To develop your farm patronage , it ’s important to occasionally , if not regularly , make investments — investment in infrastructure , new projects or new equipment . But some investment will always be more valuable and have a higher return on investiture than others .
Below are a five areas we have found on our farm to be almost universally good stake . If a labor or estimate devolve into one or more of these categories — at least two is ideal — we know it will almost certainly pay for itself in the shortest amount of clip potential .
1. Education
Education is an underrated investment funds . Any chance we get to hang a local ( or even not - so - local ) seminar or league about market gardening or the similar , we take that opportunity . This always pays off in theme , inspirations , new ways of doing things and often new connections . We have pick up round-eyed techniques at conferences that have improved our business for eld — tarping for sess control , or tips for dependable tomato production , for deterrent example . Education Department also admit Christian Bible , online courses , even perhaps interview . Some education can be expensive but will always pay off quickly and for many years to amount .
2. Season Extension
Having early and late crop is one of the most important approaches to run a successful farmers ’ marketplace ( and eating place also treasure it ) . That is why time of year university extension is the rare forcible investment ( such as a anatomical structure , high burrow , row book binding or hoop ) that will almost always pay up for itself within one season — two at most . If it extends our season and we have the money , time of year extension is a definite yes .
3. Weed Control
Few things slow down a garden down likeweeds . They promptly suck the life out of the farm and the spirit out of the farmer . Every nurseryman has been there . So when we deliberate an investiture ( say , a new tool or implement , or even an educational pleasure trip ) it gets push high on the list of possibility for the year if the closing upshot imply ripe weed control .
4. Efficiency
We always await for way to grow our food well , but we also always look for means to do so using less energy and sentence . If an investment in something helps us to move something around the farm faster with few steps , or it help us to glean quicker , flora faster , or lift more , then we will give that investing excess thoughtfulness . The return on invested capital on energy nest egg should always be price out , but softening the bottlenecks in our operation is a decisive part of growing our business , so almost anything that helps with that is a worthy investment .
5. Things That Add Value for Customers
Any business , agricultural or otherwise , should give special attention to what the customer wants . Therefore , for us investment in better promotional material , better client experience , and measures that improve the quality of the intersection should always receive a picayune more preference than those that do n’t . The better you make your product , the more loyal your client will become . Preferably , every investment we make would pass into this category .
