#30 Organic Certification
Back to the Guide to Farming Table of Contents >> Becoming Certified Organic production offers many advantages for small farmers including ecologically friendly production methods, strong consumer demand for organic products, and higher prices. Regardless of whether you use organic practices, if you have farm sales of more than $5,000/year you cannot legally sell your … Read More
#29 Collecting Sales Tax on Farm Product Sales
Back to the Guide to Farming Table of Contents >> Products Exempt from Sales Tax Collection Farmers do not need to collect sales tax on farm and food products intended for human consumption; this includes: all fresh and processed foods: fruits, vegetables, baked goods, jellies, jams, preserves, meats, eggs, dairy products, syrup, honey, cider, etc. … Read More
#28 Becoming a Small-Scale Food Processor
Back to the Guide to Farming Table of Contents >> Basic Standards for Home and Commercial Kitchens, and Small Scale Food Processing Facilities Information prepared by Olga Padilla-Zakour, Director of the NYS Food Venture Center at Cornell University (http://necfe.foodscience.cornell.edu/) – for educational purposes only – please contact pertinent regulatory agencies for further detail. The Federal … Read More
#27 Marketing Regulations, Weights and Measures
Back to the Guide to Farming Table of Contents >> Weights and Measures How does a customer know that what they just paid for is actually what they received? The system that provides this public trust is a carefully regulated process. Article 16 of the Agriculture and Markets Law regulates how “commodities” are packaged and … Read More
#26 Direct Marketing Options
Back to the Guide to Farming Table of Contents >> Direct marketing is a common strategy for beginning and small farmers. The main attraction compared with selling through traditional wholesale markets is that you receive the full share of the consumer dollar and have more control over the price you receive for your products. But … Read More
#25 Finding Price Information
Back to the Guide to Farming Table of Contents>> Wholesale Price Information Some wholesale prices are reported and can be accessed to provide a guide for pricing farm products. Wholesale prices are extremely low compared to retail prices you might get locally and should be considered a floor or minimum price. To determine prices for … Read More
#24 Pricing Farm Products
Back to the Guide to Farming Table of Contents>> Know your Costs and Price for Profit Price is the dollar amount that you ask for sales of a product or a service. It is one of the four P’s of Marketing: Price, Product, Placement, and Promotion. Price is critically important to the profit on the … Read More
#23 Assessing Your Market Potential
Back to the Guide to Farming Table of Contents>> Market Analysis: What is my Target Market? A target market is a well defined group of customers. Markets can be found within any broad category: consumers, businesses, industries, institutions, etc. Consumer groups, for instance, can be characterized by demographics, geography, lifestyle, values, leisure, or occupation. Business … Read More
#22 Property Tax Exclusions for Farm Buildings
Back to the Guide to Farming Table of Contents>> NYS Real Property Tax Law Section 483 – Production and Storage Facilities Structures and buildings essential to the operation of agricultural and horticultural enterprises and used for such purpose are exempt from property taxes for a period of 10 years (constructed or reconstructed between 1969- 2019). … Read More
#21 Ag Value Assessment for Farmland
Back to the Guide to Farming Table of Contents>> Agricultural Assessment Agricultural assessment allows eligible farmland located in or outside agricultural districts to be taxed at its agricultural value rather than market value. Why apply for agricultural assessments? It can make a difference in the amount you pay in property taxes. You will be paying … Read More