Start Your Farm

Do you dream of starting your own farm but wonder where to begin? Or do you already have a farm but wish to become more sustainable to compete in today's market? Start Your Farm, the first comprehensive business guide of its kind, covers these essential questions and more:

• Why be a farmer in the 21st century? Do you have what it takes?
• What does sustainable really mean, and how can a small (as little as one acre) to midsize farm survive alongside commodity-scale agriculture?
• How do you access education, land, and other needs with limited capital?
• How can you reap an actual profit, including a return on land investment?
• How do you build connections with employees, colleagues, and customers?
• At the end of the day, how do you measure success? (Hint: case your lifestyle paycheck.)

More than a practical guide, Start Your Farm is a hopeful call to action for anyone who aspires to grow wholesome, environmentally sustainable food for a living. Take it from Forrest Pritchard and Ellen Polishuk: Making this dream a reality is not for the fain of heart, but it's well within reach - and there's no greater satisfaction under the sun!

SKU 7506. Softcover, Copyright 2016, 272 pages

About the Authors:

Forrest Pritchard is the New York Times–bestselling author of Gaining Ground and Growing Tomorrow. He is also a full-time organic livestock farmer and seventh-generation producer. 

Ellen Polishuk is a first-generation sustainable vegetable farmer. Formerly an owner of Potomac Vegetable Farms, she is a sought-after farm consultant and conference speaker.

Praise for Start Your Farm:

"An eminently readable, entertaining, and important book for new farmers." -Lindsey Lusher Shute, co-founder of the National Young Farmers Coalition

"A must-read for anyone who feels called to be a farmer." -John Ikerd, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics at the University of Missouri, author of Small Farms are Real Farms

"Wisdom, wit, and practical advice from two of the most respected figures in agriculture today." -Ben Hartman, author of The Lean Farm

"Gives you the down and dirty - the financial, emotional, and physical aspects of running a working farm." -Lisa Steele, author of Fresh Eggs Daily