Business Management
Agronomic crops management is an essential part of agronomic crops production. Find information on farm management and budgeting for agronomic crops, including community-supported agriculture, crop insurance, marketing, and diversification.
Farm Management for Agronomic Crop Producers
Running an agribusiness operation is always going to be challenging. If your focus is agronomic crop production there’s crop planning and land management, diversification, marketing, and farm transition, to name just a few.
On this page, Penn State Extension experts have compiled numerous business management resources for agronomic crop producers. The Farming for Success workshops, for example, provide an opportunity to see research plots in the field, learn from Penn State and Ag industry professionals, and visit with industry sponsors.
For commercial farmers looking to spread the risk, diversification is important – crop rotation will replenish soil nutrients, and planting small grains before row crops may enable you to produce two crops on the same land within a 12-month period.
Crop planning plays a vital role in farm management for agronomic crop producers, because if you can get things organized during the winter, planting crops during the season is much smoother. But what crops should you be growing? Which are the most profitable? Are there crops better suited for your location?
Hemp production, for example, may fit your business model, but it poses certain challenges regarding accessing markets, developing budgets, and uncertain prices. If you’re considering growing hops commercially you need to find buyers for your produce. Working capital, land, storage, equipment, and labor also need sourcing.
Corn and corn silage are both crops that producers can grow on a budget. Using an Enterprise Budget for corn can help determine costs, and there are several enterprise budgets available on the web for other agronomic crops such as an Organic Grain Crop Enterprise Budget.
Some other considerations agronomic crop producers need to be aware of include marketing their crops. If you do it right, there might be no need to seek outside funding, such as the Pennsylvania Small Business Advantage Grant for BMPs. Understanding how buyers use grain discount schedules and value your crops, means you’ll be able to position yourself more favorably in the marketplace.
Agronomic Crop Insurance and Crop Yield
There are steps a producer can take to maximize agronomic crop yields, but agronomic crop insurance is crucial for preserving production capacity. Crop insurance policies are renewable annually, requiring you to provide documentation of yields after a harvest season ends.
Crop insurance is a tool that producers use to financially recover from natural disasters and volatile market fluctuations. Widespread heavy rain, for example, can delay corn and soybean planting. A prevented planting claim could be made to help cover the losses.
Producers of industrial hemp can also protect against the risk of producing a crop for which there are no pesticides labeled for use in industrial hemp for weeds, insects, and diseases. Federally subsidized crop insurance is sold by private insurance companies. Private insurance companies also offer a number of different policies for industrial hemp producers, covering the same perils as crop insurance and THC levels that test above allowable limits for industrial hemp.
- Articles
Adding Value to Your Custom Business
This article will discuss several options for adding value to your custom business's services. - Articles
Are You Pricing Your Custom Services Correctly?
The prices you set for your services should move you toward achieving your long-term business goals. At the same time, consider how you are looking to position yourself in the business landscape. - Articles
Crop Insurance
This document includes a checklist of the information you will need to contact an insurance provider to purchase crop insurance. - Articles
Diversification of Your Operation, Why
By diversifying, you are spreading the downside risk over more than one enterprise. - Videos
Getting Started in Hops Production
Length 12:22There are several important factors that must be considered before growing hops commercially. -
Agronomy Highlights: A Podcast from Penn State Extension
Agronomy Highlights is a biweekly podcast by the field and forage crops team that covers a broad range of pertinent agronomic topics with expert guests. - Articles
Navigating Farm Stress Resources
Farming is a stressful profession. Learn about the available resources for farm community members experiencing stress. - Articles
Sprayer Calibration Saves Money
Spending some time going over your sprayer in the spring can pay dividends. Worn or partially clogged nozzles will cause uneven spray distribution, which can lead to problems later in the season. - Articles
Recordkeeping for Dicamba Products
Are you planning on using a Dicamba product this year? Be prepared to get training and keep the required records! - Articles
Dairy Sense: Pricing Feed from Field – Moving Past Thumb Rules
Precision pricing forages and grain directly out of the field can be a benefit to both seller and buyer. - Articles
Managing Flood-Damaged Crops
How to manage crops in lowland fields and when damaged by floods. - Articles
Learning from Your Own Farm: Farmer/Grower Grant Success Stories
The Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NE-SARE) program provides modest funding to farmers who would like to initiate their own on-farm research. - Articles
Developing a Roadside Farm Market
Retailing directly to consumers can be a viable alternative marketing strategy and means of increasing profits for many small-scale agricultural ventures.