This guide is designed to build a foundational understanding of key financial concepts essential for managing a farm business. It will guide you through foundational business terminology and demonstrate how to read a Profit and Loss statement (P&L). 

FARMpreneurs' mission is to enhance the success, profitability, and resilience of community-based farming businesses. We achieve this through entrepreneurial business education programs, including our flagship week-long Strategic Sprint - an executive boot camp where farmers develop strategic plans, leadership skills, and collaborative networks to become changemakers in sustainable food systems.

We’re a full-service marketing and communications agency that helps purpose-driven businesses grow. We specialize in organic and regenerative food organizations. Our decades of experience in this space means we quickly bring clarity to strategy, build team alignment, and roll-up-our sleeves to deliver thoughtful, sustainable business growth.

Farmrun is a branding studio in Vermont. We specialize in empathy and ingeniosity. Among a wide array of services, we offer logo design, photography, and hand-painted and hand-carved signs for farms.

We work with food systems leaders across the country to catalyze innovation, build powerful collaborations, and design regionalized strategies for systems-level change. We’re nerds with a passion for facilitation, network development, participatory research, value chain coordination, and creating the perfect tomato sandwich.

Plant to Profit is the consulting and coaching business run by Ellen Polishuk. Ellen leverages her 30 years of biological vegetable farming experience and 8 years of farm business advising to help growers around the country to reach their farm dreams. Ellen is passionate about working with farmers to get their QuickBooks in order, up their labor management practices and increase efficiency so that they can increase farm profits and achieve a joyful, balanced life. 

Kitchen Sync Strategies provides brokerage and consulting and services to regional, sustainable food buyers, suppliers, and supporters.

Maura is a NYC chef, regenerative farmer, and business owner guided by principles of community-oriented and high-quality hospitality. Conceiving solutions for a socially just, equitable, environmentally conscious, and responsibly growing food system.

Tracking profitability in diverse operations is particularly hard because multiple enterprises often share equipment, labor and other inputs. Without a clear understanding of production costs and returns, it can be difficult to evaluate enterprise performance, set prices or plan future investments. This resource provides guidance on using enterprise budgets, record-keeping systems and partial budget analysis to evaluate management decisions for diversified farm operations.

Held in February. The mission of the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC) is to provide independent producers and processors with critical information needed to build successful value-added agricultural enterprises. Resources include a resource library for value-added market, economic and business information and other resources; value-added business and economic analysis tools, including information on business principles, legal, financial and logistical issues; and resources that support producers in their efforts to prepare and participate in Value-Added Producer Grants.

The Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program helps U.S. agricultural producers enter into value-added activities that: generate new products from raw agricultural commodities; create and expand marketing opportunities; increase producer income through enhanced product value and market reach. These grants support either: planning activities (e.g., feasibility studies, business and marketing plans) up to $50,000 or working capital needs (e.g., processing, packaging, advertising, inventory, and salaries) up tpo $200,000. The matching requirement is 1:1 match (100% of the grant amount), which may include cash or eligible in-kind contributions.

NOFA-NY is an organization of farmers, gardeners, and consumers working together to create a sustainable regional food system that’s ecologically sound, socially just, and economically viable. Through demonstration and education, we promote land stewardship, organic food production, and local marketing. We bring consumer and farmer together to make high-quality food available to all people.

NOFA-NY’s Winter Conference convenes hundreds of farmers, food system professionals, educators, advocates, homesteaders, and gardeners who are passionate about advancing organic principles that create better food and farming systems.

This guide provides an in-depth look at dozens of federal programs and policies most important to sustainable agriculture, and details how they can be accessed by farmers, ranchers, and grassroots organizations nationwide.

NSAC advocates for federal policy reform for the sustainability of food systems, natural resources, and rural communities.

The National Young Farmers Coalition is a farmer-led, grassroots network shifting power and changing policy to equitably resource the new generation of working farmers. We are the largest unified voice calling for farm policy that will deliver a bright future for young farmers and ranchers in the U.S.

Marbleseed educates, inspires, and empowers farmers to thrive in a sustainable, organic system of agriculture. Formerly known as the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), Marbleseed was established in 1995 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to supporting farmers in their transition toward sustainable, organic farming systems that are ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially just. Their website includes comprehensive resources on farm business, marketing, land access, farming, and more. They also offer and partner on a range of programs, from farmer well being and mentorship to conservation and more.

The Good Meat® Finder is a directory of farms, ranches, restaurants, butcher shops, processors, and retail outlets in the USA and Canada that commit to raising, utilizing, and selling meat that aligns with GMP's Good Meat® values. The Good Meat project believes in meat production and consumption practices that invest in healthy land, animals, and people, that embrace transparency from start to finish, and nourish and build community. We are happy to include more businesses that align with these values on the Good Meat® Finder.

Farm Commons provides legal workshops, timely resources, and a community for farmers, ranchers, and their service providers. Welcome to your home for farm law!

The American Pastured Poultry Producers Association is a 501(c)6 non-profit trade association for pastured poultry producers. While everyone is welcome to become a member, we support members who raise pastured poultry for profit or who are planning to start raising for profit.