Courtesy of Roxanne C.,Philadelphia PA
We get asked all the time, “Who is the typical SPIN farmer?” The question comes from those who want to farm, but have doubts about whether they have what it takes to succeed. It’s their round-about way of trying to find out if they measure up.
The true readiness of a SPIN farmer can’t be determined by standardized skills assessment sheets or formulaic self-evaluation checklists. SPIN farmers, by definition, are doers. If you are serious about becoming a farmer, and are trying to figure out how to go about it, one of the best ways we can help is to give you real-world examples to follow in our online support group where SPIN farmers at varying levels of experience talk about what their farms are like, how they’re businesses are going and how much money they are making.
There really is no typical SPIN farmer, but what is emerging from these discussions are these 10 common characteristics:
1. They are production-driven
2. They sell their products for a premium
3. They turn the stories of their farms into economic worth in the marketplace
4. They set goals, plan, and identify measurable objectives
5. They track their SPIN numbers
6. They do not take on much, if any, debt
7. They view change as opportunity
8. They innovate new approaches to business arrangements, such as networking, partnerships, and diversification
9. They keep up to date on food trends
10. They know how to assess, take on and manage reasonable risk
If you can’t find a SPIN farmer in your neck of the woods to learn from, you can connect with hundreds of them virtually. Here’s how well some of them are doing, and they are all eager to tell you how they did it.
GET FREE TRIAL MEMBERSHIP TO THE ONLINE SUPPORT GROUP WITH THE PURCHASE OF ANY SPIN GUIDE HERE.