Thank God yet again for the grace to finish all the tasks set for today. 🙂 First off, I am only running a free domain for this blog so when I finally worked on our family project’s official website, I didn’t expect there’s A LOT to learn. 😀

I am all passionate when it comes to learning though. So I can say I’ve enjoyed every minute I spent putting it together from logo-making to choosing the layout to content organizing. We’re only using the premium plan because I told my siblings I just needed to make my way around building a professional website. When the family project’s fully operational, I plan to upgrade it to the business plan if God wills it.

The entire web designing/developing took me three days to set up. The website’s already live but it still is under construction. You may take a peek though if you’re curious. 😉

I’ll be sharing the developments here on my personal blog first then migrate them there later on. If you’re wondering what this family project is all about, you can check out this article but it’s written in the vernacular. Don’t worry, you can still read it by clicking “Google Translate” which you can find at the sidebar of this site (desktop view) and at the lower portion of the site (mobile view). I just hope Google will do a fine work of translating it exactly as what the gist of the story is all about. 😉

Business Aspects

Now let’s get down to business, technically. 😀 For the technical aspects of the land, it is a 13.5-hectare property divided into two. One half belongs to my Aunt (Mom’s sister) and the other half to my Mom. The opportunity already came to tell my Aunt who’s living in the U.S. about the project. She shared to me a video about a discovery of one consumer on a lettuce that’s made of plastic. I told my Aunt all the more we should pursue organic farming on our property for healthier products.

Organic Farming

Speaking of organic farming, I asked Dad what are the other crops aside from coconut and rice suitable to plant at the farm. I already conducted my research on the consistent top-selling agricultural products for the last 3-4 consecutive years. These products are high-selling due to a high demand. Currently, it’s the same demand (and a dilemma) in our town – the lack of options when it comes to vegetables.

Dad said the majority of the vegetables sold in our local public market came from Manila. This means these vegetables are sold at a relatively high price because it will include the careful packaging, handling, and delivery fees. It takes 17 hours to travel by land from Manila to our town. So by the time it reaches our town, you can expect the vegetables are all in poor condition and of low quality but sold at an expensive price.

I shared with Dad this will be the goal of the project, to supply the demands in our town and sell our products for a fraction of the usual market price but still meet the targeted ROI. How can we achieve that? It’s definitely going to be a trial and error. Release a couple of products in the market and then monitor the generated income on a monthly basis and see if there’s a consistency in the demand and a need to up the supply. If there are higher purchases, it means the market price we have set is fair enough for the consumers. But, easier said than done always. 😉

Down to Early Stages

My siblings and I already have this urge that time is of the essence. The earlier we start, the sooner we can make these plans materialize. But when I asked my Dad how long it’ll take for all the paperwork to be processed for the titling of all his land possessions (current status) including the Oyango Ridge, he said, “Just relax.” lol 😀 This is needed for transferring ownership of land possessions to heirs.

Okay, I get it now. I believe this is why the Bible stated receiving the inheritance at an older age. Why? With older age comes greater wisdom brought by experiences. Even if we think we know it all how to run and manage the company smoothly and successfully, nothing still beats experience as the best teacher.

This is where our parents come in. They don’t make decisions based on impulse and act hastily but make them through guided wisdom. That’s what I am learning now, too. I believe the spiritual gift of the family is more on the gift of prophecy. Mom calls it as foresight. She saw it from our late grandpa who would always act on something when the timing is right. That action will then fulfill an even greater purpose and will only have relevance several years after just like now.

I could still remember my Mom a few years back when she sat me and my sister down to have this “serious” talk about the last will and testament and how the properties will be divided among me and my siblings. My sister and I laughed it off telling her it is still too early to do it, they’re still young and they won’t die yet. Mom was furious and said, “Why are you taking all of these as a joke? This is not a laughing matter because we will never know when the inevitable (dying) will happen. So you all listen because this is a serious topic.” 😀

I believe during that time my Mom already received the prophecy, the foresight. Mom already felt it in her heart that 4 years after, here we are, siblings, actively pursuing our interest to utilize the property. We never got to hear from her that time though how exactly the land will be divided among her 5 children because she reiterated about why the land is important to them and to the family instead. But I believe Mom and Dad prepared what needs to be prepared already.

This is what I am praying for in this endeavor. I pray that may we all be guided by Godly wisdom in pursuing this purpose that God has set in our hearts. May our families have undivided interests and will continue to seek the greater good of everyone. This is actually what I am grateful for now – the active participation of all my siblings to make this project come true. Now, it’s all about waiting for God’s perfect time to execute them one by one and His grace to resolve all challenges we meet along the way.

Challenges and Setbacks

We’ve already had some setbacks and cited several challenges during the business planning. I broke them down into several categories depending on a particular area of the land. We plan to utilize only half of the farm (Mom’s share) and we will still consult with my Aunt’s family what their plans are on their portion of the land. For now, a little portion of the property is being utilized for copra production. We don’t have an estimate yet about the total number of coconut trees (hubby and I were tasked to count and mark them all down one by one on our next visit next month) but we can gather a truckload of produce every 45 days. We already have a team of farmers (I call them our “coco” heroes. 😉 ) helping us with the entire production.

At this point, Mom would like to buy a truck and we can’t see the advantage yet of acquiring one as early as now but I do have hints. Dad is also managing other land assets which are now being utilized as rice fields. They are located in different parts of the town and I think my Mom believes we can cut down on transport fees if we own the truck instead of hiring one to transport all of our produce.

Yes, I know Mom can see the picture pretty clearly already. For us, it’s all a scattered plan. But for her, it’s already one solid project. When Mom decides on something, it usually turns out for the greater good because she’s a very good planner. This is probably the result of having foresight as I mentioned earlier. I am praying I’ll have the same spiritual gift. Mom’s wisdom, come on to me now. 😀

Seriously though, I am praying for God’s wisdom, grace, provision, and timing over all the challenges in this early stage of the project’s development such as what I’ll discuss below.

Technical aspects:

• Secure a permanent perimeter fence on the entire property.
• Establish water and electric supply.
• Facilitate road improvements.
• Hire a farm help to live at the farm 24/7 just to make sure there are no security breaches or trespassers.

Organic Farming (as per Dad’s advice):

• Needs to conduct soil analysis to determine the soil type.
• The soil is made of clay, not perfect for planting any kind of crops.
• There is an option to plant crops, but the soil analysis will determine the proportion of fertilizers needed for the crops to produce a higher yield.
• Due to the climate change, the farming calendar has also shifted.
• The soil analysis will be conducted at the regional office of the Department of Agriculture (3 hrs travel time).

Marketing:

• Identify the clientele.
• Select the suitable marketing channels.
• In-depth study of the ratio of supply and demand.
• Packaging, handling, and transport measures.
• Analyze if the ROI in all selected crops including palay and copra is feasible enough to sustain the project’s operations.

That is just stage 1 and we haven’t even started yet because it’s rainy season already. We need dry land for dredging to set up a water source and determine how deep it should go. The same goes for establishing electricity and making road improvements.

Also, Mom suggested there must be a farm help first to make sure no one will tamper with any of the equipment or construction materials brought inside the farm. But, we are still screening the best applicant who is willing, who is reliable, and whom we can trust.

The farm help will be receiving a regular income though with all the mandated government benefits and a monthly allowance of 1 sack of rice. Methinks that is already a suitable offer I am even willing to grab it, myself. But well, I am tied to other obligations for now. 😀

The reason why I am sharing these developments is to provide information about pursuing a business in the agricultural sector on a wider scale. I also wish to hear insights from you, my beloved readers, if you know anything about agribusiness. This season requires I have a mentor who shares the same passion and business goals that we have. I already found one and I am praying for God’s perfect time to conduct a business meeting/fellowship with him. 🙂

He’s none other than Bro. Bo Sanchez. It was only last month when I got to read one of his books and the book was like sitting on my siblings’ bookshelves for decades already. But God’s timing made it possible that I get to read it now at just the right season I’m in. I can relate to all of the experiences and insights he shared even the one which he calls as the “happy poverty.” I’ll touch more on that in the article scheduled two Fridays from now. But what captivated me most was Anawim. More of this, too, in said article.

Next Friday, I’ll be sharing a detailed history of the property and why the desire in our hearts to pursue this family project. But to set things straight, this is not for us because we’re all pursuing our chosen careers. To end this article, I’d like to write down this prayer because I know this endeavor isn’t something that can be done overnight. It’ll require so much from us in all aspects (spiritual, emotional, mental, physical, & financial) and at this point, we would like to ask for your prayers, too. ❤

“Lord, may Your will be done for You, alone, direct our steps. We are seeking for your guiding light in every step of the way and may you give us protection from anything that the enemy will strike against us. I am praying that in this season, on this particular journey, may Your name be glorified through all the testimonies in our lives.”

Verse of the day (as of 8/11/2018):

“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:19

Placing everything in faith and in prayer,

Read more: The Christian From Bicol

P.S.

I am trying to post this asap before the clock strikes 12 midnight because this is supposedly an #everyFridayblogpost. 😀 But I had so little time to rest in between tasks because I also cooked “lechon paksiw” for our dinner. My rest time is my only writing time so I got to write this only now. Do leave a comment if you’d like to know the recipe for this popular Filipino dish. 😉