Financial resources, which typically include family and farm income and assets, insurance, credit and cost-share programs, investments and savings, provide the necessary capital to invest in the other kinds of resources that you need to cultivate the response, recovery and transformation capacity of your operation.
A resilient farm or ranch has the financial capacity to offer a living wage and benefits to managers and farmworkers, and a reasonable return on invested capital. It also has the resources to provide education, family activities, retirement and other desired activities and services.
Business management practices that produce high-quality financial resources include sound financial planning, proactive marketing and effective risk management. Some key management practices that support financial resource management goals include:
- the adaptive management of profitable, diversified crop and livestock operations that are capable of accumulating high-quality natural, human, social and physical resources
- the creation of high-value products
- innovative marketing strategies that support sales into diversified, high-value markets and values-based regional food supply chains