Business Plan Template

Steward

Steward Business Plan Template

Farm Name:
Owner(s):
Location:
Email Address:
Phone number:
Point of contact:

Business Plan Template Preface

This business plan is designed to help you think through and demonstrate your proposed business' viability. Farm businesses can be extremely
complex and dynamic. Your job is to be thoughtful and use this template to capture key information in a form that partners, lenders, investors,
stakeholders, and other relevant parties can understand. Moreover, the process of business planning is extremely valuable and can help ensure
you've explored all your options and created a thorough roadmap for success.

This template is intended to accommodate a range of farm business operations. However, please don't hesitate to adjust the content or formatting
as needed to tell your story.

Business Overview and Context

Farm Vision — What will your
operation entail once mature?
(Financials, products, location,
land in production, niche, who
benefits?)
Farm Goals — What Financial:
benchmarks can you set to
provide clear direction and Quality of Life:
measure success? (Give a time
in which these goals will be
achieved; if there are multiple Other:
stakes consider how much
revenue each needs for the
venture to be worthwhile;
don't overlook non-financial
goals.)
Business Structure — What
type of legal business entity
will the farm be?

Elevator Pitch — In just a

sentence or two summarize
the essence and key elements
of your proposed business.

Resources — What can the Skills/Experience:

owner(s) provide or access to
achieve the farm's goals? Networks/Connections:

Advisors/Mentors:

Enterprises — What specific Primary Enterprise:

farm ventures will constitute
your business? (e.g., mixed Secondary Enterprise:
vegetables, livestock, eggs,
dairy, microgreens, tree fruit, Tertiary Enterprise:

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mushrooms, value added). Rank
based on significance and/or Other Enterprises:
phasing.

Marketing and Sales

Niche — What will your farm do
that differentiates it from other
operations, provides a
competitive advantage, or
protects the business from
market fluctuations and
saturation?

Customer Base — Who is your

target audience? How will you
reach them?

% of Farm
Revenue
Market Outlets — Where will Restaurants:
your products be sold? What
percentage of revenue will be Farmers Market:
derived from each outlet? (if
your farm business has multiple Direct Sales:
enterprises, it's good practice
to note outlets and market Other Direct Sales:
share for each enterprise.)
Grocery:

Other Wholesale:

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Market Analysis — Where will Primary Enterprise:
products be sold? For each
enterprise note:
• Why you've chosen Secondary Enterprise:
specific market outlets;
• Revenue potential
(immediate and long
term); Tertiary Enterprise:
• Revenue and cost per
unit and amount of units
to be produced (per
enterprise) Other Enterprises:
• Costs to access the
market(s);
• Level of market
saturation.

Record Keeping — What is your

strategy for determining your
cost of production? Are there
other tools or techniques you'll
use to create positive feedback
loops?

Price Setting — What is your

price-setting strategy for
different enterprises and/or
outlets?

Site Assessment
Land — Provide an overview of
the exiting or target farm site,

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including: size, location,
terrain, elevation, aspect,
proximity to markets, climate,
and other attributes.

Site Challenges — What

aspects of this farm will be
difficult to work with? How will
these challenges be
addressed?

Existing Farm Resources — Soil (for applicants in the United States, please create a Web Soil Survey Report for the property :
Describe each of the features
or amenities associated with
this land, making sure to note Water and irrigation:
any associated strengths or
weaknesses. Facilities and infrastructure:

Other Resources:

Steward Loan Goals — List the 1st Funding Priority: Amount:

items you hope to fund through
a Steward loan. 2nd Funding Priority: Amount:
These investments may include
land, infrastructure, 3rd Funding Priority: Amount:
equipment, soft costs, working
capital. Consider everything 4th Funding Priority: Amount:
needed to get the farm
operating at full capacity. The 5th Funding Priority: Amount:
total will inform the amount of
the Steward loan. Other Funding Priorities: Amount:

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 TOTAL:

Funding Timeline —When do

you need funds dispersed. Can
the funding be phased?

Existing Debt — Is there any Type(s):

existing debt on the property
and/or business? Amount(s):

Lender(s):

Maturity Date(s):

Available Equity — What and

how much cash, equipment,
infrastructure, or other financial
resources can the farmer bring
to the loan transaction.

Labor
Roles and Responsibilities — Position title: Brief Job description: Wage:
Identify the different positions Hours/Season:
needed to run your proposed
farm and note: key Position title: Brief Job description: Wage:
responsibilities for each role; Hours/Season:
year/timing when each
position will be created; and Position title: Brief Job description: Wage:
leadership and decision-making Hours/Season:
hierarchy or structure.
Position title: Brief Job description: Wage:
Hours/Season:

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 Position title: Brief Job description: Wage:
Hours/Season:

Position title: Brief Job description: Wage:

Hours/Season:

Physical Property
Site Map — Please create a
simple map of the site (using
Google Maps, other mapping
websites/programs, or your
Web Soil Survey)

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Financial Projections
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
Revenue
Enterprise 1
Enterprise 2
Enterprise 3
Other Enterprises
Total Revenue
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
Enterprise 1
Enterprise 2
Enterprise 3
Other Enterprises
Total Cost of Goods Sold
Gross Margin(Rev – COGS)

General Expenses
Payroll
Sales & Marketing
Equipment & Materials
Utilities
Insurance
Admin
Other
Total General Expenses

EBITDA1(Gross Margin – Gen. Expenses)

1 EBITDA means “earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization” and is a good measure of business performance to compare against businesses in the same sector

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