Farm business plan with enterprise budgets and seasonal cash flow
Farm money comes in a few times a year and goes out all year, so a lender wants to see your cash flow by month, not just a yearly total. This prompt has your todo.is agent research local markets and farm programs, then write a plan with enterprise budgets for each crop or animal and a seasonal cash-flow forecast.
The prompt
- Write a business plan for my farm, [FARM NAME, SIZE AND LOCATION]. What I want to grow or raise: [CROPS, LIVESTOCK OR PRODUCTS]. The plan is for [WHO WILL READ IT]. My background and resources: [EXPERIENCE, LAND, EQUIPMENT AND MONEY]. Research local selling options near me with links (farmers markets, CSA, restaurants, wholesale buyers, co-ops) and farm loan or grant programs I could apply for. Write these sections: summary, farm description, land use map in words, enterprises, markets and pricing, production calendar, equipment and buildings, labor, marketing, regulations and certifications to check, risks (weather, pests, prices), and financials. Build an Excel file with an enterprise budget for each product, a 12-month cash flow showing the seasons, startup costs and a 3-year forecast. Mark every assumption. Send me Word and Excel files.
What to change
- [FARM NAME, SIZE AND LOCATION]: E.g. "Willow Bend Farm, 24 acres near Asheville, North Carolina".
- [CROPS, LIVESTOCK OR PRODUCTS]: E.g. "mixed vegetables, pastured pork and a small flower patch" or "hay and beef cattle".
- [WHO WILL READ IT]: E.g. "a USDA FSA farm loan officer", "a land trust", "my family partners".
- [EXPERIENCE, LAND, EQUIPMENT AND MONEY]: Years farming, owned or leased land, water, tractor and tools, savings. Attach soil tests or quotes if you have them.
Example result
- Summary
- Willow Bend Farm is a 24-acre diversified farm near Asheville run by two owners. We grow mixed vegetables on 3 acres, raise 40 pastured pigs a year and sell cut flowers in summer. We sell through a 90-member CSA, two farmers markets and five restaurants. We are applying for a farm ownership loan to buy the land we now lease.
- Land use
- • 3 acres vegetables in 6 rotation blocks, with cover crops in winter
- • 1 acre flowers and a 30 x 96 ft high tunnel for early tomatoes and greens
- • 12 acres rotational pasture for pigs, 8 acres woodland
- Enterprise budgets (illustrative assumptions)
- • Vegetables: sales $98,000, direct costs $41,000, margin about $19,000 per acre
- • Pastured pork: 40 pigs, sales $46,000, feed and processing $29,000
- • Cut flowers: sales $21,000, costs $7,500; highest margin per square foot
- Production calendar
- • Jan to Feb: order seed, start onions, plan CSA
- • Mar to Apr: high tunnel planting, pigs arrive, CSA payments come in
- • May to Oct: harvest, markets twice a week, CSA weekly boxes
- • Nov to Dec: cover crops, pork processed and sold, equipment repairs
- Seasonal cash flow (illustrative)
- • Lowest cash point: early March, before CSA payments arrive
- • 70% of income lands between May and October
- • Plan: $15,000 operating line of credit, CSA early-bird discount in February
- Markets
- • CSA: 90 shares at 20 weeks; restaurant standing orders for greens and pork
- • Two Saturday and Wednesday farmers markets, linked in the plan
- Risks
- • Weather: crop insurance options listed, high tunnel for early crops, irrigation from a well
- • Pig feed prices: buy feed by the ton in bulk, price pork per pound hanging weight
- • One owner injured: seasonal worker and a written labor plan for peak weeks
- Regulations to check
- • Meat processing at a USDA-inspected facility, market vendor permits, any organic or GAP certification you want. Check your state agriculture department.
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in your land, what you will produce and your resources.
- Paste it into todo.is on the Today screen or send it on WhatsApp or Telegram. Attach soil tests, lease terms or equipment quotes.
- Your agent finds markets and programs near you with links and sends the plan in Word with enterprise budgets and cash flow in Excel.
- Try changes like "add 200 laying hens" or "what if the CSA only sells 60 shares?" and get the numbers updated.
Tips for a better result
- Do an enterprise budget for each crop or animal. A farm can look fine overall while one product loses money.
- Plan for your cash low point. Many farms run short in late winter, before the first sales.
- Pre-sold income like CSA shares and restaurant standing orders makes lenders more comfortable.
- Ask your agent to send you a weekly market price check for your main products from public reports.
farm business plan: FAQ
- What should a farm business plan include? A farm description, what you will produce, markets and pricing, a production calendar, equipment, labor, risks and financials. Lenders usually want enterprise budgets and a monthly cash flow.
- Can I use this plan for a USDA farm loan? It gives you the plan and numbers lenders ask for, and the agent can find the current loan programs with links. Check the exact forms and rules with your local FSA office.
- How do I price farm products? Start from your cost per unit, then check local market and grocery prices. Your agent researches prices at nearby markets and stores to help you set them.
- Does it work for livestock-only farms? Yes. Describe your herd or flock and the plan focuses on stocking rate, feed, breeding or growing cycles and processing.
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