Prairie Roots Beginning Farmer Center

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Executive Summary

Prairie Roots Beginning Farmer Center is a nonprofit in Iowa that helps beginning, veteran and underserved farmers start and keep a farm business. Each year a cohort of beginning farmers works with a coach for 12 months on a business plan, learns to keep the production and financial records that lenders ask for, is matched with an experienced farmer mentor and gets help finding and leasing farmland, including legal review of lease and purchase documents paid by us. Our services are free to farmers.

Farming is one of the hardest businesses to enter. Farmland is costly, the people who farm it are aging, and a beginning farmer with no inherited land or equipment must prove a business plan and a record before most lenders will help. Many beginning farmers can grow food or raise livestock well and fail in the first years because of cash flow, records or a lease they did not fully understand. Veterans and farmers from groups that have been underserved by farm programs face extra barriers.

With this grant we will coach about 20 beginning farmers in Year 1, help each one finish a written business plan and a set of financial records ready for a lender, and complete farmland access help for at least 8 of them. Our goals are that at least 65% of those who finish the year have a business plan and records a lender can review, and that at least half are still farming three years later. We do not promise that any farm will succeed. In our pilot, a majority of beginning farmers were still farming three years later, and we will report the exact figure as our starting point.

Our Year 1 budget: about $588,000, growing to about $900,000 by Year 5. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus. We have 8 paid staff in Year 1 and 12 by Year 5. State agricultural contracts, farm credit partnerships and gifts add steady support, so grants fall from about 81% of our income in Year 1 to about 67% in Year 5.

We are asking the Heartland Farm Futures Fund for $146,800 for one Farm Business Coach, a Financial Records Specialist, bookkeeping setup sessions and legal review of farmland leases, the last two paid directly to professionals under written agreements. State contracts, other grants and gifts cover the rest.

I am Claudette Wrenfield, the Executive Director, a first-generation farmer and former extension educator with 15 years of work with beginning farmers. The numbers in this proposal are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end, not promises.

Company Description

Prairie Roots Beginning Farmer Center is a nonprofit organization in Iowa. We are a 501(c)(3) public charity (or a program of one, through a fiscal sponsor), governed by a volunteer board of directors. We will provide our IRS determination letter, board list and most recent financial statements with this proposal.

Our mission. To help the next generation of farmers start and keep viable farm businesses.

What we believe. Farming is a business, and good production skills are not enough. A beginning farmer with a written plan, clean records, a lease they understand and a mentor is far more likely to be farming in year five. We serve everyone who wants to farm, with priority for veterans, limited-resource farmers and farmers from groups that have been underserved by farm programs.

How we started. Prairie Roots began as weekend workshops run by three extension educators who had left to farm themselves. The rooms filled, and participants kept asking for help after the workshops ended. A pilot program worked with 60 beginning farmers over three years, and 37 were still farming at the end.

What we offer:
- A 12-month farm business program. Monthly all-day workshops and coaching sessions every other month, covering enterprise choice, whole-farm planning, record keeping, marketing, risk management and credit.
- Financial records help. A Financial Records Specialist sets up farm accounting software with each farmer, builds a beginning balance sheet and trains the farmer to keep records without us.
- Farmland access. A Farmland Access Navigator keeps a registry of available land, builds relationships with retiring operators, reviews lease terms with each farmer and arranges attorney review, paid by us.
- Mentor matching. Each farmer is matched with an experienced Iowa farmer in a similar enterprise, who receives a small honorarium.
- A veteran and underserved farmer track. Outreach, a peer group and referrals for veterans and farmers from underserved communities.
- Market connections. Introductions to farmers markets, food hubs, grocery and institutional buyers.

Who we serve. Beginning farmers in Iowa with fewer than 10 years of experience, with priority for veterans, limited-resource farmers and underserved farmers. There is no charge.

What we do not do. We do not make loans, give legal, tax or investment advice ourselves, prepare VA claims or buy or sell land. We do not guarantee profit, a loan approval or a farm that lasts.

How we are run. An eleven-member volunteer board of directors oversees the organization and approves the budget each year. The board includes three working farmers (one a veteran), an agricultural lender, an extension educator, a rural attorney, a nonprofit finance professional, an FSA loan officer as a non-voting advisor and two community members from underrepresented agricultural communities. An outside accountant reviews our books every year.

Where things stand today. We have letters of support from two extension offices, a farm credit lender and a veteran farmer organization, and a waiting list of more than 80 beginning farmers. Before we begin, our attorney will review the contractor agreements for bookkeepers and farmland attorneys, the mentor agreement and the data consent form.

Problem & Opportunity

Iowa's farmers are getting older, and fewer young people are entering farming. The number of principal operators in their 30s and younger is a small share of the total, and most farmland is owned by people past retirement age. In the coming years, a large share of Iowa farmland will change hands, and whether it goes to beginning farmers or to larger operators and investors matters for rural communities.

Beginning farmers face compounding barriers. Land values are high, and ownership is out of reach for most without family help. Cash rents are costly. Lenders and the Farm Service Agency ask for a business plan, a balance sheet and several years of production and financial records that beginners do not have. Federal programs include microloans of up to $50,000, a down payment loan for beginning farmers and direct farm ownership loans, and many beginners do not know how to qualify. Leases and purchase options are complicated, and a beginner who signs one without review can be hurt badly.

Veterans, limited-resource farmers and farmers from groups that have been underserved by farm programs face more barriers. USDA's own data show lower program participation and smaller operations among some groups, a gap shaped by decades of unequal access to land and credit.

Help exists, including extension education, farmer-led groups, FSA offices and farm credit lenders. Most offer information or one-time workshops. Few offer a year of coaching, hands-on help building records, attorney review of leases and a person who tracks land opportunities, all in one place.

We want to be clear about what we know and do not know. We know that farmers who have plans, records and a lease they understand are better able to get credit and make decisions. We do not know that any one farmer will succeed, because weather, markets and family circumstances matter, and we do not promise it. We will use the most recent numbers from the USDA Census of Agriculture and the state in our final application and will not overstate them. In our pilot, 37 of 60 farmers were still farming after three years.

Products & Services

Prairie Roots will run a 12-month cohort program, set up each farmer's records, help with farmland access and keep in touch for three years.

How it works, step by step:
1. Recruitment and application. We recruit through FSA and extension offices, veteran organizations, farm bureaus, FFA and 4-H alumni and faith communities. A selection committee fills each cohort, with priority for veterans, limited-resource farmers and underserved farmers.
2. Intake. Each farmer meets a Farm Business Coach for a one-on-one assessment of experience, goals, land, equipment, records and family circumstances. We do not run credit checks and do not share any information with a lender without written consent.
3. Workshops and coaching. Monthly full-day workshops, held at county extension offices and community colleges across five regions, with childcare on request and meals. Topics: enterprise choice and whole-farm planning, records and software, marketing and contracts, and risk and credit. Coaches meet each farmer every other month.
4. Financial records. The Financial Records Specialist sets up farm accounting software, builds a beginning balance sheet and enters historical records. Contracted agricultural bookkeepers provide three setup sessions per farmer, paid by us. The goal is that the farmer can keep the records alone.
5. Mentors. Within 60 days, each farmer is matched with a mentor who has farmed in a similar enterprise. Mentors sign a conflict-of-interest agreement and may not sell land, equipment or inputs to, or invest in, a mentee without disclosure.
6. Farmland access. The Farmland Access Navigator searches the registry and retiring-operator network with each farmer, helps evaluate parcels and reviews lease terms. A contracted attorney reviews any lease or purchase option, up to $750 per farmer, paid by us.
7. Credit readiness. By the end of the year, each farmer has a written plan and a package of records that a lender can review. We introduce farmers to FSA, farm credit lenders and community lenders. We do not make loans and do not promise approval.
8. Follow-up. We check in at 12, 24 and 36 months about farming status, revenue, land and records, and we report totals publicly.

What this grant will pay for. One Farm Business Coach, the Financial Records Specialist, the bookkeeping setup sessions and legal review of farmland leases. The rest of the budget comes from state agricultural contracts, farm credit partnerships, other grants and gifts.

Market Analysis

Who benefits: beginning farmers in Iowa, retiring operators who want to pass land to the next generation, lenders who gain better-prepared borrowers and rural communities that gain working farms.

Our primary group is beginning farmers with fewer than 10 years of experience, with priority for veterans, limited-resource farmers and underserved farmers. We will use the most recent USDA Census of Agriculture and state numbers in our final application. Our secondary groups are retiring landowners, lenders, extension and farmer organizations.

How we sized our plan. Each coach carries about 10 farmers at a time. We plan for 20 farmers in Year 1 with 2 coaches, 30 in Year 2 with 3 coaches, 30 in Year 3, 40 in Year 4 with 4 coaches and 40 in Year 5. In Year 1, bookkeeping setup is 3 sessions per farmer at $430 each ($25,800), farm software is $120 per farmer ($2,400), lease review is up to $750 per farmer ($15,000) and mentors receive $500 each ($10,000).

Demand data. Our pilot had 68 applicants for 20 places in one year and 91 in the next, and a waiting list of more than 80 beginning farmers now.

We do not take everyone. Cohorts are limited, and we help others find extension programs and online courses.

Competitive Landscape

Other resources for beginning farmers in Iowa, and how we relate to them.

- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Extension offers workshops, online resources and a beginning farmer network. We are a close partner and take referrals from county offices. We provide a year of coaching and hands-on records and land help for a smaller group.
- USDA Farm Service Agency. FSA runs the loan programs for beginning farmers. We do not make loans. We prepare farmers to apply and introduce them to FSA staff.
- Practical Farmers of Iowa and other farmer-led groups. They offer field days and farmer networks. We co-host events and focus on business planning and land.
- Farm credit lenders and banks. They offer beginning farmer loans and some education. We prepare borrowers and do not compete with lenders.
- Online courses and one-time workshops. They help with information. Many beginners need personal coaching, records help and a person who tracks land.
- Land linking programs. Some match retiring owners with beginners. We combine a land registry with lease review and a year of business coaching.

What makes us different.
- A year of coaching, plus three years of follow-up.
- A Financial Records Specialist who builds records with each farmer.
- Attorney review of farmland leases and purchase options, paid by us.
- A dedicated veteran and underserved farmer track.
- Honest results: we publish the share of farmers still farming at 12, 24 and 36 months, including when it falls.

What we do not claim. We are new as a staffed program. Our pilot was small, and extension and lenders have far more reach. We plan to earn trust one farmer at a time.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach farmers, landowners and partners.

Farmers. We will work through FSA and extension county offices, veteran organizations, farm bureaus, FFA and 4-H alumni networks, faith communities in rural counties and word of mouth from graduates. We will keep a simple website with an online application, a monthly e-mail and printed flyers for places without reliable internet.

Landowners. We will speak at farm transition events and farm bureau meetings, work with rural attorneys and estate planners and tell retiring owners we do not buy land and do not push a price.

Lenders. We will meet FSA and farm credit lenders each quarter, share aggregate data and ask what participants need to qualify. We share an individual farmer's information only with written consent.

Underserved and veteran farmers. We will work through veteran service organizations, community leaders and groups that have long served farmers of color, and ask them how to earn trust that earlier programs did not.

Funders. We will report results as totals twice a year and in an annual report and invite funders to workshops and field days. We will not use photographs or stories of farmers without clear, written permission.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 to 2: Attorney review of contractor and mentor agreements, hire the second coach and the Financial Records Specialist, set up software, recruit at least 25 mentors and confirm workshop sites in five regions.
- Month 3: Begin the first cohort of 20 farmers with intake sessions and the first workshop.
- Months 4 to 8: Monthly workshops, coaching every other month, bookkeeping setup sessions, mentor matches and farmland search for farmers who need land.
- Months 9 to 12: Final workshops on risk, insurance and credit, finished business plans and records, graduation, 12-month surveys and report to funders.

Workshops. Held on the first Saturday of each month, rotating among five regions, at accessible extension offices, community colleges or church halls, with childcare available on request and a meal. Workshops and materials cost $18,000 a year in Year 1.

Records help. Contracted agricultural bookkeeping firms provide three setup sessions per farmer at $430 each, paid directly by us under written agreements. We buy farm management software at $120 per farmer.

Farmland access. Contracted rural attorneys review leases and purchase options, up to $750 per farmer, paid directly by us under written agreements. The Navigator never negotiates for a farmer and never takes a fee from a landowner. We do not buy or sell land.

Mentors. Each of about 20 mentors receives a $500 honorarium by check after four documented meetings with a farmer. Mentors pass a background check and sign a conflict-of-interest agreement, and the Farm Business Development Director reviews every match mid-year.

Staffing. In Year 1: an Executive Director, a Farm Business Development Director, two Farm Business Coaches, a Farmland Access Navigator, a Financial Records Specialist, a part-time Veteran and Underserved Farmer Outreach Coordinator and a part-time Program Coordinator and Data Specialist. We add a third coach in Year 2, a fourth in Year 4, a second Navigator in Year 4 and a Market and Direct Sales Coordinator in Year 5.

Privacy. Farmer records, including financial information and land data, are kept in a secure system, shared only with written consent and reported to funders only as totals.

Insurance. We carry general liability, professional liability, directors and officers and workers' compensation insurance. Insurance is about $10,000 a year in Year 1.

Management & Organization

The people who will carry out the program.

Claudette Wrenfield, Executive Director. A first-generation Iowa farmer and former extension educator with 15 years of work with beginning farmers. She leads fundraising, partnerships, finance and hiring, reports to the board and is the main contact for funders and farm agencies. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Farm Business Development Director. Designs the curriculum, supervises the coaches and manages mentor matching and lender relationships.

Farm Business Coaches. Run intake, coach each farmer every other month and review business plans. Each carries about 10 farmers. We will seek coaches who have run a farm business.

Farmland Access Navigator. Maintains the land registry, builds relationships with retiring owners and supports lease and purchase review.

Financial Records Specialist. Sets up software and builds balance sheets and records with each farmer.

Veteran and Underserved Farmer Outreach Coordinator (part-time). Recruits and supports veteran and underserved farmers.

Program Coordinator and Data Specialist (part-time). Handles logistics, records and reports.

Board of directors. Eleven volunteers who meet quarterly. The board approves the budget and policies and reviews outcomes yearly.

Staff pay in this plan includes payroll taxes and workers' compensation. Salaries are Executive Director $68,000, Farm Business Development Director $62,000, Farm Business Coach $54,000 each, Farmland Access Navigator $56,000, Financial Records Specialist $52,000, part-time Outreach Coordinator $28,000, part-time Program Coordinator $26,000 and Market and Direct Sales Coordinator $50,000. Replace them with the pay you can offer where you live.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals for each year and how we will measure them.

- Before opening: get at least 3 letters of support from FSA, extension and a lender, sign contractor agreements with two bookkeeping firms and three rural attorneys, recruit mentors and confirm workshop sites. Do not accept a farmer's financial information until the consent form and secure system are in place.
- Year 1: Coach 20 beginning farmers, with at least 65% finishing with a business plan and lender-ready records, and complete farmland access help for at least 8. A balanced budget of about $588,000, with a small surplus of about $14,840. 8 paid staff.
- Year 2: Coach 30 farmers with a third coach, with veterans and underserved farmers at least 40% of the cohort. A balanced budget of about $662,000, with a small surplus of about $15,632. 9 paid staff.
- Year 3: Coach 30 farmers and report farming status at 24 months for the Year 1 cohort. A balanced budget of about $684,000, with a small surplus of about $15,792. 9 paid staff.
- Year 4: Coach 40 farmers with a fourth coach and a second Navigator, and report farming status at 36 months for the Year 1 cohort. A balanced budget of about $821,000, with a small surplus of about $17,888. 11 paid staff.
- Year 5: Coach 40 farmers, add a Market and Direct Sales Coordinator and license our curriculum to other states. A balanced budget of about $900,000, with a small surplus of about $18,416. 12 paid staff.

What we measure:
- Farmers enrolled and completed, by group: veteran, limited-resource, underserved and first-generation.
- Farmers with a written business plan and lender-ready records at the end of the year.
- Farmland outcomes: leases signed, purchase options reviewed and acres moved to beginning farmers.
- Loan applications submitted and approved, reported only with the farmer's consent.
- Farming status at 12, 24 and 36 months: farming full time, part time, left farming or unknown.
- Mentor meetings completed and farmer satisfaction.
- Cost per farmer and cost per farmer still farming at 36 months.

How we review results. The Farm Business Development Director reviews caseloads and records every week, and the full team reviews outcomes quarterly. The board reviews aggregate results each year. We publish our three-year retention rate publicly each year, whether it goes up or down. Every number in this plan is a goal, and we will report what really happens, including when we fall short.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $146,800 from the Heartland Farm Futures Fund for one Farm Business Coach, the Financial Records Specialist, bookkeeping setup sessions and legal review of farmland leases, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Farm Business Coach salary (one of two coaches), $54,000 (other funds add $54,000).
- Personnel: Financial Records Specialist salary, $52,000 (other funds add $0).
- Contractual: Bookkeeping setup sessions for 20 participants, paid to agricultural bookkeeping firms under written agreements (3 sessions at $430 each), $25,800 (other funds add $0).
- Contractual: Legal review of farmland leases and purchase options, paid to attorneys under written agreements (up to $750 per participant), $15,000 (other funds add $0).

Other money in the program. Other grants, contracts, earned income and gifts pay the other $428,760 of Year 1 costs, including the matching amounts above. All Year 1 costs are listed below.

Year 1 budget: about $588,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $14,840 after spreading startup and equipment costs over five years). Year 1 money coming in: grants $478,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for), state Agricultural Development Contracts $50,000, farm Credit Partnerships and Curriculum Licensing $30,000, individual and Corporate Donations $30,000. Year 1 costs: executive Director $68,000; farm Business Development Director $62,000; farm Business Coach (2 positions) $108,000; farmland Access Navigator $56,000; financial Records Specialist $52,000; veteran and Socially Disadvantaged Farmer Outreach Coordinator (part-time) $28,000; program Coordinator and Data Specialist (part-time) $26,000; contracted Agricultural Bookkeeping Setup Sessions (Paid to Firms) $25,800; farm Management Software Licenses $2,400; legal Review of Farmland Leases and Purchase Options (Paid to Attorneys) $15,000; farmland Parcel Assessments, Land Registry and Travel $12,000; mentor Honoraria (Paid by Check After Documented Meetings) $10,000; workshop Meals, Materials and Childcare $18,000; office Rent and Utilities $24,000; technology and Data System $10,000; travel for Farm Visits and Field Days $12,000; insurance $10,000; staff Training and Professional Development $6,000; evaluation and 36-Month Follow-Up $8,000; administration and Accounting $14,000; and about $8,360 a year for spreading startup and equipment costs over five years. These add up to $575,560.

How we planned contracted services. Bookkeeping setup is 3 sessions per farmer at $430, or $1,290 per farmer and $25,800 for 20 farmers. Lease and purchase option review is up to $750 per farmer, or $15,000 for 20 farmers. Farm software is $120 per farmer ($2,400), mentor honoraria are $500 each ($10,000) and workshops cost $18,000. Contracts are written and paid directly to the firms, and farmers are never billed.

About government funding. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and state agencies fund programs for beginning farmers and ranchers, farmland transition and local food, including programs run through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and state departments of agriculture. These funds are competitive, awarded for set periods and subject to appropriations, and priorities can change. The amounts in this plan are our planning estimates, not promises, and agencies can change their budgets, rules and awards.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $29,800 are paid once from startup money and are listed item by item in the Startup Costs section.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($29,800), the cash the budget uses before it levels out (about $20,360) and a cash cushion of about $141,800, which is three months of Year 1 operating costs. That comes to about $191,960, rounded up to the nearest $500: $192,000. We start with $20,000 of our own savings and $175,000 in startup support from a community foundation, a farm credit lender's community fund and our board, $195,000 in all, which covers that amount.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $588,000 in Year 1 to about $900,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $478,000, $508,000, $478,000, $568,000, $600,000 in Years 1 to 5, and state Agricultural Development Contracts grow from $50,000 to $135,000; farm Credit Partnerships and Curriculum Licensing grow from $30,000 to $125,000; individual and Corporate Donations grow from $30,000 to $40,000. Grants fall from about 81% of our income in Year 1 to about 67% in Year 5.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $144,800, at the end of Year 1. State and grant payments often arrive after we bill or after we submit reports. We plan for about $41,160 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Our plan is to grow state agricultural contracts, to license our curriculum to extension programs in other states and to invite farm credit lenders and agricultural businesses to give. A larger group of viable beginning farmers is good for lenders and rural communities, which strengthens our case for support.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- A beginning farmer leaves farming during the program. We record the reason and count it in our retention data.
- A contracted attorney or bookkeeper performs poorly. We have written agreements with performance standards and keep at least two contractors in each category.
- A mentor has a conflict of interest. Our agreement, mid-year review and farmer feedback are designed to catch conflicts, and we end a match when one cannot be resolved.
- State or federal funding is delayed or reduced. We keep a cash cushion, stage hiring so costs follow funding and apply to several funders.
- Land prices or rents rise sharply. We do not promise land prices. The Navigator explains the market clearly and helps each farmer decide whether a parcel makes sense.
- A grant ends. We keep savings, grow state contracts and curriculum licensing and keep our cost per farmer low.

If you are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status through a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for you and passes them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Another way is to start smaller: one cohort of 10 farmers, a part-time coach and contracted bookkeeping help, with careful records of who completes and who is still farming at 12 and 36 months. Retention data is the best evidence you can bring to your first grant application.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach with this proposal:

- Your IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current year budget.
- A list of your board members and what each one does.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and Farm Business Development Director, and job descriptions for coaches, the Navigator and the Financial Records Specialist.
- Your 12-month curriculum outline and workshop schedule.
- Your farmland access protocol, lease review checklist and attorney agreements.
- Your financial records protocol and a sample farmer records package.
- Pilot data: enrollment, completion, business plans and 12- and 36-month farming status, shown as totals.
- Letters of support from FSA, extension, a farm credit lender and veteran organizations.
- Your mentor agreement, conflict-of-interest policy and honorarium protocol.
- Your privacy policy and farmer consent form.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Income: Grant Revenue: $478,000 in Year 1, growing to $600,000 by Year 5; State Agricultural Development Contracts: $50,000 in Year 1, growing to $135,000 by Year 5; Farm Credit Partnerships and Curriculum Licensing: $30,000 in Year 1, growing to $125,000 by Year 5; Individual and Corporate Donations: $30,000 in Year 1, growing to $40,000 by Year 5.
- Farmers: 20 in Year 1, then 30, 30, 40 and 40, with one coach for about 10 farmers.
- Contracted bookkeeping: 3 sessions at $430 per farmer; software $120 per farmer; legal review up to $750 per farmer; mentor honorarium $500 per mentor.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): executive director $68,000; farm business development director $62,000; farm business coach $54,000; farmland access navigator $56,000; financial records specialist $52,000; veteran and socially disadvantaged farmer outreach coordinator (part-time) $28,000; program coordinator and data specialist (part-time) $26,000; market and direct sales coordinator $50,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: contracted Agricultural Bookkeeping Setup Sessions (Paid to Firms) $25,800, farm Management Software Licenses $2,400, legal Review of Farmland Leases and Purchase Options (Paid to Attorneys) $15,000, farmland Parcel Assessments, Land Registry and Travel $12,000, mentor Honoraria (Paid by Check After Documented Meetings) $10,000, workshop Meals, Materials and Childcare $18,000, office Rent and Utilities $24,000, technology and Data System $10,000, travel for Farm Visits and Field Days $12,000, insurance $10,000, staff Training and Professional Development $6,000, evaluation and 36-Month Follow-Up $8,000, administration and Accounting $14,000. These grow between 4% and 19% a year, and negative growth means a cost that is highest in Year 1.
- Startup costs ($29,800) and later equipment are spread evenly over five years in the plan's books, about $8,360 a year.
- About 7% of each year's income is still owed to us at year end.
- Tax: none, as a nonprofit.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and real budget.

Startup Costs