Enterprises

Interested in raising animals but looking for something different than the conventional sheep, cattle, or laying hens? Then you might be interested in raising some type of alternative livestock. Examples of alternative livestock include antelope, elk, buffalo, alpacas, llamas, miniature horses, donkeys, zebra, camels, guardian dogs, ratites, game birds, ducks, wallabies, and more. Broadly defined, alternative livestock can be any non-traditional animal raised on your farm or property.

In November, I had the opportunity to give a presentation through the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ (AGNR) new Agricultural Careers and Entrepreneurship (ACE) Virtual Center webinar series. The presentation was titled, Entrepreneurs-Born or Made?

By its very nature, agritourism activities bring groups of people together. Since Covid-19 protocols call for social distancing and avoidance of “crowd” situations, how are farms that feature agritourism as their core business model fairing? This is the start of the pick or cut-your-own season and on-farm markets premiering early season produce. What strategies, adjustments, and even innovative ways are these farms keeping their doors open to the public?

Nowhere does the old adage “failing to plan, is planning to fail” more applicable than when preparing to launch a new business enterprise or service company. Regardless of the greatness of your product, unless you carefully plan in advance how to operate a profitable, sustainable business, your business success will be limited. The goal of the Maryland Rural Enterprise Development Center is to help you succeed in that planning process and this is why we have launched a new tool, Assessing Your Farm Business Plan.

The University of Maryland Extension has a website devoted to supporting beginning farmers.

Are you a small livestock farmer in Maryland wanting to capitalize on your urban location and strong demand for locally produced meats? If so, this web module, Farm to Table Marketing Model for Small Farm Meat Producers, was created specifically for you. This module delivers educational materials developed for several training sessions by educators and professionals who are highly knowledgeable and who are presently engaged in Farm-to-Table production and marketing.

Your Ag Business Venture: Dream, Plan, Implement is a guide designed to put you in the driver's seat while on the road to making your ag business idea a reality. There are many good tools and resources within this guide to help you along the way.

Ever wandered around a farm show or equipment dealer admiring all of the new and fancy gadgets available to farmers today? So many choices, yet so little money! Small farmers must be especially careful of expensive machinery purchases as they buck the traditional “bigger is better” trend of large farmers with mega equipment, some pulling plows and harrow’s wider than your whole field. However, as a small farmer you will take the opposite approach, limiting large equipment options and focusing on specialized, value-added processes to garner more dollars from less land. Indeed, the cost of equipment today requires the successful small farmer to be both prudent and wise in equipment selection. What equipment is essential for the operation of the small farm? How can you avoid the common mistake of purchasing more equipment than the farm can support?