How to Make More Money Farming

Raising livestock or poultry is hard work. Making money at it might be even harder. Along with spending long, grueling hours planting pastures, fixing fences and tending to animals, it takes a certain amount of business savvy to make an operation profitable. Not to mention, finding a processor with the capacity to make the animal into a sellable product, like Driftless Provisions artisan meats.

With interest in antibiotic-free meat on the rise, consumers and hopefully suppliers will be looking to the smaller farms to stock their fridges. Smaller herds typically require less medical intervention, especially those that are pastured and grass-fed. This increase in demand will, in turn, require an increase in smaller, local processing facilities such as This Old Farm and Nordik Meats.

This is the primary reason the Food Finance Institute exists: to share financial education and tools with farmers, as well as with food entrepreneurs, to help them to not only keep their enterprises viable but also to increase profits and scale successfully. Much of our programming is sector-specific, ensuring that each type of food or ag business receives the right kind of assistance and education.

To aid livestock and poultry farmers, specifically, FFI has teamed up with Farm Animal Concerns Trust (FACT). For nearly 40 years, this Chicago-based nonprofit has helped farmers transition to healthier, more humane ways of raising food-producing animals through grants, scholarships, mentorships and webinars. Tune into the latest Edible-Alpha® podcast to hear Larissa McKenna, humane farming program director at FACT, discuss the organization’s impact in-depth.

When farmers in FACT’s network requested more business-specific resources, the organization turned to FFI for help. So, together, we are excited to offer three levels of FREE financial programming for humane livestock and poultry farmers: an intensive boot camp, on-demand virtual courses and online webinars. Get more information here, and submit your applications by October 31.

The partnership between FFI and FACT makes a whole lot of sense. Although FFI’s main focus is the financial viability of food and farm businesses while FACT’s is improving animal welfare and human health, both organizations want the same thing: healthy, sustainable, thriving farms. And both organizations provide resources to foster exactly that.

As it turns out, besides being much healthier for livestock and poultry, humane practices can also benefit farmers’ bottom lines. For example, by raising animals on pasture, farmers don’t have to buy as much grain for feed or spend time and money spreading manure. They can also improve their soil quality and biodiversity on-farm, which pay off in dividends in the long run. What’s more, in many cases, farmers can charge more for their animal products while attracting conscious consumers who want to know where their food comes from. Achieving a third-party animal-welfare certification can boost brand awareness and credibility even more.

Sure, transitioning to humane practices costs money, but that’s exactly why FACT provides grants for on-farm improvements and scholarships for education. When farmers take advantage of FACT’s resources and check out FFI’s extensive financial-education assets, they’ll be well equipped to run a successful, sustainable, healthy and humane farm business.


Larissa McKenna, humane farming program director of the Farm Animal Concerns Trust (FACT), joins FFI farm outreach specialist Andy Larson for a riveting discussion on the benefits of raising animals humanely. Along with improved animal welfare, humane practices can promote human and environmental health—and be an economic boon for farmers. Learn all about FACT’s programming and impact, including a new partnership with FFI!

Listen to the Latest Episode


And now, our roundup of the best food and beverage finance news, events and resources from around the web…

Consultant With Tablet

Business Model Insights

Raising Capital

Raising Capital

National Wholesale Brands

CPG/National Brands

Grocery Store Produce Section
Market Trends

Regenerative Agriculture
Farming and AgTech

Mergers And AcquisitionsDeals/M&A

Industry Events

Virtual events:

In-person events: