Home Garden to Market Garden Seminar

Frank Ray Gublo, MBAMichigan State University Product Center

Home to Market Garden SeminarSpring 2012

Five Tips for Beginning Market Gardeners

#1 Do the Part That You Enjoy the Most-Get Help With the Rest

•Produce a Product or Deliver a Service

•Manage Finances, Record Keeping, and Administrative Issues

•Market and Sell a Product or Service

Every Business Needs to Cover three things:

#2 Don’t Quit Your Day Job....(yet)

Kurt B. Waldman, David S. Conner, Adam D. Montri, Michael W. Hamm and John A. Biernbaum; Bulletin 3138, December 2010, Hoophouse Farming Start-up: Economics, Efforts and Experiences from 12 Novice Hoophouse Farmers

#3 Keep Good Records

Alcorn State University Farm Record book http://bit.ly/Je9IXq

#4 Budgeting is the Basis for Good Decisions

Iowa State University Ag Decision Maker http://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/crops/pdf/a1-17.pdf

• What can you produce and sell profitably?

• How much cash do I need to grow a crop

• What is the best mix of crops to optimize profits

• Check your projection vs actual performance for long range planning.

#5 Assemble a Team of Advisors

• Your advisors provide you with expertise that you may need

• Advisors have a different perspective on issues

• Your advisors may not even know that they are your advisor.

• Farming and Business is a team sport

These slides can be found at:

http://www.slideshare.net/FRGublo/presentatio

ns

Questions?

Thank You