Individual Farm Business Support

We work one-on-one with farmers like you to enhance your ability to make smart decisions about your farm business.

Farmer using machinery

Here to help you move forward

If you are looking for help with business planning or any other aspect of your farm, we can connect you to a service provider with the expertise you're looking for, either on staff at MFT or at another organization.  From marketing to risk management, recordkeeping to personnel, we can help you determine your business needs and get you moving in the right direction.
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A farmer holds a full box of spinach in the path between two raised beds.

How we can help:

Recordkeeping:
  • Set up and organize your bookkeeping system, in QuickBooks or other platforms
  • Learn new QuickBooks techniques
  • Troubleshoot QuickBooks issues
  • Analyze financial reports
  • Design systems to track important farm data, like yields or time per task
  • Get connected to bookkeepers who can help you maintain accurate records
Business and financial planning:
  • Set goals and create action plans
  • Learn new time management techniques
  • Get support with decision-making
  • Separate your personal and business finances
  • Analyze profitability of enterprises and products by creating enterprise budgets
  • Benchmark your business’s financial health
  • Organizing historical financial statements
  • Create a budget/cash flow projection for the whole business, or around a specific investment
  • Build financial projections including a sales forecast, profit and loss, cash flow, and balance sheet
  • Write a business plan suitable for your own needs or to submit to a potential lender
Accessing financing:
  • Get support packaging loan applications, and communicating with FSA and other lenders
  • Build financial projections including a sales forecast, profit and loss, cash flow, and balance sheet
  • Get support with grant writing or editing
Marketing:
  • Create a pricing strategy
  • Analyze profitability of market channels
  • Do market research and market sizing
  • Define a niche for your business
  • Get connected to branding experts, graphic designers, photographers, website developers, brokers, and others who can help you with your marketing strategy
Production:
  • Get connected with experts in production systems, pest management, climate resilience, land and infrastructure design, product and recipe development, food safety and certification requirements, and more.
Risk management:
  • Work through top risks to your business
  • Create financial projections to test sensitivity and resiliency in different scenarios
Personnel:
  • Determine your labor needs
  • Review job descriptions
  • Learn about considerations for robust employee management systems
  • Get connected to experts in communication, legal employment requirements, and resources to find employees.
Succession Planning:
  • Get support navigating the process and putting together a team
  • Set goals and create an action plan
  • Learn about considerations for preparing to sell business, and other transfer logistics
Legal and Taxes:
  • Get connected to accountants and attorneys to answer your legal and tax questions.
  • Get connected to personal finance professionals.

If you are looking for help with your farm, reach out to us!

Please us this email form to tell us a little bit about your specific needs so we can best assist you. Our Technical Assistance Specialist will contact you to discuss your goals and challenges, then connect you with a service provider.

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Get In Touch

Catherine Durkin

Catherine Durkin

Technical Assistance Specialist
207-338-6575catherine@mainefarmlandtrust.org

Catherine Durkin

Technical Assistance Specialist

Catherine Durkin

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