ask a farmer: what I wish someone had told me before I started farming
katie.boeh
You CAN do this. And you CAN make a good living doing it.
kfavor
You will never stop learning and will never feel like you know what you’re doing 100%
mountainmamafarms
Farming shapes our souls. Sometimes this growth journey is exhilarating and sometimes there are lonely places.
theflyingtangerine
Don’t farm by yourself. Isolation will wear you out and you can’t do everything.
And when you farm with partners set clear boundaries and talk honestly and openly.
happyacrefarm
Get a bookkeeper.
napafarmhouseinn
Its hard and never ending labor but its the most rewarding and beautiful lifestyle
pinkbarnfarm
I honestly don’t know what anyone could have said that would have made it any easier or even different. So much is learned along the way! But in that way, I guess I would have told myself that it keeps getting better every year.
tyaegerphoto
Grow what you personally like to eat.
shesallpurpose
Wear sunscreen!
That this economy/society won't value the work a farmer puts out there in both dollars and dignity. You will make next to shit while paying the CPA, Field hands, Delivery Driver, QuickBooks, Insurance and more higher wages.
walkingbirdfarm
Embrace the art of managing and teaching others very early on. U can’t do everything yourself.
sauntering.roots.farm
That running a CSA can come with a lot of anxiety. So either to anticipate that or start with markets only during the first year.
dotranch
Failure is an inevitable consequence, but it is also a critical building block. All things die: animals, plants, ideas. Turn those deaths into compost for your next endeavor. Understanding cash flow as part of the ecosystem of your whole community, not just your personal farm/ranch, will help you build a better business and better relations. You might not see short term returns on your investments, but that ten year glance back will reveal a world of information and wealth of knowledge to you.
hooperleefarms
Once you get 2 animals you'll immediately get 40 animals. How quick things multiply!
fjfarmgirl
To take better care of myself physically and mentally.
feldsfarm
Accept and understand what your start up costs are and that investment is necessary, however intimidating. Live frugally and try not to google your countries median wage in the meantime 👌
reckner_greenhouses_and_farms
The high-quality sunscreen is not too expensive. Skin cancer is expensive
makanaokalani1225
Changing your colonized mindset and heal from your generational trauma. This Will Help you better understand your eco system And allow your ancestors to guide you. Understanding your eco system will show you how to work alongside your environment instead of against your environment. It will give you all the answers to a healthy and loving life.
It's beyond sad that we live in a society that goes against our environment for money purposes. All of our decisions are based on money and greed.
Be resilient and Loving.
Always give from your heart and not expect anything!
How can we come together to make a change for our health and well-being, our world, our loved ones?
How can we creatively respond to this issue?
chrisstarkus
Determine early on who can watch your farm/livestock so you can take some time away here and there..🤔👊🙏🏻
shirenene2
Water is everything!😮
humbleumbelfarm
Set better work/life boundaries & stick to them.
griffonfarms
Understand the control that big agriculture has in America & be prepared to deal with it creatively. 💪🏽
rubyjewelflowers
Take care of yourself, mentally and physically! Keep your priorities straight. Have supportive people around you because this life is tough, although also rewarding.
walpolevalleyfarms
Make sure to do your research before pricing your products. The excitement of being new to farming can get in the way of realizing how much your product is worth. Be sure to take your own labor into account.
gomez_farmdog
Do what brings you joy and don’t undervalue yourself or your product
justducklings
Weeds take up more of your time than you could ever estimate. Get ‘em gone while they’re young!
wahlgren_woods_farm
Wheels, set everything up to be run with some sort of wheels
tomillo.pimienta
thanks for opening this discussion with such a great question. It encompasses such a broad variety of subjects, topics, and matters 🧐 … THANK YOU ALL for the honest, realistic and heartfelt answers … I feel they apply to any endeavor … joy, success, balanced life come from honest, hard, grounded work … being motivated and skilled is important but the real blessing is all the very sound advice and wonderful support from this amazing community 👏👏👏👏👏
sweetpeafarmandorchard
You have to be a way better marketer than a grower. You have to enjoy the business side of it all as much as you enjoy the growing side or you will be very frustrated. You have to get pretty comfortable failing at your efforts or those will out weigh your successes.
kumuainafarm
Don’t just one day get an animal, prepare for it.
dmgimagery
Be prepared to never make plans. 😂
uprootedgardens
Efficiency is everything! Don’t get caught up in the day to day= it’s so worth it in the end!!!
darrrrby16
Work on creating systems within your operation that are not only more efficient, but are more ergonomic, more enjoyable, easier to delegate, etc. Creating systems, doing math, and communicating are just as important as actually growing anything.
emilyatspecklefarm
You need money to get started. You are very unlikely to find a loan. You need either savings or for you or a partner to have a good enough job to support you starting out AND invest in the farm. Be smart with what you invest in, don't be fancy, go for practical and multi-purpose as muchas possible. You don't need all new anything. It takes more money than you realize to get off the ground. The smaller and more focused you can be at the start the more effective your investment will be.
elise.thorp
Your farm doesn’t define you! When things go wrong or customers get upset, it doesn’t mean that you’re a failure. And also, as important as your farm might be, it’s not worth sacrificing your mental/physical health, personal relationships, or time to enjoy life.
sundanceharvest
Don’t run a CSA if you don’t want to. For the first few years farming it’s so stressful already making sure your crop looks good and you are efficient. Even now, I don’t run a CSA and I feel relaxed. But I felt soooo pressured to run one as a small scale ecological farm.
witfarmoh
You're going to drive. A. LOT.
sujcic
After you spend decades continually working hard to build a successful farm business and you see your exit in sight.. begin relationships with serious younger farmers early in your career ( in your family or not) to plan your farm’s succession. Save for retirement.. money.. (if you can good luck! ) but also your bodies health. After a lifetime of farming it would be nice to see farmers retire without having to sell their land to do it and have to watch young farmers struggle to start from sratch when there are established farms waiting for new stewards. And young farmers.. seek older ones and see if you could become their successor rather than having to start from 0. There is a very large land and farm transfer about to happen in the next decade as the majority of farmers are retiring. Don’t let the Bill Gates of the world shut young farmers out while they buy up the majority of farmland and the banks are reluctant to finance new farmers and farmland.
flyingdogheart
You will likely never "own" the land you farm on unless you have generational wealth as a settler. Get used to the idea that you will leave the soil and plants behind.
cptai
Focus
corrina_corrina
Love reading these comments. I’m wish I could print them out and start a book!
hellorhighwaterfarm
Save for a few years before jumping in head first because mistakes are expensive and the learning curve is going to cost more than you anticipate. Also, intern or work at someone else’s farm for a few years before starting your own.
horseshoeranchpa
Know your worth!
_fagriculture_
really disappointing to see that not a single comment on here talks about how to treat your staff, how you should expect to be treated as a farm worker, having healthy boundaries between employer/employee. the number one thing i would say to people who are just starting out is to interview the farmers you want to work for. understand that just because someone is a farmer they are not above exploiting you. make sure they have workers comp, ask how they handle stress and conflict, ask about their management style, ASK FOR REFERENCES FROM PAST EMPLOYEES. if they have a CSA, you deserve a share in it, not whatever seconds you can scrounge up. what’s their lunch break like? how much access to shade do you have? what’s the bathroom access like? @ every farm owner on this thread, how are you supporting your employees - aka the people who run your farm?
crownhillfarmny
Build new gardens the season or even a year BEFORE you want to use them.
ay_dios_tia
Don’t be afraid to just “go for it” I put off so many things for so long because I wasn’t sure how to do it. Once I said “F it” it started being fun
devonairorganic
Believe in yourself more and find ways to check on your mental health and those around you. It drives everything more than you realise. Pray / stop / be silent when you get the chance 🙌
reddoorfamilyfarm
Hire a babysitter
boots_to_roots_farm
You have to be good at business and marketing. And, MAKE time for your family and yourself because its easy to put both of these on the back burner… but they are the reason we do this!!
matriarkie
To have a healthy skepticism of Big Ideas. If it’s a silver bullet/one size fits all/“why is no one around here already doing this?” sort of thing, probably isn’t gonna turn out well.
glanllyn_farmher
Don’t throw good money after bad just trying to keep up with the neighbours. Tread your own path, for yours and your farms health.
mrs.mayberrys.farm.kitchen
You don’t have to do everything to be successful. Find a niche. Stick to it. Master it.
masters.nicole
Take more photos!
barnhousefarms
Take some sort of business course related to marketing and customer service. Or apprentice. Not something I would have necessarily thought of as a crucial part of farming but it really is!
goodheartfarmstead
It will take longer than you think. A support network and asking for and receiving help makes you stronger. You don't have to do it all on your own.
biscuitsandnettles
Have as much as you can sold before you grow it. The growing is the easy part.
edenvalleyfarmstead
It takes more time and dedication, research and ability to adapt than I ever had in mind.#gardeningsince1973
sladefarmorganics
If you can .... leave the farm once a day, leave the village once a week, leave the county once a month & leave the country once a year. Perspective is so important.
healingpoemfarmny
Hire/contract out what you dont excel at/what doesnt excite you- accounting, electrical, graphic design, soil consultant
Support and be supported by your community!!
earlrexer
Everything will get done it’s your choice to do it frantically or with ease
asthe_sparrow_flies
Something will do better than you expect, something will do worse than you expect. You will fail, plan for failure. Don’t fuss over fancy recipes when it comes time to put away a counter of summer produce. Learn how to get it done fast and easy and then if you can you can fuss over new recipes.
sarael.darland
Take care of your body!! It is your MOST IMPORTANT tool.
sonyalasagne_
Please listen to your body! Stretches in the morning stretches in the evening. Hell stretch in the middle of your Bok choy hunch harvest stance. Don’t ignore those urks and tweaks. Just show them some love.
happyhillsfarmrossland
The to-do list actually never gets completed. Like, for reals. Ditch those expectations before you start!
twoganderfarm
Protect your mental and physical health by setting firm boundaries around what matters to you most. Wear sunscreen and good sunglasses. Take the vacation if you can.
knifeandforkfarms
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health and learn from your mistakes because they will happen a lot. Like many times over your successes. ❤️
bellemeadowfarm
Your business skills are what will define your farm and your success, or lack thereof. Growing skills are secondary to the financial sustainability of your farm, unfortunately.
cluckingitup
That chickens are the gateway drug to farming... 🙌
jason.ph
Decide if it’s a business or a hobby for you
crazedgoatlady
Do not mix aggressive chicken breeds with docile ones. My Rhode Island and New Hampshire Reds took out my Buff Orringtons and Buttercup Sexlinks
michaelverdi007
70 years from now you’ll be still digging in the dirt
rosie.franc.1
Your attitude to farming is more important than your experience.
fanno910
Even when you think you get something down perfectly one season, the next season will be completely different
therenthedruid
Create systems that work for your body so you can keep working.
fanno910
Math is involved!
The smells range from pure ecstasy to rotten death. There’s no in between
It is as cerebral as it is physical
Nature will test everything you thought you knew about yourself.
neggyly
Its hard work but its worth it!
heartmossfarm
You NEED outside income to start up. And honestly for the first 5-10 years until you can learn to be truly profitable.
It is 24/7. Rain, snow, ice, sweltering heat, bitter cold. One hurricane, one late freeze, one bad storm can break your heart & put you back to square one. No holidays or vacations, but the beauty of the farm becomes your escape. It is death and life- acceptance of both is critical.
"Risk" is a four letter word that once understood & accepted, makes farming much easier.
Expect the need for Off-The-Farm employment - for health insurance, a regular source of income and credit worthiness (especially as a small producer). Know the difference between a Hobby Farm & a True Farm - for IRS purposes, sales tax exemption rules, grants/cost share/Federal programs. Build infrastructure first, create business plan first, research first, know your market first - livestock, equipment, crops are secondary. Learn your land, your soil, your farm seasons, your weather patterns, your irrigation sources. Learn from a veterinarian, then perform basic livestock healthcare yourself.
One day you are crying over a dead animal that you did everything possible to save. The next day you are filled w/ joy & shock by managing to stick your arm up into a mama animal in labor to turn an incorrect birth into the right position for a new life.
The weeds can wait until tomorrow, so take that afternoon off. Also, NEVER go out to "Just check on that one thing real quick" when wearing your nice off-farm clothes. You will end up checking on 10 things, be an hour late, and those nice pants will get demoted to your pile of farm pants.
Make sure of your markets. If at all possible, figure out how to sell what your grow before you grow/raise it. Love the life and the hard work, in that the best you can hope for in the system as it's set up in this country is to have a simple, decent life in which you will need to make at least enough to cover the health insurance you will surely need.
You learn more from failure than success. Don't be afraid to ask for advice - I have always been surrounded by really supportive people who are willing to share their knowledge. Get involved with Farm Bureau, breed organizations, and your community - having that network is invaluable.
Learn all you can before you are responsible for livestock or fields. You can't afford to lose the crop on the way to the knowledge. That doesn't mean don't do it, but don't dive in. Research, network, find a mentor if you can. You can't have too much info before you dive in.
That you don't need a man to farm, totally optional. Your failures are what really make you. Take time for yourself every day, burn out in farming is real and that makes all the difference in how much you enjoy it. Listen to advice, read the books but follow your gut in the end, what works for one farm may not work for yours.
Farm life is Brutal & Beautiful. Mother Nature will be your best friend or Worst nightmare. There is no one Job but they're yours. Your heart & wallet are usually broken but mostly your wallet. Pick a few things you're pretty great at so you don't spread yourself to thin..spreading yourself to thin = things get out of hand. Good fences make good Neighbors, Do your Homework & Don't forget to wear your Pretty clothes!!
You will end up spending the bulk of your time battling weeds and insects, especially if you are (hopefully) growing organically. Have a plan for what to do with the things that don't sell. Try to find a way to make money from them, but donating to charity is OK when you can't.
You will never get everything done. Actually, you will never get most things done! I am always working on enjoying the process. No matter how exhausted I am or how my day has gone, my animals never fail to bring me soul-deep joy. Do what you love and you will keep showing up
It might just complete your soul. It might be the hardest thing you ever do. You won't get enough physical or emotional external support. There will be a million and one reasons to give it up.
That along with the great JOYS of new life, growth, and the satisfaction of the harvest in farming there must also be pain, disease, hardship and death. It is part of the balance. If you can’t deal with death and pain DON’T GO THERE.
You will be judged and judged hard, “you didn’t do it like your dad, or your grandpa, or the way so and so down the road did, so you are wrong” also if signing a loan for several million dollars makes you even blink, walk away.
Don't start a farm on informally leased land, not even if it's your own mother. Get everything in writing, every detail about how you plan to use and improve the land, what infrastructure you may want to add (hoop houses, plumbed washing stations, etc), and so on and make sure they understand and sign off with witnesses or a notary.
Ask me how I lost my farm after an extremely successful first year.
Paulette Burns Lefever Holbrook
Build your community of farmers, support each other! Good coffee is a must…. Nap time is a good thing.
Farming is birth and death. Your animals and plants will make you so happy and also break your heart. You’ll spend hours trying to save a life. Sometimes you succeed and sometimes it floats away in front of you.
There will always be someone who will tell you how to do things. Many of them will have 0 idea. Learn to take that and let it go.
And value yourself and your products. There’s no such thing as “just a farmer.”
Some things don't pencil out on paper, but they're still worth it. Exhibit A: my daughter's (temporary) turkey obsession. See also: milking her cow.
But if it means she can figure out what her work is worth, and she can explain a full bovine heat cycle in detail to her friends....worth it.
Spend money on education beforehand or you will spend more money learning after the fact. Either way, you pay.
#1 Raise a crop of cat mint. Those cat people are crazy and will pay top dollar for nip-nip and nip toys. #2 Don't get so stressed that you have a stroke. That really sucks and it's not worth it #3 Slow down and listen to nature. There is a ton that we don't know or understand until we slow down and listen. #3 Everything is sacred. From the soil you make and touch to the flour and ingredients you kneed into bread. #4 Be grateful and inspire others but don't jump in and do their work. If they want it bad enough they have to put out for it. #5 Fences do make good neighbors. Know your boundries and make sure others respect them. #6 Pray for strength, wisdom, courage and patience.
You are going to feel so accomplished when you cook a meal in which everything came from your farm. Also, the hard work feels worth it when your customers notice the quality of your products.
1) Failure is as important as success learn to celebrate both.
2) digging in the dirt is better than being in the office- don’t wait.
3) you will become a mechanic embrace your inner engineer.
Build it FIRST, then get the animals
You'll never have enough boots, pants, or socks. What you do have will never last so long in the field.
"When you work for mother nature, you get paid by father time." Judy Garland. To only realize what this truly means. Then it's to late .
Keep farming until you're broke.
You will always be in debt. If that bothers you, don't farm.
White clothes are for weddings and city people. Progress, no matter how small or slow, is still progress. Don't over extend yourself ( financially, physically, emotionally). Swearing is a healthy form of stress relief. Weed control is key. Livestock is meat, Don't get attached.
There is a lot more heartache and sadness than happiness.
When you’re down and out and ready to throw in the towel, read Paul Harvey’s “So God Made a Farmer”
Do not try to farm in Colorado.
Make sure you know what you're getting yourself into! After 12 years of my own ranch dairy business I can't imagine a different life but its been REALLY HARD. I couldn't have done it without family and financial support. The worry and stress over money and all the curveballs constantly thrown your way are going to wear you down some times. You must take a break of a week or so every year at least whether you think you can afford it or not! Don't try to do everything yourself either. And be flexible or you won't survive. If you have your heart set on raising or growing something particular but there isn't a market it will fail. Respond to your customers preferences but try to find a niche that is unique. Diversify--products, markets, strategies--it can provide stability when one component fails.
No one said it was an easy life....most of all it’s a life filled with heartache some days. Don’t let the little stuff get you down.....as my other half says. ‘’We‘ll get ‘em next year”. And his other famous saying “well the corn was 300 bushels then we took it out of the pro boxes and planted it so now it’s loosing bushels every day”
Farmers live a shit life while everyone tells us “we have the life” walk in our shoes and then tell me just how lucky I am. No one gets rich farming, if it looks that way that way the money came from somewhere else.
#1 Listen. I wish I had actually listened more intently to the incredible individuals I have had the pleasure of coming across - there where some great tips I brushed aside and now most of those individuals are gone and I cant get clarification. #2 Invest in learning your market. Spend the money on a course or conference where you can get access to literature or programs that will help you. It doesnt have to be much, even a webinar or $20 book can make a big difference. #3 Failure is guaranteed. Learn from it, but dont let it define you.
Mother Nature always has the upper hand, so don’t stress over things you can’t control. It’s a balance between finding things that are easy to grow in your environment and what people will pay a decent amount for. I started out trying to grow 30-40 different things. I’ve whittled it down to about 10 things I can easily grow a lot of and what I can charge a lot for. Everything else I grow personal quantities of.
From my own perspective, and a combination of other established and newer farmers in my area. I feel like building relationships, friendships, and community are huge huge building blocks that go hand in hand with starting a farm business. I ended up moving back to my small rural hometown to homestead and move onto my own farm business. While I didn't inherit any of the family farms, having my family immediately around me as a support system was vital. Versus some friends that were just re-telling their own story of moving to the area some 8+ years ago and know absolutely nobody. How they felt isolated and kind of stuck on their veggie farm busting their butts. We all finally "found" each other and helped each other out in many ways over the years. Including just recently pulling in over 800 small square bales of hay for each other. If you can, get to know your area before moving. Have a good business plan, but remember you need to be flexible and ready to keep a level head when chaos happens all around you. You are at the mercy of the weather and so many other things. But having/creating strong community around you can help you get through some of those tough times. I don't mean to promote it, but joining my local Farmers Union chapter was a great doorway into meeting other farmers and leading me down a path to be more active in my community as well.
If you ever think you will have cash for anything but the work. Dream on. Every penny goes into the lifestyle if you are starting from scratch. I pray you don't have friends that sit around and talk about their trips they take and the price they can put out for brand name clothes. That one hurts. The divide between city and rural is great and getting bigger. Always remember where there is Livestock there is DEADstock. That's a fact.
Don't do it with your romantic partner, unless you want to ruin your relationship:) No, in all seriousness, I know a few couples that have made it unscathed. But it is very hard on your marriages/partnerships. You must make time for each other and self care.
That I was going to “fail”. We sold the dairy cows in 2018 and it still breaks my heart. I wouldn’t have even started if I knew it would end so soon, and with so much bitterness.
Shoot for your dreams. You only live once! We started 2 years ago. It hasn’t been easy but we would have regretted not even attempting.
If you don't live near a major city, don't have access to major markets- and most of all, don't come from money, have inherited farmland, or have ability to start up agritourism and have WOOFers-- you might as well not start. You'll just destroy your body and go broke. Speaking from experience.
You will spend around 10 years working 90 hour weeks and making maybe $2 an hour but it starts getting better the longer you stick with it.
my mom said, "if you want to be a farmer, you have to be a gambler".
The little steps make up the big steps in the end.
Everything dies.
The USDA is a nightmare. I'm never going back in an FSA office and the NRCS can kiss my ..... I'd be twice as far in farming if I'd never bothered to let them waste my time and money.
Spend the money on the best fitting chore boots you can afford. Some days you're in your feet for hours, walking or on uneven terrain. Good fitting boots can make or break how you feel at the end of the day.