From Guest Blogger Emma Joyce: How to Start an Organic Farm Business

We all have a special connection with our planet, so it’s no wonder that many people feel most comfortable and most peaceful when they are in nature. And in today’s industry, where everything is mass-produced, over-sprayed by pesticides and not at all natural, many people are searching for healthier alternatives. Some people had put two and two together, and started their own organic farms. They are growing all natural produce and selling it fresh to their local markets. If you had a similar idea, but weren’t sure how to execute it, here are some guidelines that might help you get started.
Decide what you want to focus on

Nobody can grow everything, and if you are just starting out in the farming business, you might want to start small. Choose one type of food and focus solely on that. Look around the markets and see what is missing in the organic sections, then use that to your advantage. Once you make a name for yourself by selling good produce and get the hang of running such a business, you can focus on expanding your offer. And don’t think that choosing just one thing limits your business – there are so many things you can make from just one type of fruit or vegetable, so get creative and experiment a bit before you start selling.
Have a good foundation

You will never be able to have good produce if you don’t have good soil and good water. Make sure that the land you are planning to work with is good quality; if it is missing any of the essential minerals, add them before planting anything. The next thing you need is good quality water. You can set up an irrigation system on your own if you are just working small. However, if you want a bigger plantation, then you will want to contact some experts on groundwater engineering to help you find the best choices for your farm. Next, you need a good fertilizer, for obvious reasons, and you also need to shelter and position your plants properly. Make sure that they are getting enough sun, but find a balance because some plants can’t handle too much sunlight.
Study

If you are not already an expert in agriculture – you have a lot to learn. Pick up the books and enroll in courses that will teach you both the basics and the advanced steps of farming. Knowing what you are doing will save you a lot of time and money in the long run. However, if you are not an expert and want to start immediately, then your best choice might be hiring an actual expert to work with you while teaching you at the same time.
The second thing you will want to study is business management. Even if you hire a manager to run your business, you will want to know enough to at least be able to tell if they are doing a good job or not. Learning how you can improve your company from the inside out will help you immensely with sales, brand marketing and overall work atmosphere.
Keep your promise

In the world where every ingredient list is a mile long, and most of the words on the list are completely unfamiliar to an average buyer, organic farms need to stand out. If you are going to be an organic company, your produce truly has to be clean and with no artificial ingredients – neither during the production process nor in the finished product. It might seem easy at times to just take the shortcut and use the chemicals, but you need to remember why you are doing this and the importance of reintroducing clean, healthy food into our lives. Don’t break the promise to your customers because you would not only harm your business, but also lose your customer’s trust, and they’ll probably never want to buy from you again if you do so. Teaming up with other local organic farmers and holding each other accountable might be a great way to stay on track.

The organic food business has grown a lot in the last couple of years, and it will only continue to gain in popularity as people start to realize how important it is to eat clean and how little it takes to switch to a healthier diet. Organic food is the revolution that will surely improve all of our lives and make our planet a safer and healthier place.