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Many people dream of starting a sustainable family farm, but what are the keys to having a successful farm business?

In this episode, I share my 11 business rules for starting and running a successful farm business. 11 may seem like an arbitrary number, but I think you'll find these to be compelling rules for starting and running a family farm business.

I dive into all aspects of the business side of starting and running a farm business, covering:

competitive differentiation and farm business strategy
farm go-to-market approaches
debt and farming
bridging the gap between what the land needs and what the market needs
understanding the impact a farm business has on family relationships
balancing profit with passion
understanding the critical difference between profit margins and cash flow
when to start marketing your farm business
Plus, in rule #10, which I'm sure will be the most controversial of the 11 rules, I give a piece of advice you rarely hear elsewhere. But I think it's critical to your success, if you truly want to have a profitable farm business.

How to Start a Farm Business: Farming Podcast

Farming | Farm Life | Homesteading | Self-Reliance

Home & Garden

Leisure

smallfarmnation.com So it’s December and we’re winding down the farm season. While that means we have fewer chores to do, we still have farm chores, right? Frozen water troughs, hay that’s gotta be dished out, pigs still need to be fed and so on.

But the chore load is definitely reduced this time of year, and that’s a good thing. Because we need to rejuvenate, celebrate the season and recharge our batteries. No doubt about it. So what can we do on these frigid winter days to drive our farm businesses forward. I suspect many of you are looking at seed and hatchery catalogs, or even working on planting calendars.

But we also need to take advantage of this time to focus on one of the most strategically important areas of our business—of any business. And that is marketing.

In this episode I'll walk you through 7 Farm Marketing tasks you can perform this winter to get your farm in great shape for next year.

How to Start a Farm Business: Farming Podcast

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