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UC Small Farms Network

Farm Business & Management

Resources to support farm planning, financial decision-making, and day-to-day operations. This section includes materials on enterprise selection, financing, cost of production, and other core management topics for small and diversified farms.

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Farm Management Resources

Besides growing and selling products, there are many other important aspects to managing a farm business.
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Selecting Vegetable Crops for Profit

Hunter Johnson, Jr., Extension Vegetable Crops Specialist Emeritus, University of California, Riverside The process of selecting a crop which can be grown for profit is one that should be approached with great care.
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How To Determine Your Cost of Production

Etaferahu (Eta) Takele, Area Farm Management Specialist, University of California, Riverside Cost of production is the dollar value of all your inputs for growing a specific crop.
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Economic Impact Reports

Economic Impact of Local Food Marketing in the Sacramento Region Economic Impact of Local Food Marketing by El Dorado County Producers Economic Impact of Local Food Marketing by Placer County Producers Economic Impact of Local Food Marketing by Yolo County Producers...
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Considerations In Enterprise Selection

Determine Your Goals Inventory Your Resources Physical Factors Financial Factors Management Factors Develop a List of Possible Enterprises Determine Which Enterprises Are Compatible With Your Resources Growing Considerations Analyze Compatibility Among Enterprises Partial Listing of Enterprise Possi...
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How to Finance a Small Farm

By Karen Klonsky, Extension Specialist, University of California, Davis The cost of borrowed capital is a significant part of most growers' budgets. Producers should shop for loans just as they look for the best price for fertilizer, seed, and all other production inputs.
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Farm Leases and Rents

(The author is Kent D. Olson, Economist, Cooperative Extension, UC Davis; revised by Christie Wyman, Small Farm Center, Cooperative Extension, UC Davis.) Leasing or renting land is important in California agriculture.
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