Sanya Omerovic
Beggining organic farmer
Sustainability Education | John Gerber. Okay, so this blog is quite different than most of my others. Summer time you know! A small, gray squirrel stopped his running about one day to say hello to his friend and provider, the great oak tree in the wood. Scampering up the rough, whitish trunk , he sat among the many branches, sighed and said “you are so strong – so tall – so old – you have seen much in your many years here in the wood – but don’t you ever want to run about like me, to play, to jump, to climb?” After a moment, while the wind played softly among the leaves of the old tree, the oak replied quietly… “I am oak.” The small, gray squirrel nodded knowingly (or at least as knowingly as the small brained rodent could nod).
After a moment, while the wind played softly among the leaves of the old tree, the oak replied quietly… “I am oak.” After a long slightly angry pause, the excited little gray squirrel thought of something that would surely elicit a more satisfying reply than “I am oak” – from the oak. The oak signed. Sustainable Agriculture. If you like your produce organic, you're not alone. There's a healthy market for products grown without the aid of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides. But how can farmers deliver top-quality food without these tools? As a student of sustainable agriculture, you'll learn to see agriculture as a partnership with nature. You’ll study earth-friendly techniques like crop rotation -- planting different crops in the same field during different growing seasons. The right combination of crops can have all sorts of benefits. For example, crop rotation can increase soil fertility, prevent erosion, limit disease, interrupt pest growth, and, ultimately, result in a larger harvest.
Students of sustainable agriculture learn the concepts and techniques they need to practice and promote farming that is environmentally sound as well as profitable. Did You Know? In the , only farmers who follow strict USDA guidelines earn the right to label their products "organic. " Are You Ready To...? Careers for Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture Majors. Does It Make Financial Sense? | Northeast Beginning Farmer Project. How Profitable Will it Be? Now that the list has been narrowed down, it is time to see if the enterprises that have been chosen meet the financial goals you have in mind.
It’s also important to realize that how you farm is as relevant to profitability as what you grow. Even farmers who all grow the same thing will experience a wide range in profitability depending on their efficiency, markets, scale, and expenses. A report called Grower to Grower: Creating a Livelihood on a Fresh-Market Vegetable Farm from the Univ. of Wisconsin illustrates this idea. Perhaps the most difficult part of getting started in farming is putting together a realistic budget for your new enterprise(s). So what to do? First, you need to know what your farm’s fixed costs are: mortgage, taxes, insurance, and depreciation on buildings. Develop Your Own Enterprise Budget Enterprise Budgets Online More info to help you with budgets: Johnny’s Select Seeds has some nice tools to help you with calculating seed needs.
SBA.gov. Farm Business Planning. Business planning is key to beginning farmer success. It helps beginning farmers: Plan for the economic sustainability of a new farm enterprise;Obtain funding to purchase land, equipment and other resources from lending institutions, investors and/or grant making agencies; andArticulate what their farm will look like.
On this page, we compiled free resources to help you understand what a formal business plan is, and how to start planning your farm business. Sections include: Developing a Farm Business PlanEnterprise Budgeting Enterprise budget resources are included on this page because such tools are usually essential to develop your business plan. 1. A business plan is a decision making tool that takes the form of a formal document. Do I need a Business Plan for my Farm? AgPlan from the University of Minnesota helps rural business owners develop a business plan for free, while also offering sample business plans for ideas, and a way to print or download your plan. Starting an Ag-Business? Business Plans. The business plan is a critical step in the development of a successful value-added business.
It is a “blueprint” of how you are going to implement your ideas and create a viable business or business expansion. Although a business plan may be important for raising capital (or other purposes), the primary value of the business plan is for you, the founder(s) of the business. Writing the business plan will force you to think through issues of how you are going to create a successful business or business expansion. AgMRC has prepared several informational pieces to help you through the business planning process. Below are sample business plans of value-added businesses. More information on business planning is presented in the box at the right.