Business Practices

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Farm Planning, Entrepreneurship & Business Management  

• Rutgers Beginner Farmer Training Program 
  Teaches the fundamentals of farming and business, provides hands-on training in production through delivery, and offers advice as you implement your business plan.
• Annie’s Project New Jersey 
  Annie’s Project training gives New Jersey women farmers the tools to help them succeed by focusing on five areas of farm risk – marketing and pricing, production risk, financial management, human and personal risk, and legal risk.
• USDA Risk Management Agency
  USDA tools and information to help new farmers plan for and mitigate risk. Includes crop insurance, liability management, and natural disaster relief.
• US EPA Urban Farm Business Plan Handbook 
  Offers guidance for developing a business plan for the startup and operation of an urban farm. It focuses on food and non-food related cultivated agriculture. Applicable regardless of whether the farm is to be operated as a non-profit or for-profit business. 
• USDA Beginner Farmer Business Plan information 
  Tips, processes and resources for new farm business planning.
• Iowa State University – Writing a Business Plan
  ISU Extension guide to writing a business plan.
• University of Minnesota – Ag Plan
  Online app for developing a farm business plan.
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Urban Agriculture Toolkit 
  The toolkit lays out the common operational elements that most urban farmers must consider as they start up or grow their operations. It also contains a special section on resources for developing indoor growing operations, such as aquaponic facilities. For each element, the toolkit identifies technical and financial resources that have been developed by federal, state, and local partners. 
• Rutgers ORED – Entrepreneurship Resources
• Business.nj.gov
  Funding opportunities available for small businesses and entrepreneurs from the State of New Jersey.
• NJ Small Business Development Center
• New Jersey Economic Development Authority
• NJ State Library Resources for Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• Iowa State University – Evaluating Farm Accounting Software
  ISU Extension guide to accounting software for farm businesses, contains links to a number of resources.
• Rutgers NJAES Farm Management
  Resources on budgeting, economics, marketing and more to help facilitate business planning.

Markets & Marketing 

• NJ Community Farmers Markets
  Information and resources for connecting to and participating in New Jersey farmers’ markets.
• NJ Farmers Market Guidelines (PDF)
  Guidelines on what can be sold at a NJ farmer’s market and information on what, if any, licenses and conditions apply.
• Rutgers SARE Agricultural Market Research App
  New Jersey interactive demographic map for agricultural market research.
• Community Supported Agriculture: New Models for Changing Markets (PDF)
  USDA guide to developing a CSA with real world examples and a variety of models.
• Using Demographic Information to Identify Specialty Crop Markets
  Links to demographics, crop information, and market research for determining what specialty crops to grow for your market.
• New Jersey Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association
  New Jersey Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association, Inc. is a non-profit organization that represents the interests of farmer-to-consumer direct marketers of all agricultural products.
• NJ Vegetable Growers Association
  An organization to promote and encourage improvements in the production and marketing of all phases of the vegetable industry in the State of New Jersey. Hosts one of New Jersey’s largest annual agricultural conferences each winter.
• World Crops for Northern United States
  This website provides information on sustainable production and marketing practices for crops popular among the large and growing immigrant populations in the United States.
• University of Wisconsin – Urban Agriculture Manual (Business & Marketing)
  Links to a variety of resources on urban agriculture business planning, marketing and finance.
• Jersey Fresh
  Information on the Jersey Fresh marketing program and guidance on how to participate.

Workforce development 

• Rutgers Beginner Farmer Training Program 
  Teaches the fundamentals of farming and business, provides hands-on training in production through delivery, and offers advice as you implement your business plan.
• Trenton Climate Corps
  Example of youth workforce development program that includes urban community agriculture.