Author(s): Richard Wiswall

Gardening

Contrary to popular belief, a good living can be made on an organic farm. Whatas required is farming smarter, not harder.In The Organic Farmeras Business Handbook, Richard Wiswall shares advice on how to make your vegetable production more efficient, better manage your employees and finances, and turn a profit. From his twenty-seven years of experience at Cate Farm in Vermont, Wiswall knows firsthand the joys of starting and operating an organic farmaas well as the challenges of making a living from one. Farming offers fundamental satisfaction from producing food, working outdoors, being oneas own boss, and working intimately with nature. But, unfortunately, many farmers avoid learning about the business end of farming; because of this, they often work harder than they need to, or quit farming altogether because of frustratingaand often avoidablealosses.In this comprehensive business kit, Wiswall covers: Step-by-step procedures to make your crop production more efficientAdvice on managing employees, farm operations, and office systemsNovel marketing strategiesWhat to do with your profits: business spending, investing, and planning for retirementA companion CD offers valuable business tools, including easy-to-use spreadsheets for projecting cash flow, a payroll calculator, comprehensive crop budgets for twenty-four different crops, and tax planners.