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Farm Business Planning

Understanding that your agricultural operation is a business will help you to run it with long-term sustainability in mind. To really do this well, you need to create a farm business plan. This document is vital for developing and shaping your operation. It also plays a key role in helping you sustain your operation over the long term, obtain funding and other resources, and manage risk.

Creating this plan won't happen overnight. It requires a lot of thought, conversation, realism, and research. It also is a "living document": it evolves and changes as your goals, circumstances, and needs change.

The following publications will help you move forward in writing your farm business plan:

Business Plan Resources Business Planning & Management Market Analysis Product Planning Personnel Case Studies	Contracts and Exit Strategy Financial Planning Insurance & Risk Management Management Cost Studies by the UC Cooperative Extension

Business Plan Resources Elements of a Farm Business Plan (OSA 143) - UCCE Placer-Nevada Agricultural Business Planning: Templates and Resources - ATTRA Business Plans for Agricultural Producers - Texas Cooperative Extension Developing a Business Plan for Value-Added Agricultural Products - OSU Extension A Sample Business Plan - British Columbia Business Services Society Eleven Free Online Winery Business Plans to Check Out - ISU Extension Starting or Diversifying an Agricultural Business - Agricultural Alternatives (Penn State) Business Planning & Management Farming in Challenging Economic Times (OSA 142) - UCCE Placer-Nevada Evaluating a Farming Enterprise - ATTRA Farm and Ranch Strategic Planning - Kansas State Moving Beyond Conventional Cash Cropping - ATTRA Market Analysis Getting Started as a Direct Market Grower (OSA 93) - UCCE Placer-Nevada Internet Marketing Resources (OSA 100) - UCCE Placer-Nevada To Market, To Market: A Workbook for Selecting Market Options and Strategies for Agricultural Products - Rutgers Cooperative Extension A Marketing Primer for Start-up Business - ISU Extension Adding Value to Farm Products: An Overview - ATTRA Community Supported Agriculture - ATTRA Developing Your Market Plan - Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Direct Marketing - ATTRA Entertainment Farming and Agri-Tourism - ATTRA Farmers' Markets - ATTRA Market Gardening: A Start-up Guide - ATTRA Market Plan - South Dakota State University Marketing's Four P's: First Steps for New Entrepreneurs - Purdue Extension Selling to Restaurants - ATTRA Product Planning Market Windows of Opportunity (OSA 95) - UCCE Placer-Nevada Estimating Crop Yields (OSA 42) - UCCE Placer-Nevada 2012 Market Wish List (OSA 98) - UCCE Placer-Nevada Agricultural Marketing Resource Center Natural Foods - Agricultural Marketing Resource Center Organic Certification, Farm Planning, Management, and Marketing - Small Farm Center Personnel Recruiting and Retaining Employees: What Matters Most? - Penn State Dairy Alliance Recruiting and Selecting Agricultural Employees - KSU Extension Care & Feeding of Employees - Foltz, Mitchell, and Akridge Training Helps Farm Market Employees Succeed - Arizona Cooperative Extension Case Studies Various Case Studies - Agricultural Marketing Resource Center Determining Marketing Costs and Returns in Alternative Marketing Channels - UC Davis and CAFF Keys to Success in Value-Added Agriculture - SSAWG and ATTRA Romance vs. Reality: Hard Lessons Learned in a Grass-fed Marketing Cooperative - Tallgrass Prairie Producers Co-op

Contracts, Business Structure, & Exit Strategy Contracts 101: What Makes a Legally Valid Contract - NOLO Ten Tips for Making Solid Business Agreements and Contracts - NOLO Lease Termination and Other Legal Considerations for Lease Contracts - ISU Extension Business Structure Comparison Table - UC Small Farm Program, Shermain Hardesty Passing on the Family Farm Requires a Specific Business Structure - AgWeb Planning Your Exit Strategy: Small Business Valuation - NFIB Financial Planning Cash Flow Analysis Worksheets - UofA Department of Ag and Resource Economics Understanding Cash Flow Analysis - Iowa State U Extension and Outreach Business of Farming Articles (Ranching for Profit) - Ranch Management Consultants Planning for Profit in Sustainable Agriculture - ATTRA Insurance & Risk Management Farm Risk Management (OSA 141) - UCCE Placer/Nevada Introduction to Risk Management: Understanding Agricultural Risks - USDA Disaster & Defense Preparedness for Production Agriculture (ReadyAg) Agricultural Business Insurance - Agriculture Alternatives Crop Policies - USDA Risk Management Agency Livestock Risk Protection: Insuring Calves - SDSU Cooperative Extension   Management Farm Operations Plan (OSA 140) - UCCE Placer-Nevada Are Your Farm Business Management Skills Ready for the 21st Century? - Purdue Extension Family Farm Series Publications: Farm Management - UD Davis, Small Farm Center Holistic Management: A Whole-Farm Decision Making Framework - ATTRA Managing the Modern Farm Business: Identifying Risk Attitudes - U of Alberta Extension Cost Studies by the UC Cooperative Extension Internet Resources on Costs of Production (OSA 90) - UCCE Placer-Nevada Sample Costs to Produce Beans - UCCE Sample Costs for Beef Cattle: Cow-Calf Production, 300 Head - UCCE Sample Costs to Establish and Produce Broccoli - UCCE Sample Costs to Establish and Produce Cabbage - UCCE Sample Costs to Produce Christmas Trees - UCCE Sample Costs to Produce Mixed Vegetables Sample Costs to Establish a Vineyard and Produce Wine Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon - UCCE Sample Costs to Establish a Mandarin Orchard and Produce Mandarins: Satsuma - UCCE Sample Costs for a 50-Head Organic Cow-Calf Operation in the North Coast Region of California - UCCE Other UC Cost Studies

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