In any profession, the old saying “a stitch in time, saves nine” is a true friend! The most successful farmers we know have gotten themselves in the habit of ‘stitching,’ i.e. anticipating and practicing how they will solve a problem, before it ever happens. Planning and managing means taking the time to hone your agrarian skills at workshops and conferences, and making yourself develop a business plan that identifies WHY you farm, WHAT you will raise or produce and WHO will buy your products. It means finding and hiring trusted professionals to help you create and maintain production, legal and financial records. It means asking and answering your own key questions BEFORE you are suddenly overwhelmed and in awe, say, in the barn at 3:00 a.m. during lambing season.

Resources

• Farm Management – a farm is a business, and requires management tools
• Successful Planning – give your farm a solid foundation and start with a plan

Who to Contact for Direct Assistance

• Coastal Enterprises, Inc. – CEI’s business counselors deliver business counseling and technical assistance to develop products, business and marketing plans for agricultural and food-related enterprises. CEI, also, finances loans to qualified borrowers to implement those plans.
• Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry provides technical assistance with agricultural business and market development
• Maine Small Business Development Centers provide business counseling and offer free online workshops
• University of Maine Cooperative Extension is the only entity in our state that touches every aspect of the Maine Food System

Publications

• Starting & Running Your Own Small Farm Business by Sarah Beth Aubrey (2007), Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA , ISBN 978-1-58017-697-2
• Taking Control of Farm-Family Living Expenses – Purdue University Cooperative Extension

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