Title: Journal Assignment
Course: SLF 120 Introduction to Small Farm Viability > Section: SLF 120 Introduction to Small Farm Viability

Journal Assignment

Business Resources

In this unit, you have seen that businesses require these four resources to be successful:

Land – how much land is needed or available? Options include rented, leased, or owned.

Labor – how much labor is needed and when is the labor available? A teacher tends to have more available time in the summer.

Capital – the amount of money and supplies available to start the business. A pickup that you own would be considered capital. Borrowing money may allow you to raise capital.

Management – what skills do you have to carry out the small farm business? What are your options to improve your skills?

For this journal assignment, I want you to analyze the four resources of business based on your current situation. Remember that I want to hear your opinions; there are no wrong answers.

1. List the details of available resources from each of the categories listed above, as well as the potential you have to expand each of the areas. For example if you have children or siblings, they may be able to serve as a labor force.
2. Check out the website Kickstarter. What is the goal of this website? Search for projects in or near your hometown and see how others are raising capital for their business. Do you think any part of your business plan would be able to use this website to raise capital? Why or why not?
3. Explore out the National Agriculture Library's site Start2Farm. What is the goal of this website? Which of the business resources can benefit from this website? Is this an effective way to create new farmers? Why or why not?

Enter your writing in a document and save it on your computer. Submit your document in the Dropbox found on the Course Home page. (20 points)