how to create a successful and sustainable business. In The Farm to Market Handbook, veteran dairy-goat farmer Janet Hurst combines her deep knowledge of farming life and farmers' markets with her hard-won experience turning farm products into a living wage. From CSAs and weekly markets to school programs and local chefs, Hurst guides you through every type of market available to small farmers. She explains how you can develop a realistic marketing plan, provides a breakdown of the food laws and regulations you'll need to be aware of, and offers insider tips on how to be a successful businessperson. Through enlightening interviews with producers around the country who speak of their successes - and their failures - this book takes a look at some of the nation's top markets and analyzes why they have thrived where others have not. So if you've ever wondered how to get started selling your produce, entertained the idea of raising meat goats, or wanted to spread the word about your homegrown honey, you should read The Farm to Market Handbook and figure out how to put money in your pockets.

A practical, how-to guide for farmers who want to achieve and maintain financial sustainability in their businesses When you decided to become a farmer, you also became an entrepreneur and business person. In order to be ecologically and financially sustainable, you must understand the basics of accounting and bookkeeping, and learn how to manage a growing business. Author Julia Shanks distills years of teaching and business consulting with farmers into this comprehensive, accessible guide. She covers all aspects of launching, running and growing a successful farm business through effective bookkeeping and business management, providing tools to make managerial decisions, apply for a loan or other financing, and offering general business and strategy advice for growing a business. Whether you've been farming for many years or just getting started, The Farmer's Office gives you the tools needed to think like an entrepreneur and thoughtfully manage your business for success.