Whole Farm Management: From Start-Up to Sustainability

Farming is a business as well as a way of life. "Whole Farm Management" is a comprehensive guide developed by the Small Farms Program at Oregon State University to help aspiring and beginner farmers make smart, strategic business decisions to ensure lasting success. In clear, accessible language, readers are led through every essential step, from developing a strategic plan to acquiring equipment, establishing infrastructure, finding markets, budgeting, managing day-to-day operations, and selecting a business structure for long-term viability. The emphasis throughout is on using sustainable agricultural systems and managing the whole farm, whether raising grass-based livestock, perennial food crops, or annual crops such as flowers. Case studies of successful farms, along with guidance and solutions to common problems from long-time farmers, round out this essential handbook. This essential guide leads aspiring and beginning farmers through the business aspects of starting, growing, and maintaining a successful farming enterprise, from goal-setting and thinking like an entrepreneur to selecting equipment, evaluating markets, managing financials, farming with natural systems, and dealing with the day-to-day challenges of operation. Garry Owen Stephenson, PhD, is the director of the Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems, an alternative agriculture program at Oregon State University that focuses on small-scale organic/sustainable agriculture through its Extension Small Farms Program. He is the editor of Oregon Small Farm News and has 30 years' experience working in an extension education and research role with farmers. Acknowledgments Introduction: Growing a Farm The Big Picture What Is This Book About? The Chapters The Farmers Dream It: Strategic Planning Whole Farm Planning Human Resources Creating an Identity for Your Farm Natural Resources Building the Whole Farm Plan Dream It: Putting It All Together Profiles: Goodfoot Farm, Slow Hand Farm Do It: Farm Infrastructure, Labor, and Energy Equipment and Infrastructure Season-Extension Equipment for Vegetables and Berries Irrigation Equipment and Infrastructure Farm Labor Farm Energy Do It: Putting It All Together Profiles: Good Work Farm, Kiyokawa Family Orchards Sell It: Markets and Marketing What Is a Market? Marketing Strategy Direct Market Techniques for Small Farms Market Planning Sell It: Keys to Success Profiles: Urban Buds: City Grown Flowers, Vanguard Ranch Manage It: Business Management for the Farm Goal Setting and Budgeting Record Keeping Financial Statements Analysis Manage It: Putting It All Together Profile: Blue Fox Farm Grow It: Managing the Whole Farm Ecosystem Planning and Intervention The Farm Ecosystem Managing the Farm Ecosystem Key Practices in Sustainable Agriculture Grow It: Putting It All Together Profiles: Sweet Home Farms, Rainshadow Organics Keep It: Entrepreneurship, Family Business Dynamics, and Managing Risk Entrepreneurship Business Structures Family Business Dynamics Licenses and Regulations Risk Management Reality Check: Running a Small Farm Business The Authors Appendixes Source Citations Resources Metric Conversion Chart Index Build a Complete Plan for Your Small Farm Based on the acclaimed curriculum from the Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems, this guidebook provides a complete program for starting, growing, and maintaining a farm business.