Agriculture and Natural Resources - Beginning Farmer Resources
This is the web site with resources for the 2012 Beginning Farmer Series program held in Waldo. Program participants received printed copies of Starting and Running Your Own Small Farm Business by Aubrey and Farming Alternatives: A Guide to Evaluating the Feasibility of New Farm-Based Enterprises.
University of Maine Cooperative Extension Publications
- So You Want to Farm in Maine?
- Soil Organic Matter
- Testing Your Soils
- Your Business Plan
- Recipe to Market: How to Start a Specialty Food Business in Maine
New England Small Farm Institute
Web Soil Survey - Natural Resource Conservation Service
Sites from Other States or Organizations
- Enterprise Budget Analysis – Penn State University
- Agricultural Alternatives - Penn State University
- Missouri Alternatives Center – University of Missouri Extension
- Primer for Selecting New Enterprises for Your Farm – University of Kentuckey
- Sustainable Agriculture Resources - Penn State University
- ATTRA National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
- Evaluating a Rural Enterprise – ATTRA
- Develop a Useful Mission Statement for Your Agricultural Business – Ohio State Extension (pdf)
- NRAES (source of publications) – Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engingeering Service
- Building a Sustainable Business: A Guide to Developing a Business Plan for Farms and Rural Businesses. Free download available. Business planning guide focuses on how real farm families set goals, research processing alternatives, determine potential markets and evaluate financing options.
IRS Publication
Excel Spreadsheets from Aaron Hoshide with the Maine Knowledge Transfer Alliance Aaron_Hoshide@umit.maine.edu
2012 New Marketing Websites of Interest:
- Vermont Direct Marketing Price Survey Project http://www.uvm.edu/farmpricing/
- Pricing Resources http://www.uvm.edu/farmpricing/pricing-resources
Market Research Wesites
- Census Bureau Home Page www.census.org
- Small Business Advisor www.sba.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics www.stats.bls.gov
- Small Business Advancement Center www.sbaer.uca.edu
- Maine State Government www.maine.gov
- University of Maine www.umaine.edu
- URSUS (University library) http://libraries.maine.edu/Mariner/
- Maine Business Works www.mainebusinessworks.org
- Online Small Busienss Library http://extension.umaine.edu/business
Other helpful information on farm marketing
- Why consumers buy – and don’t buy – farm direct products http://umaine.edu/publications/1160e/
- Direct Marketing of Farm Produce and Home Goods
- The Agricultural Creative Economy (pdf)
- Market prices – USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
- MOFGA – Organic Price Reports
- Western Mountains Market - online ordering of farm products
- UMaine Orono Farmers Market Study 1995 - Journal of Food Distribution Research
- UMaine Orono Farmers Market Study, Food Products Initiative Market Report (pdf) (email Caragh Fitzgerald, cfitzgerald@maine.edu for a copy)
- Economic Contribution of Agritourism to the Maine Economy
- Agricultural Marketing Resource Center
- USDA – market research - links include outlook reports
- National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service – ATTRA
- Maine Agricultural Trade Show – info on GETREALMAINE.COM
- New England Products Trade Show
- Survey Monkey
- Maine Department of Transportation Traffic Counts
- How to Direct Market Farm Products on the Internet Pennsylvania State University
- Cold Spring Ranch – Gabe Clark’s farm, New Portland
- Snakeroot Organic Farm – Tom Roberts’ farm, Pittsfield
Farm land protection
- The Land for Maine’s Future Program
- Maine Farmland Trust
- Maine FarmLink
- Farmland Property Tax Program
- Tree Growth PropertyTax Program
- Maine FarmLink list of Grants & Loan Sources
Rules and Regulations
- Resources for information on Maine Laws & Regulations Affecting Direct Farm Marketers an Excel spreadsheet Laws_and_Regulations1)2011 (from Donna Coffin)
- Chapter 343: Food Processing and Manufacturing
- Chapter 345: Home Food Manufacturing
- State of Maine Food License
- Maine Food Statutes
- Maine Sales Tax Forms
- Maine Sales Tax Exemption Affidavit Form No. 154
- Maine Ag Sales & Use Tax Information No. 14
- Statutes and Ordinances that Control Land Use in Maine – Maine Municipal Association
- Selling Eggs in Maine 2010
- EBT For Farmers
- Maine Electronic Benefits – Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets
- WIC for Maine Farmers
- FAQ Ag vehicle operation (PDF) State of Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles
- State of Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles
- Links from Caragh’s presentation
- Maine Board of Pesticides Control
- Maine Department of Agriculture’s <a href=”http://www.getrealmaine.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/faqs.main/index.htm