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.

Successful farm management is based upon excellent decision making by the farm owner. In practice, most decisions are made intuitively rather than the result of careful data collection and analysis, or analyzing others' views and associated factors. Thus, the farmer's intuitive decisions have a major impact on the business practices, efficiency, profitability, and success of the farm. In the form of a character-driven novel, this book guides the reader through a series of lessons for farmers to improve their intuitive decision making. The story follows Ben, a New Zealand farmer, as an important member of a discussion group. The experimental program is set up by a management researcher, Tom, to explore the best way to improve farmers' intuition. The farmer group has different characters in different situations, each one of which leads to interesting dilemmas and lessons. Each chapter addresses a different issue affecting farmers, such as risk management, benchmarking, budgeting and planning, negotiation skills, active listening, and farm ownership. By the end of the novel, the reader will have absorbed important farm management principles and practices through the activities and findings of the group. The Intuitive Farmer follows on from successful business management books, such as The Goal, which communicate business ideas and strategies in novel form. This is the first such book applied to agricultural management practices, providing a dependable source for farmers, agricultural and farm management students, and people involved in agriculture industries. [Subject: Agriculture, Business, Adult Fiction]

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.

The first practical, hands-on guide for female farmers Women in agriculture are sprouting up in record numbers, but they face a host of distinct challenges and opportunities. Blending What Color is Your Parachute-style career advice with sustainable agriculture practices viewed through a gender lens, Soil Sisters provides a wealth of invaluable information for fledging female farming entrepreneurs. The first manual of its kind, this authoritative and comprehensive blueprint presents practical considerations from a woman's perspective, covering everything from business planning to tool use and ergonomics to integrating children and family in farm operations. Key topics include: Finding your niche: mid-life encore careers, young & beginning, boomerangs and more From concept to crop: diversified farm start-up basics Resources, grants & loans for women farmers. Soil Sisters also contains case studies, inspirational ideas and savvy advice nuggets from over 100 successful women farmers and advocates. Targeted specifically to members of the fastest-growing demographic in local agriculture, this highly readable guide is practical and pragmatic "Chick Lit" for today's food scene.

The purpose of this guide is to provide a better understanding of the concept and practice of entrepreneurship. This guide has been prepared for people who want to start a farm business for the first time and for farmers that want to make changes to their farming systems by introducing high value enterprises directed to the market. This guide can also help extension workers be better able to help farmers develop the skills and spirit of an entrepreneur. It is part of a series of booklets on farm business management designed to help extension workers support farmers.

Turn your farm into a cash cow! Ron Macher offers a host of simple strategies for increasing your farm earnings, from purchasing durable equipment to growing economically viable crops. A seasoned expert in farm efficiency, Macher shows you how to locate a lucrative niche market for your products, optimize sales, and minimize costs. Whether you’re buying a new farm or jump-starting an old one, Macher’s savvy tips will help you turn your enterprise into a profitable business.

In The Preparation Of This Book The Authors Have Attempted To Develop The Background Upon Which Successful Farming Is Founded, And To Present In Concise From And Orderly Discussion Of The Many Problems And Procedures Involved In Acquiring, Organising And Operating A Farm. Material Not Hitherto Available In Text Form Has Been Included To Supplement And Complete The Information Required For Successful Operation Of A Farm Business. The Text Has Been Prepared For Use In A General Course In Farm Management. Although The Book Has Been Prepared Primarily As Text, It Is Also Suitable As A Guide Book For Farmers, Many Of Whom Will Profit By Careful Reading. Contents Introductory Chapter 1: What Is Farm Management? Chapter 2: History And Development Of Farm Management; Chapter 3: Characteristics Of Farming. Part I: Elements Involved In Farming Chapter 4: Natural Resources In Relation To Farming; Chapter 5: Agricultural Production Areas; Chapter 6: Economic Forces Modify Production Areas; Chapter 7: Characteristics Of Types Of Farming. Part Ii: Farm Organisation Chapter 8: Becoming Established In Farming; Chapter 9: Principles Of Soil And Crop Management Involved In Farm Organisation; Chapter 10: The Place Of Livestock In Farm Organisation; Chapter 11: Planning The Physical Organisation Of The Farm; Chapter 12: Organisation Of The Farm Unit; Chapter 13: Mapping The Farm And Measuring Production; Chapter 14: Checking The Results; Chapter 15: Improving The Organisation; Chapter 16: Budgeting A Farm Business; Chapter 17: Which Plan Promises The Best Return? Part Iii: Farm Operation Chapter 18: Principles Of Farm Operation; Chapter 19: Determining The Results From Operation; Chapter 20: Measures Of Management In Farm Operation; Chapter 21: Measuring The Efficiency Of Operation; Chapter 22: The Human Factor In Farm Operation; Chapter 23: Shaping The Work Programme; Chapter 24: Farm Work Simplification; Chapter 25: Equipment For Economic Operation; Chapter 26: Farm Marketing Problems. Part Iv: Farm Management Services And Related Problems Chapter 28: Useful Farm Records; Chapter 29: The Use Of Capital And Credit In Farming; Chapter 30: Farm Marketing Organisations; Chapter 31: Farm Management Services; Chapter 32: Planned Production Programmes; Chapter 33: Legal Matters Relating To Farm Business. Appendix I: Measuring And Mapping A Farm.

Applying general management principles and practices to the business of farming in New Zealand, this work discusses low cost, deregulated farming systems that are geographically distant from their market.

Do you want to make your farm more dynamic, profitable, and-- above all-- sustainable? Thistlethwaite introduces readers to some of the country's most innovative farmers, in order to help you build a triple-bottom-line farming business focused on economic viability, social justice, and ecological soundness.