FA TSHEET 1 onnect for success in Agriculture: Piscataquis ...
So You Want to Farm in Maine€¦ · • Welcome to tonight's webinar on Adobe Connect •...
Transcript of So You Want to Farm in Maine€¦ · • Welcome to tonight's webinar on Adobe Connect •...
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• Welcome to tonight's webinar on Adobe Connect
• Sponsored by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension – Piscataquis – Penobscot – Kennebec – Waldo – Aroostook – Somerset
So You Want to Farm in Maine
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Contacts: Donna Coffin [email protected] Rick Kersbergen [email protected] Kathy Hopkins [email protected] Caragh Fitzgerald [email protected] Andrew Plant [email protected]
University of Maine Cooperative Extension Waldo County
992 Waterville Rd Waldo, ME 04915 1-800-287-1426
http://umaine.edu/waldo/ The University of Maine is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.
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Who is here?
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What are Your Interests and Aspirations? Pre class survey found that …
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What are Your Interests and Aspirations? Pre class survey found that …
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Business Skills
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Date Topic Speaker/Manager
3/7/13 Assessing your resources Rick Kersbergen / Donna Coffin
3/14/13 Financial Enterprise Budgets Caragh Fitzgerald/ Andrew Plant
3/21/13 Financial: Business Plans &Taxes Donna Coffin / Caragh Fitzgerald
3/28/13 Researching Your Markets Dr. Jim McConnon / Caragh Fitzgerald
4/4/13 ProducPon informaPon, resources, agencies, regulaPons
Donna Coffin / Rick Kersbergen
4/11/13 Equipment – used, match to implements, specialty equipment, safety
Rick Kersbergen / Andrew Plant or Caragh
4/18/13 Financial Planning Paul Dillon / Donna Coffin
4/25/13 Financing & Insurance Kathy Hopkins / Donna Coffin
5/2/13 Hold
Next 8 weeks..
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Starting and Running Your Own Small Farm Business By Sarah Beth Aubrey. • The demand for fresh, local,
sustainably produced small-farm products is growing. Aubrey, a seasoned farmer, covers business plans, market research, financing, regulations, asset protection, pricing, selling venues, and growing your business. Includes profiles of successful small farm businesses, as well as checklists and sample contracts and forms. 175 pages, 2007. Item #1035 Publisher: Storey Publishing $19.95 +SH
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Farming Alternatives Workbook This 88-page classic helps rural and farm residents evaluate the feasibility of alternative enterprises. The case study and workbook format helps in evaluating personal and family considerations, resources, market potential, production feasibility, profitability, cash flow, and all factors combined. Also offers research sources for enterprise ideas. 1988. Item #1036 Publisher: NRAES $12.00
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Available from: www.sare.org
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• The information contained in this case study can help guide growers as they set financial and quality of life goals for their farms and structure their operations to realize those goals. There is no ideal size for a fresh market vegetable farm
• Growers need to use their management skills and economic analysis tools to figure out the scale and level of mechanization that makes the most sense for them
hYp://www.cias.wisc.edu/wp-‐content/uploads/2008/07/grwr2grwr.pdf
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UMaine Extension New Farmer website http://extension.umaine.edu/new-farmers/
Beginning Farmer Resource Network of Maine http://umaine.edu/beginning-farmer-resource-network/
Wordpress website (note this is a free web hosting site)
http://farminmaine.wordpress.com/
Resources for publications and research into sustainable farming techniques and practices
www.Sare.org http://www.nesare.org/
Some digital resources specific to Maine
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Why Farm in Maine..or what is our competitive advantage? ü Close to metropolitan
markets? ü Markets in Maine
correlate with tourism peaks and growing season (discretionary income $)
ü A burgeoning “locavore” culture
ü usually a good supply of natural precipitation
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Why Farm in Maine?
ü Less pest pressures than in Southern states
ü Relatively low land costs
ü A farm-based infrastructure still exists
ü Support for small scale farmers, local and organic production
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Things to always remember
1. Small Farms are family businesses
2. Small farms can’t compete in the commodity market
3. Farmers are often self-reliant
4. In farming, timing is everything
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Assessing your resources.. • Easy ones…Physical resources --land, buildings, equipment (farm infrastructure) Then….personal resources • Experience…. • Financial…. • Marketing…. • Business plan development • Family….
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Understanding your goals.. • What are your values and principles associated
with developing a farm venture? • Have you set whole farm goals? • Holistic management
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Identify Values What’s Important to You & Your Family? • Personal values
– Health – Honesty – Learn new things – Make a difference
• Economic values – Living modestly – Pay off my debts – Produce & market a quality
product
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Identify Values con’t. What’s Important to You & Your Family?
• Environmental values – Good land steward – Farm sustainably – Long term view of
business decisions on environment impact
• Community values – Make a positive
difference in community – Good role model for
others – Support local economy
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Mission statements… A mission statement is a short statement describing the fundamental
underlying reason for the business to exist — its critical purpose. a mission statement expresses a long-term vision of the results we
are working to achieve.
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• Our mission is to produce a healthy and safe food product, maximize profitability, and maintain our rural heritage. It is important for us to provide a quality product and agricultural education for the tri-state farm market consumer. Building on our strong reputation, we will continue to grow our business and our people to ensure long-term success.
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What is your “centerpiece” • An enterprise that will be the base of your
business plan • Other enterprises or sideline ventures will be off
shoots • Your “centerpiece” may change!
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Business Savvy • Imagination
– Innovative ways to solve problems
– Enjoy doing things differently
– Creative ideas relating to business & farming
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Questions to ask… • What are my personal values? • What are my business values? • Why do we farm? • What do we really want to do? • What are the strengths of our business? • What role does each family member and/or employee fulfill? • What standard of living does the family want? • How much family time do I want? • Are nonfarm and/or community activities an important part of my life? • When do I want to retire? • Do we want to transfer the family business to the next generation? • Does this business need to provide all the income and benefits
(Insurance, retirement etc.) for the whole family?
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Physical Resources Inventory • Land
– Tillable land – Pasture – Woodlot
• Water • Buildings • Machinery /
Equipment
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Land • Options
– Own – Operate – Rent
• Finding Land – Realtors
• Multiple Listing Service • Independents
– Farm Link/Maine Farmland Trust
– Farm Service Agency – Finance Authority of Maine – Maine Organic Farmers and
Gardeners Association
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Site and Soil Resources
ü Buy the soil, not the farm
ü Site condi<ons average frost days exposure microclimates hardiness zones valleys, hills, wind direcPon
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Site and Soil Resources.. http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/
and county NRCS office
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NRCS programs… Through the Seasonal High Tunnel IniPaPve, NRCS helps producers plan and implement high tunnels – steel-‐framed, polyethylene-‐covered structures that extend growing seasons in an environmentally safe manner. High tunnel benefits include beYer plant and soil quality, fewer nutrients and pesPcides in the environment, and beYer air quality due to fewer vehicles being needed to transport crops. ApplicaPons for the second ranking period of 2013 are due at the NRCS offices by close of business on April 19, 2013. For more informaPon go to www.me.nrcs.usda.gov or contact your nearest USDA Service Center, listed online at hYp://offices.usda.gov or in the telephone book under United States Government, Agriculture Department. Through the Organic IniPaPve NRCS helps cerPfied organic growers and producers working to achieve organic cerPficaPon install conservaPon pracPces for organic producPon. Funding is available to help producers plan and implement conservaPon pracPces that address natural resource concerns in ways that are consistent with organic producPon.
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ü Site conditions ü Depth to bedrock How deep will root systems penetrate?
ü Soil type--sand, silt, clay Soil texture will influence productivity, water holding,
spring warm up, tillage potential
ü Drainage ü Current field/farm uses of land
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Improving Soil/Site Conditions
What will it take to make the site productive?? --Weed control (this is important) --Soil pH
(How much lime and how long will it take?)
--Organic fertility vs commercial fertlizer
--Soil organic matter Is there a source of organic matter
available? Can you grow it?
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Buildings and Facilities
• Type & size – Livestock – Storage – Fruit & vegetable washing,
grading & packing – Greenhouse – Fencing
• Livestock • Deer
• Current condition • Renovation / retrofit • Build new • Rent options
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Building & Equipment • Condition • Size • Suitability • Efficiency • Age
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Assessing Equipment Purchases
• Can I afford to own?
• Will it pay for itself? • How will it pay for
itself?
• Added expenses? • Labor or cash
savings? • Frequency of use?
More about equipment in a later session…
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Resources Inventory • Management & Labor
– Management Experience
– On-farm labor
– Potential labor pool – Benefits you can offer
employees
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Resources Inventory
• By-Products – Animal – Crop – Woodlot – Wastes
“I love farming next to a dairy farm…”
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Resources Inventory – On-farm • Road frontage • Existing stand • Storage
– Nearest town – Nearest city – Population in 10 to
20 mile radius
• Market resources – Slaughterhouse – Processing – Wholesalers – Direct Markets
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Resource Inventory • Financial
– Cash – Savings – Family credit – Commercial credit
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Grant Sources* *Rarely available for start-ups, highly competitive for established farms • Natural Resource
Conservation Service (NRCS)
--Cost share for conservation practices • Maine Dept. of Ag
– New technology – Water storage – Marketing
• Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) – Alternative production – New market ideas
• Maine Technology Institute – Innovative technologies – New products
• USDA Rural Development – Value added processing – Energy efficiency
• Private philanthropies – Maine Community Foundation – Maine Initiatives
• USDA http://www.grants.gov/
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Finding funding
hYp://www.getrealmaine.com/_ccLib/aYachments/pages/Loans_and_grants_booklet.pdf
hYp://umaine.edu/beginning-‐farmer-‐resource-‐network/sample-‐page/funding-‐your-‐farm-‐business/
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Questions