Business and Marketing

Farms and ranches are businesses. In order to operate a sustainable farming and ranching operation, you will have to understand the many components of running a business.

This includes planning, financial management, recordkeeping, marketing, legal considerations, and more.

Here you will find practical resources that provide guidance on business and marketing. From whole-farm planning, financial management, accessing new markets, and other farm-business topics.   

Marty Holman works the computer in his outdoor office on Holman’s Harvest Farms in Loxahatchee Groves, Florida, February 25, 2021. Holman raises chickens, cattle, vegetable, and tropical fruit on his 15 acres. USDA/FPAC photo by Preston Keres

Featured Topics

AGRITOURISM

A customer picks blackberries at a u-pick farm.

CROP INSURANCE

Close up of a Montana farm field

DISASTER

Black Angus in a flooded Montana field

FARM LAW

farmer standing in field, from back

FARMERS MARKETS

people walking on a street between farmers market stands

FINANCING

farmers looking at a document

GRANT PROGRAMS

Dew drops sit on leaves

RISK MANAGEMENT

An aerial view of farmland

VALUE-ADDED AGRICULTURE

ATTRA’s Business and Marketing Resources

Market-Diversification Strategies with Ridge to Reef Farm on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

In this video, Nate Olive, the owner of Ridge to Reef Farm on…
Sky with storm clouds behind road signs with arrows, standing above tall grass.USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

Episode 346. Managing Risk in the Ark-La-Tex Region

In this episode of Voices from the Field, Kandi Williams of the…
tractor in field

Identifying Waste: Becoming a Lean Farming Machine

By Hakeem Holmes, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Lean is a business…
carton on blueberries

Episode 340. ATTRA and SARE: Edible Landscaping

This episode of Voices from the Field was produced in partnership…
NCAT Hakeem

Gulf States Winter Farming: Turnip Greens for Farm to School

In this video, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Hakeem…

More Than a Farm: Setting Your Agribusiness Up for Success

By Hakeem Holmes, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Farming—one…
Crops being watered by irrigationCanva Pro

Making a Grazing Plan and Mobile Technology for Business Management

In this video, NCAT Grazing Specialist Lee Rinehart talks about…
Butte Farmers Market

Episode 322. Connecting a Farmers Market and a Community

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture…
tomatoes, peppers, and other produce arranged on tables at a farmers market

Episode 317. Farmers Markets – Supporting Farmers Behind the Scenes

In this episode of Voices from the Field, Samantha O’Byrne,…
happy farmer in the field

Overview of the Farmer Veterans Needs Assessment

Farmland Access

Crops growing in the field next to several hoop houses

Veteran’s Business Planning Tipsheet

Organic vegetables

Make Money with Farm to Table Dinners

If you have fresh, local food and a beautiful farm, you also…