If you are a CSA farm that already accepts SNAP (food stamps) as a source of payment for weekly CSA shares, this grant should be of interest to you. If you do not currently participate in this program, you will need to partner with a non-profit or local government to be the applicant.
Category: Business
Resources for the business side of managing a fruit and vegetable farm in Eastern NY. Topics include labor, marketing, farm business management, regulations, funding sources and risk management.
Farm Financial Scorecard (Center for Farm Financial Management, University of Minnesota)
The Center for Farm Financial Management at the University of Minnesota has developed a Farm Financial Scorecard that you can complete annually to help you see trends in your farm business. The scorecard uses a set of financial ratios that help you translate your information into a value that you can use to assess your farm’s performance. Ratios also have the advantage of allowing you to benchmark your performance against other farms.
Too much of a good thing? Simplifying your tasting room information could increase sales.
A 2012 study by the Dyson School looked at how descriptions on tasting sheets influenced wine sales in tasting rooms.
The Bottom Line #7
In this issue: Laura McDermott is retiring! FLSP grant awardees are announced, 3 farms in NYS received awards. More tasting room tips for success. Farm financial scorecard can help you monitor your farm’s financial health. FreshConnect CSA for SNAP. Certifying as a woman or minority-owned business in NYS. Free technical assistance is available for government procurement (local state and federal). Upcoming programs.
Certifying as a Minority/Woman-Owned Business in NYS
If you are a minority/women-owned business in NYS you should consider going through the process to be certified.
USDA Announces Farms Selected for Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot Program
On June 14, USDA announced the names of the 141 applications that received funding from the Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot Program (FLSP). Three farms in New York received funding under this program to support housing improvement and expansion, worker training and improved worker pay and benefits.
NYS Department of Labor Workforce Development Training Program, Employee Retention and Advancement Training
The purpose of Employee Retention and Advancement Training is to provide occupational skills training, commensurate with regional priorities, to year-round, full time, incumbent workers who are currently in low and middle-skills occupations, leading to job advancement and retention.
Guide to Starting a Business in NYS: NY Business Express
One question that I get frequently is “what do I need to do to legally start my farm as a business?” While this can be a complex question, there is a pretty good resource at the state level to help guide you through a lot of the forms, licenses, and permits you need to operate a business of any type in New York. It is called NY Business Express.
Assessing the costs and returns of on-farm food safety improvements: A survey of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) training participants.
The cost of implementation is often cited as a primary barrier to implementing food safety practices in the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) on the farm. Costs include infrastructure and equipment upgrades and time and labor to implement new practices and maintain recordkeeping systems. The benefits of compliance with FSMA include maintaining and expanding existing market channel sales, accessing new markets and buyers, and strengthening of their farm brand to prospective buyers due to their food safety improvements. The researchers found the food safety benefit cost ratio for all farm size categories was above 1, indicating that, on average, the benefits of food safety improvements exceeded the costs, regardless of farm size. The average across all farms was 4.61 implying that the benefits received were 4.61 times that of their annual cost. There was a big difference between the benefit cost ratio for farms with a third-party audit (13.33) and without a third-party audit (1.57).
The Bottom Line No. 6
In this issue: Stop & Shop will be closing some stores in the Northeast focusing on reducing costs and prices to consumers. Consumers currently prefer fresh produce with longer shelf-lives and cabbage is having its moment! Learn about rice and honeyberry production – two new emerging crops for the region. Food safety investments tend to pay-off, especially if you have third party audits. Use NYS Business Express to identify what you need to start or expand a new venture and upcoming programs.
Crop Insurance Cost Estimator
USDA RMA has a tool to help you estimate what federal (RMA) crop insurance will cost. Here is the link to the estimator. It is not easy to find on their website and a little clunky to use, but you can compare different products head-to-head.
The NYS Ag and Markets Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Grant is now open for applications through Friday, June 28 at 5pm!!!
The Department has been funded through the USDA RFSI program to expand statewide capacity and infrastructure for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transporting, wholesaling, or distribution of targeted local and regional agricultural food products (excluding meat and poultry products).