US (NJ): Specialty peppers as a niche crop

Ultra-Niche means exceptionally high-value crops that can be grown on ten acres or less. The project goal is to teach new and beginning farmers about the cultivation, marketing, and business management of 10 "ultra-niche" crops.

Each crop will have a variety of resources including:

Virtual Field Trips: These 20-minute videos will include a farmer, a consumer and an expert. You will be able to virtually visit the farm, see how the crop is grown, see what buyers look for and hear from an expert about any specific difficulties a crop may pose.
Online Crop Profiles with Budgets: Budgets are an essential part of planning and risk analysis for agricultural production systems. Crop budgets allow you to estimate costs and potential income, before allocating funds and other resources.
Food Safety and SWOT Worksheets: The worksheets will guide farmers in performing an enterprise analysis and design of a food safety plan, enabling farmers to determine crop feasibility and identify crops with positive net farm income potential.

In addition to the crop information you will find 13 video fact sheets that provide a road map for managing a business successfully. In today's competitive market, all businesses need a business plan, but most don't have them.

Classes will be offered across the state which will enable farmers to view the virtual field trips and talk with the farmer, buyer and expert featured in the video. Assistance will be given for filling out the food safety and SWOT worksheets and many opportunities to network will be available.

Click here for more information.