For those of you who might consider developing a sustainable agricultural business or value-added business, one of the best planning resources available, is the publication ‘Building a Sustainable Buiness’ which was developed by the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA) out of St. Paul, Minnesota.
You can access this resource by looking under the ‘publications’ section of the following website: www.misa.umn.edu
‘The step-by-step strategies detailed in the 280-page Building a Sustainable Business help you develop a detailed, lender-ready business plan or map out ways to take advantage of new opportunities, such as organic farming, on-farm processing, direct marketing, agri-tourism, alternative crops and adding value.’
Many practical work-sheets and tools are used throughout the publication. In addition, the reader can actually follow a real family’s progress through the planning process so that each tool is nicely illustrated.
