Farming comes with constant uncertainty—but tools like sales forecasting and enterprise budgeting can help you make smarter decisions, manage risk, and boost your farm’s profitability. Whether you're growing vegetables, raising livestock, or running a diversified operation, these tools provide the financial clarity to plan with confidence. Want to learn how to apply them to your business? Read the full blog post to explore practical tips, real-world examples, and free resources to get started.
As we wrap up Financial Literacy Month, it’s the perfect time to take a closer look at your farm’s financial health. In today’s ag landscape, success means tracking more than just yields—you need the right Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to guide decisions, plan ahead, and stay financially strong. In this blog post, we discuss how to use KPIs and the Farm Finance Scorecard to understand your numbers and what they mean for your business.
Tax season doesn't have to be stressful — with the right approach, it can be a year-round strategy that sets you up for success. In our latest blog, the UK Department of Agricultural Economics break down essential tax tips, key filing updates, and smart planning strategies for farmers and small business owners, including disaster-related extensions for Kentucky, new 1099-K rules, and options for livestock sales and asset depreciation. Stay organized, stay ahead, and start building a smoother path to your future tax filings today!
As we gear up for the 2025 season, effective recordkeeping is key to understanding your business's financial health and driving growth. This blog explores advanced methods, from cloud-based software to industry-specific tools, to help you track finances, analyze key metrics, and make informed decisions. Mastering recordkeeping will set your business up for success in the year ahead.
In case you missed it, check out our Recordkeeping 101 blog post to get caught up on this series.
Struggling to price your products at the farmers market? It’s a balancing act between attracting customers and ensuring profitability. From calculating your costs to understanding market trends and perceived value, this post breaks down key steps to help you set the perfect price. Ready to optimize your pricing strategy? Read on for tips that will boost your sales and sustain your business!
Did you know that the average email subscriber receives about 13 commercial emails each day? How does your business break through that fog of emails to reach your customer? We’ve included a few tips below to help you get started, in addition to these marketing basics.
Fact: people are cooking and eating at home more. Those who weren’t cooking at home are now making meals several days a week for their families. Of those making meals at home, 35 to 40% of them started cooking for the first time, according to global management consultant SSA & Company. So, what does that mean for your food business? How can you educate new customers about your products so that you retain them once things get back to normal? Below are a few ideas for targeting the “new” home cook.
If you are new to direct meat sales and have just read our blog post about having your meat processed for the first time or are looking at updating your pricing, here are two questions you need to ask: What are your competitors’ prices; and, what is your minimum price to break-even. Check out the following blog post to get started on pricing your meat to make a profit.
U-Pick operations are a critical direct marketing approach for many farms in Kentucky and provide customers with a unique hands-on connection to fresh produce grown locally. Here are some key points to keep in mind before you open for the season.
With restrictions on in-person sales and the challenges many markets are now facing, it is more important than ever to collaborate with neighbors and fellow producers. Collaboration can open new doors such as new customers, new retail locations, or the ability to sell online. We have listed a few ways you can collaborate with neighboring growers to give new and existing customers access to your products.
KCARD is fielding a lot of questions from farmers who are looking to sell meat from their farm for the first time, so we thought it would be a good idea to help answer a few of these questions through a post.
Some of you are ramping up your online communications for the first time. It’s easy to make some rookie mistakes in the process. Here are a few we have seen recently come across our desk that we wanted to point out.
This past week, the Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (KCARD) partnered with UK’s Center for Crop Diversification (CCD) on a webinar comparing the pros and cons of farm-to-consumer distribution methods including On-Farm Pickup, Off-Farm Pickup, Home Delivery, and Shipping.
One thing we want to emphasize is that your business doesn’t need to do it all – i.e. offer every distribution method mentioned above. What works for one farm business might not work for yours. Below are a few key thoughts when it comes to picking a distribution method or two.
The name of the game these days is social distance. So how do you accept payments from customers without getting closer than six feet or having to handle cash? Digital wallets are financial accounts that allow users to store funds, make transactions, and track payment histories by computer or phone. Here are some of the most popular options that will allow you to take payments without having to get a credit card reader (and some that connect with Square).
If you are not on social media or are not actively engaging your fans and followers, you are missing out on potential customers and interactions to build your brand. Social media is now more “social” than ever and people who are now homebound are spending more and more time on it. So how do you ramp up your activity to reach customers?
The Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development is a non-profit organization established to facilitate agricultural and rural businesses in Kentucky. We are supported primarily through grants provided by the USDA Rural Cooperative Development Program and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board. Additional support is provided through our work with partners around the state and through fees charged for select client services.
