This isn't directly related to goats, so I hope it's okay to post here.
I am in search of ways to make my "farm" profitable. It's been my dream since I started in 2008 to one day have a profitable, fully-functioning, multifaceted farm (similar to Deborah's, for those are familiar with her setup). But I put making it profitable on the back-burner while I was obtaining my degree and had it be a hobby instead. I even took a couple of years off of kidding to focus on my education, and also to recover after a hard year in 2011 that featured the loss of a bottle baby and a disastrous birth that resulted in both kids lost and a C-section. Now I'm ready to start focusing more on trying to grow my farm. I am really excited to hear the pitter-patter of little hooves and the sound of milk hitting the bottom of the bucket again! So for the duration of my MA I'm going to take one or two classes at a time and focus on what I truly enjoy and really want to do, which is my farm.
What I want to do now is try to grow my farm and make it at least a little profitable, rather than it being just a hobby. I want to get my name out there more, build an audience, and start interacting with the public. I've done a few demonstrations already that people requested for me to do, and would like to do more educational things like that as well. But I have a few questions/concerns:
- How to I get my name out there? I'm not really sure how I did it the first time, when people requested me as a demonstrator -- it kind of just "happened." Now I am starting from scratch basically due to my sabbatical. I have a fb fan page but only have 38 likes. How do I build an audience?
- I am concerned about liability. For example, if by some freak accident someone gets lye in their eye at a soap class or trips and gets a concussion on my property, how do I legally protect myself? Have people sign waivers? Put up "not responsible for accidents" signs?
- I'm also a little paranoid about strangers coming to my property. I don't even list my address or phone number online for that reason (I intend to get a PO Box and a separate phone # soon). I'm afraid of exposing my animals to illness or inviting thieves over for a show and tell. What precautions should I take? Or am I being paranoid?
I am open to any and all ideas or input. I feel like maybe I am bit ambitious with my expectations, but there isn't anyone in this general area (to my knowledge) who is providing what I want to do. We have an active Master Gardener group and there are farms that talk about poultry, edibles, beekeeping, and such but not goats or soap making. I feel that I could do a decent job and help fill a need while also making my farm more profitable.
I would definitely appreciate any guidance, especially from those who are already doing similar things in their areas. Also, if anyone could point me to good books about the business side of farming (I have several on the operational/functional side, care of livestock, making soap, etc), that would be wonderful.
Replies
I am, too! I listened to one of the webinars last night on hosting on-farm events, and it answered a ton of questions for me. Lots of great information. Now I feel like I know the trajectory to take. It'll be at least a year before I host any sort of fee-based, on-farm event, but I'm glad I have the knowledge and resources to start planning now!
GREAT question!! I'm so glad you asked!!
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
I've attached my PowerPoint presentation on "Value-Added Goats" so you can get a few ideas about how your goats can make money for you.
I've also attached my PowerPoint on "Marketing Your Homestead Business."
To answer your questions about liability, I'll refer you to Farm Commons, which hosts free webinars for farmers on legal topics. Here is the webinar archive where you can watch and listen to past webinars that answer your questions about liability:
http://www.farmcommons.org/webinars/
That should keep you busy for a few hours. :-)
ValueAdded Goats.ppt
Marketing Homestead Business.pptx