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Business Planning Resources

Hands-on Assistance and Classes


ATTRA’s 8-course business planning series (link)
Microenterprise Resources Initiative and Training (MERIT) provides entrepreneurial training to Hispanic and other aspiring entrepreneurs in the Mid-Willamette Valley area (link)
SCORE — a nonprofit composed of retired professionals who offer free counseling on business issues, as well as a workshop series for a cost. (link)
Oregon’s Network of Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) — partnership primarily between government colleges/universities and the Small Business Administration (SBA) that provides educational servies for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. (link)
Small Business Management Program at Chemeketa Community College provides a combination of classroom training, one-on-one business counseling, and business-to-business support and networking. (read more)
Livelihood NW (formerly known as the PSU Business Outreach Program) is a non-profit organization that provides free and low cost professional business support to underserved entrepreneurs and small business owners in Portland, OR and throughout the Pacific NW. (link)

Creating a Business Entity


Farm Commons’ resources, including information on Business Structures and how to create an LLC. (link)
Farmers who export crops can file as IC-DISCs, which may have substantial tax savings. Find more information here. (link)

Farm Cooperatives


A Brief Introduction to Agricultural Co-ops from OSU (link)
Cooperative Farming: Frameworks for Farming Together is a Greenhorns Guidebook with an introduction to the many models and possibilities of cooperative farming. (link)
The USDA offers several resources about cooperatives (read more)
Northwest Cooperative Development Center – a regional non-profit with cooperative resources, information about models, internships, and more. (link)
University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives – includes resources, research and publications on cutting edge topics in cooperatives. (link)
National Cooperative Business Association — A co-op trade group. (link)
Columinate is a national consulting cooperative serving various mission-driven organizations, including food co-ops and nonprofits. (link)
Lights, Camera, Co-ops — Video series of co-op stories from around the USA. (link)
Bylaws for Fifth Season Cooperative. (link)
The Collaborative Farming podcast offers examples of real-life cooperative farming through engaging interviews with farmers across the U.S. (link)

Business Planning


Building a Sustainable Business: A guide to developing a business plan for farms and rural businesses. (link)
Growing Farms: Successful Whole Farm Management Planning Course has extensive information on whole-farm management. (link)
PowerPoint presentation overviewing basic record keeping, cash flow and other financial records. (link)
Ag Risk Education Library — Insurance Information & Crop-Specific Enterprise Budgets. (link)

Legal Help for Partnerships, LLCs, Etc.


Farm Commons offers legal support to farmers. In this blogpost they provide numerous resources for farm business partnership models. Access to some resources does require membership. (link)
Farm Commons provides legal workshops, timely resources, and a community for farmers, ranchers, and their service providers. (link)
Farm Aid Resource Guide for Legal Issues in Farming (link)
Friends of Family Farmers provides these resources solely for educational purposes. Friends of Family Farmers neither favors nor endorses any of the organizations listed on this website, nor are they responsible for any incorrect information that is listed on the hyperlinked external sites.

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