National

For farmers, growing crops is just one step in running a successful farm—making the farm or market garden economically viable requires another suite of skills, including finding land, planning what crops to grow, marketing the crops, and managing income and expenses.

Over the past 35 years, instructors at the University of California, Santa Cruz have taught organic farming and gardening skills to more than a thousand apprentices through the UCSC Farm & Garden Apprenticeship program.

A survey of young and beginning farmers conducted by National Young Farmer’s Coalition studying the barriers to starting a farming career. The Coalition surveyed 1,000 farmers from across the United States and found that "access to capital, access to land and health insurance present the largest obstacles for beginners.

Although somewhat dated (no inclusion of using the internet for surveys and research), this article gives practical tips for aspiring farmers on how to evaluate the market for new products and services.

Describes how agricultural businesses can use YouTube to appeal to customers, how YouTube works, and how it can be integrated with other forms of social media.

Provides advice about how to utilize Twitter as a business tool to connect with customers and find information. Describes applications and features and gives user tips.

Provides advice about how to use Facebook to market an agricultural business and products. Describes the benefits of using Facebook and actions to avoid.

An example business plan for imaginary agriculture-based business including strategic, marketing and financial planning information.

This guide covers all aspects of farm taxes from income, deductions, property and operating losses, to buying and selling a farm, and reporting and payment requirements.