Lesson 1: Business basics

Overview

In the first few modules of this course, I presented information about managing soils, crops and livestock. Now it's time to look at managing and marketing your organic farm business. If you already run a successful business, stay tuned for some new ideas from successful owners and reports from the field on improving your business.

This lesson is about selling value by developing your marketing mix including product, place, price and promotion. I'll give you details about what goes into a basic marketing plan, and then how to create an overall business plan.

To do this, I’ll introduce farm planning, describe the organic marketplace, talk about why consumers want organic products and explain how you can provide value to your customers through positive relationships and effective branding.