Sustainable Food Center provides training and technical assistance opportunities for farmers and food-business entrepreneurs throughout Central Texas. Much of our training and technical assistance work is designed to reach limited resource and under-served farmers and food producers.

Organic Vegetable Production and Marketing

Technical Farm Tour

Saturday, November 10, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon)

Katie Kraemer and David Pitre of Tecolote Farm in Manor will lead a technical tour of their farm, with a focus on organic production techniques and marketing practices.

Pre-registration is required. Complete details (map, directions, etc.) will be sent to registrants prior to the tour.

Full and partial fee waivers are availalbe.

Click below for registration form/waiver application:

MS Word               PDF format

We also offer:

• Individual consultations by experienced professionals
• Educational workshops and local farm tours
• Sponsorship to local and regional conferences
• Printed resource and training guides.

• Market display and signage
• Quality control and postharvest handling
• New business planning and development
• Farmer-Mentor network

SFC also provides farm marketing program assistance to other communities and organizations through consultations and conference presentations.

Sustainable Ag Resources:
National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
ACRES, USA - A Voice for Eco Agriculture

Government Agriculture Links:
Texas Department of Agriculture
United Stated Department of Agriculture
USDA Risk Management Agency

Farmers' MARKET DEVELOPMENT Links:

Texas C-BAR Farmers' Market Resources

Texas Community Building with Attorney Resources (Texas C-BAR) provides information for developing farmers' markets, including a guide to starting markets in Texas, available for free download (.pdf file). Also offers links to other law and governmental sites related to farmers' markets.

Postharvest Handling Information:

Farmers who sell through direct outlets, like farmers' markets, seek every advantage they can find. While it may be difficult to compete with other outlets on price or volume, many small farmers will have a quality advantage. In order to retain that advantage, farmers should concentrate on preserving the taste, texture, appearance and other elements of quality that set their products apart. One approach to maintaining quality is through improved postharvest handling techniques.

SFC hosted a workshop on quality control through postharvest handling in 2005. Below are some of the resources that were used in the training packet, as well as links to additional sources of information on postharvest handling.

ATTRA Postharvest Handling of Fruits and Vegetables

This ATTRA publication offers introductory information on postharvest handling, plus details on cultural practices, equipment and handling methods, and sanitation. Available for free download as pdf.

Postharvest Handling of Horticultural Products: Keeping Principles in Perspective

Marita Cantwell, Postharvest Vegetable Specialist, UC Davis

Postharvest Technology Research and Information Center
University of California, Davis

The Postharvest Technology Center has compiled numerous resources, many of which are available for free download or affordable print versions.  Much of the information is based on research conducted at UC Davis and is applicable to small and mid-scale horticulture crop producers here in Central Texas.

To visit their library, organized by topic, click here.

Postharvest Resources for Organic Crops
TREVOR SUSLOW, UC Cooperative Extension Vegetable Crops Specialist, UC Davis

This document offers tips on planning for Postharvest Handling within the broader crop plan.  Addresses handling, equipment, control points, and Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs).

Key Points of Control and Management of Microbial Food Safety: Information for Growers, Packers, and Handlers of Fresh-Consumed Horticultural Products

TREVOR V. SUSLOW, UC Cooperative Extension Specialist, Department of Vegetable Crops, UC Davis

This element of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) explains the importance of avoiding contamination and provides expert advice on preventing this risk.

Walk-In Cooler Plan (PDF)
British Colombia Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Agricultural Building Systems Handbook

Temperature and humidity control are key to maintaining quality after harvest.  This publication offers design suggestions for building a basic walk-in cooler, complete with electric and construction recommendations.

Display, Signage, Customer Service Assistance:

SFC staff works closely with area farmers to assist with display, signage, and customer service at farmers markets. We have sponsored numerous workshops and conference sessions on this topic, and have assembled a resource packet and web-based presentation, available for download below:

SFC Direct Marketing Presentation - Compiled by Tatum Evans, Market Consultant and former manager of Crescent City Farmers Market in New Orleans.  Originally presented May, 2006; offers detailed explanations of effective display, signage, and customer service principles illustrated with photos of do's and don'ts.

Austin Farmers' Market - follow this link to the Austin Farmers' Market official page with detailed info on upcoming market events, market vendors, and the current AFM E-Newsletter.

Growing For Market - monthly print magazine and one of the most respected sources of information about growing and selling vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers, and plants. Visit the web site for subscription information and index of previous issues.

Farm-Business Planning:

SFC has provided several farmers with an opportunity to work directly with a business planning professional to develop a comprehensive farm-business plan.  Below is a list of valuable resources that can be used for business planning.

Building a Sustainable Business: A Guide to Developing a Business Plan for Farms and Rural Businesses, Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN)of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE)

This guide brings the business planning process alive to help today's alternative and sustainable agriculture entrepreneurs transform farm-grown inspiration into profitable enterprises. Sample worksheets lend a practical perspective and illustrate how real farm families set goals, researched processing alternatives, determined potential markets, and evaluated financing options. Blank worksheets help the reader develop a detailed, lender-ready business plan or map out strategies to take advantage of new opportunities.

http://www.sare.org/publications/business.htm

Evaluating a Rural Enterprise, ATTRA

This publication is for people who already live in rural areas and want to add new enterprises to their operations. New farm enterprises today are often non-traditional—everything from adding pastured poultry to a beef operation to starting a bed-and-breakfast in the barn to making a cornfield maze to attract tourists.

http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/evalrural.html

Enterprise Budgets - Planning for Profit, British Colombia Ministry of Agriculture and Lands

The BCMAL Planning for Profit Enterprise Budgets consists of the following sections: key factors affecting profitability, marketing alternatives, cash flow timing, rules of thumb, enterprise budget, cash flow table and graph, sensitivity analysis table and the buildings, machinery and production system costs. More recent budgets include aspects of risk management and marketing.  The information is provided as a tool for projecting costs and returns for farm enterprises and as a general guide for planning individual farms. The sample budget should be used as a guide only and should not be used for business analysis without adjustments to current prices for inputs and products. Each farm should develop their own budget to reflect their production goals, costs and market prices.

http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/busmgmt/budgets/index.htm

Business Planning, Network Services & Consulting Corporation

When it comes to building, whether it is a house or a business, it's a lot easier to prevent problems with planning than to deal with them once they've already happened.  If you're thinking of starting and building your own business, the only way to prevent problems later on is to use proper planning techniques today. The most effective and least expensive time to plan your business's future is before it has begun. And if you've already started your business, there is no time like the present to start planning for the future.

The tips on this site will help guide you through the architecture phase of starting your business, enabling you to create a blue print for success:

http://www.enetsc.com/WomeninBusiness.htm

Developing Your Marketing Plan, Small Farm Center, US Davis

Daniel W. Block, Professor, California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo

State-of-the-art marketing today means being sensitive and responsive to customer needs and providing the products and services customers want; not just presenting what we have, and hoping they will buy.  The kind of marketing that can make your small-scale farming operation profitable is niche marketing, finding a unique aspect or type of buyer in the market, and focusing your efforts on reaching that niche. Simply stated, this means you will want to differentiate your product, or set it apart from those of your competitors and target it to a select group of customers with unique needs.  This publication provides a guide for how to do that.

http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/pubs/sfnews/archive/92031.htm

Business Plan Basics, Small Business Administration

A business plan precisely defines your business, identifies your goals, and serves as your firm's resume. The basic components include a current and pro forma balance sheet, an income statement, and a cash flow analysis. It helps you allocate resources properly, handle unforeseen complications, and make good business decisions. Because it provides specific and organized information about your company and how you will repay borrowed money, a good business plan is a crucial part of any loan application. Additionally, it informs sales personnel, suppliers, and others about your operations and goals.

http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html

Templates for Your Business, SCORE

SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" is a source of free and confidential small business advice for entrepreneurs.  Download business templates and get SCORE advice

http://www.score.org/cgi/ask_score.cgi

http://www.score.org/template_gallery.html 

Building An Agribusiness or Small Business Plan, Texas Department of Agriculture

The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) developed this guide by drawing on the experience of many public and private business assistance programs. This business plan model can be used as both a guideline and a workbook as you prepare your business plan. The worksheets in the appendix can be completed, removed and used as part of your individual business plan.

http://www.agr.state.tx.us/vgn/tda/files/1848/6385_BusinessPlan2005.pdf

For further assistance with your business plan, contact the Texas Department of Agriculture Rural Economic Development division at (512) 936-0273, or call the Texas Department of Agriculture/Texas Department of Economic Development Rural Assistance toll free line at (877) 428-7848.

FARMER-MENTOR NETWORK:

SFC is working with several experienced farmers to establish a network of farmer-mentors who represent a variety of farming systems, crops, and marketing outlets, as well as the cultural diversity, of our area. New and beginning farmers will have an opportunity to ask questions and discuss various issues with the mentors through telephone consultations. For more information, please contact Andrew at 512-236-0074.

Sustainable Food Center farmer trainings and technical assistance programs are made possible in part through a partnership with the USDA Risk Management Agency.