FOR ASPIRING FARMERS

Why you need a farm business plan before you find the farm

When the right farm comes along, it's much more likely to go to someone who can work up a plan in a few days. Someone who's ready to jump.

That can be you, if you start your plan now.

Why a written plan matters

Planning is at the heart of getting onto a farm. You need a written plan for how you'll run your farm business.

A good farm business plan convinces retiring farmers you're serious. It gives your backers confidence. Most of all, it gives your business the best chance of success.

Start before there's a farm

The sooner you start, the better. Don't wait for a farm to come along. Some parts of your plan will apply whatever the property, especially if you're looking in a particular area.

You don't need to come up with every answer yourself. Use your own ideas, and get help when you need it. Being able to take in new information and use it shows what you can deliver.

Plans for farms you won't get

You'll probably write plans for farms that get sold to other people. The upside is that you're getting better at planning, and showing people you're on the hunt.

Think of an aspiring farmer who does a plan for a property up the road, knowing they'll never own it. They put in the hard work, researching what drives profit on that kind of farm. When a great opportunity comes along, they adapt the plan quickly and have a solid pitch ready.

That's a hypothetical, to show why the practice pays off.

Two documents from one framework

Work through the plan and you'll come out with the framework for two documents.

Your Farm Ownership Plan. The complete plan for your farming future: your vision, your skills, the farm you're targeting, how you'll run it, the financials, the backing structure, the risks and the governance. It's for you. It clarifies your thinking and gets you ready for any opportunity.

Your Farm Backer Pitch. The version you put in front of the people you're asking to back you personally: family, friends, or your own retiring farmer. It takes the best of your ownership plan and makes a compelling case for why they should back you. It sets out your story, what you can do, what the opportunity looks like, and why backing you is a good decision.

The backer pitch is your own private pitch to your own backers, rather than a public offer. Lead with the opportunity, not your need.

The ownership plan is for you. The backer pitch is for them.

The eight sections

The framework in the guide runs in eight sections. Each one has the key points your plan should address, with advice about what to include:

• Summary
• You and your family
• The property plan
• The operating plan
• The financial plan
• The backing plan
• The risk mitigation plan
• The governance plan

Write the summary last, once the whole plan is set out. For the rest, work through them in order, and take your time.

The full guide, You Can Own a Farm, is free at cultivatefarms.com/resources.

You can build your own plan at cultivatefarms.com/plan.