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BF 202: Writing a Business Plan (2022)

General Course Resources

Webinar Schedule and Participants' Guide
Pre-Course Survey
Kiva US - 0% interest loans up to $15,000
FORUM: Questions and Conversations
Business Plan Templates (Business Plan, Cash Flow, Income & Expenses, Balance Sheet)
Navigating in Teachable; Getting a Course Completion Certificate; and More

Week 1: Getting Started on a Farm Business Plan

Week 1 Webinar Link, Slides & Recording
FORUM: Introduce Yourself
FORUM: Tree Fruit Growers
ACTIVITY: SWOT Analysis of Your Farm Business
ACTIVITY: Business Plan Cover Page and Farm Summary
Resource: Find Your Local Cooperative Extension
Resource: SWOT Analysis: A Tool for Making Better Business Decisions
Resource: How to Do a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis
Resource: Conducting a SWOT Analysis of Your Agricultural Business

Week 2: Mission Statements & Goal Setting

Week 2 Webinar Link, Slides, and Recording
FORUM: Share Your Mission Statement
Activity: Cash Flow Plan
Activity: Mission Statement, Goal Statements
Resource: "Harvesting A Profit" Guide by Farm Credit
Financial Statement Resources
Resource: Twelve Steps to Cash Flow Budgeting
Resource: "Cash Flow Budgeting," University of Wisconsin-Madison
Resource: "Financial & Economic Terms," Penn State Extension
Resource: Developing a Mission Statement for your Agricultural Business
Resource: Developing a Mission Statement for Your Agricultural Business (Rutgers)
Resource: "Cash Flow Budgeting for Farms and Ranches," University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Resource: Five Tips for Setting Farm Goals (Farm & Dairy magazine)
Resource: Writing SMART Goals for Your Farm (Rutgers)
Resource: SMART Goals: Setting Goals for the New Year (The Ohio State)
Resource: Setting Farm and Family Goals (University of Missouri Extension)

Week 3: Operations/Tactical Planning & Budgeting

Week 3 Webinar Link, Slides, and Recording
Activity: Operations & Tactical Planning within the Business Plan
Resource: "Farm Operations Planning" University of California Cooperative Extension
Resource: "A Beginners Guide to Operational Planning," The Motley Fool

Week 4: Business Development & Income Statements

Week 4 Webinar Link, Slides, and Recording
ACTIVITY: Income Statements
Resource: "Budgeting for Agricultural Decision Making" Penn State Extension (Crop & Livestock Templates)
Resources: Enterprise Budgeting - Steve's Video & More
FORUM: Farm Business Transfer & Succession

Week 5: Business Organization & Enterprise Budgeting

Week 5 Webinar Link, Slides, and Recording
ACTIVITY: Business Organization Plan
Resource: Enterprise Budget Example by Faith Gilbert
Resource: "Choose Your Business Name," Small Business Administration.
Resource: "A Look at Business Organizational Structures: Sole Proprietorship," University of Maryland
Resource: "The Pro and Cons of Forming an LLC," Market Watch
Resource: "Is an LLC Right for Your Farm?," Farm Progress
Resource: Guide to Marketing Channels, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County
Resource: "Cooperative Farming: Frameworks for Working Together," Faith Gilbert, USDA Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education
Resource: Letterbox Farm Collective website

Week 6: Income Statements, Balance Sheet & Common Loans and Grants

Week 6 Webinar Link, Slides, and Recording
ACTIVITY: Business Plan Balance Sheet, Financial Analysis, Executive Abstract
Resource: Balance Sheet Template
Resource: Building a Balance Sheet, Ag Choice Farm Credit
Resource: Your Guide to FSA Loans
Resource: Small Business Administration website
Resource: Farmland Access
Resource: NY FarmNet website
Post-Course Survey
Staying Connected After This Course Ends

Business Plan Templates (Business Plan, Cash Flow, Income & Expenses, Balance Sheet)

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