[(Starting and Running Your Own Small Farm Business )] [Author: Sarah Beth Aubrey] [Jun-2009]

by Sarah Beth Aubrey

Locally grown produce and specialty farm products are finding eager new customers every season. Farmers' markets sprout up every spring, luring tourists and locals with pasture-raised meats, organic vegetables and fruit, artisanal cheeses, and a seemingly endless assortment of baked goods, handmade condiments, and craft items. Restaurants and grocery stores feature products from regional farms with pride. And direct-to-consumer marketing and selling is a reality for every farmer with an Internet connection.To help farmers position themselves well for the opportunities afforded by today's market, Sarah Aubrey, a successful farm-based business owner, shares her years of research and firsthand experience in Starting & Running Your Own Small Farm Business . Here is everything readers need to know about launching a small agricultural enterprise, from initial start-up to consumer marketing. Begin by fine-tuning that bright idea into a viable business plan, and then learn how to go out and sell it. Secure financing, work out the legalities, follow the proper USDA guidelines, and a farming business is born. Aubrey explains every step of the process and even includes samples of the required forms.Every small farmer must also become a skilled salesperson and marketing professional. Aubrey runs through all the selling options — from rural farmstands to Web sites to food service wholesalers — and explains the pros and cons of each. She also explains how to create and stick with an advertising budget, how to develop pricing strategies, and the importance of personal asset protection.Aubrey brings her business advice to life with profiles of farmers successfully crafting and selling everything from small batches of wine to exotic animals such as elk and alpacas. Their stories are minicourses in successful farming, sure to inspire every reader.

Genres: Food, Agriculture, Nature, Gardening, Business, Entrepreneurship

Unknown Binding

First published January 16, 2008

About the author

Sarah Beth Aubrey is a sought-after advisor and executive coach for global agriculture brands. She has written six books, writes a monthly magazine column for major ag media, and runs custom peer group programs for businesses looking to partner with their most valuable customers in a unique way.

Her mission is to enhance success and profitability in rural communities by building capacity in its people, and each of her books speaks to her lifelong experience in ag and farming from generations before her, her college degrees, and as a successful three-time entrepreneur.

Aubrey’s four non-fiction agricultural books address some of the common difficulties faced by current and future farmers: Find Grant Funding Now, The Profitable Hobby Farm, Starting and Running Your Own Small Farm Business, and the most recent publication, Who's Running Your Farm Next?: 5 Steps to Develop and Coach Your Next Generation.

Her two-book romance fiction series, Championship Drive, centers on livestock showing and the challenging dynamics of inheriting a family-run farm.

Sarah Beth Aubrey and her husband raise cattle on their farm in Central Indiana.

Website: http://www.sarahbethaubrey.com

Agriculture
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahaubrey/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahbethau...
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SarahBethAub...
Facebook group for agriculture: www.facebook.com/groups/farmnext

Championship Drive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/championship...
Instagram: @championshipdrivenovel

Reviews

[Logan Streondj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is good overview of her business plan and business creation process. Also has many stories about how various farmers pivoted to become more profitable via various agribusiness ventures.

[Ellen Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good introduction for new entrepreneurs interested in starting a small farm business. It didn't go too deeply into any one subject, but I thought the scope of topics covered was excellent. She's provided an overview of everything that a small farm start-up needs to consider to dot all the i's and cross all the t's.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful for us, starting our own CSA, but nothing groundbreaking.

[MBybee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great reference. Very clear, lots of good examples.

Not terribly detailed, but a good general overview.