The industry is, for the most part, steeped in tradition. If you’ve never farmed in your life nor have any agricultural experience to bring to the table, and yet you still want to become a farmer, you may run into some individuals who are more skeptical of your future endeavor than you wish. But, do not let this bring you down, as there are many people who will embrace your goals and want to help out as much as possible. You will be surprised at how helpful a lot of farm people can be with the new farmers that want to learn as much as possible! Remember there is no such thing as a stupid question. However, don’t be discouraged or lead yourself to feel slightly offended if someone is more blunt and forward with some of their advice and/or criticisms of what you intend to do and how to do it than you expected. Those farmers that have been in the business for decades have been-there and done-that, and will give you as much advice as you ask for, and even a few stories here and there. Be open to possibilities, listen well, and don’t try to argue on something that they have known to work for them for the last umpteen years. Especially, talk to various farmers to get a better understanding of what to expect with what you are doing and the locale you intend to start a farm in.
Most, if not all farms regardless of economical classification (i. e. , commercial/industrial versus small, organic, sustainable or family farm), rely on and utilize more than one enterprise to maintain an operable farm. For instance, a dairy farm cannot be profitable without also having silage, hay and grain enterprises to feed its cow herd. A crop-only farm will often have a rotational cropping system that may pertain to growing and harvesting at least two crops per season, rotating cereal, oilseed and/or pulse crops every year in order to balance out soil fertility and quality, and to meet future market projections. It is generally considered that the larger the farm, the more specified the enterprise. However, this is not always the case, as shown above. You should not have to worry about this, though it’s best to dabble in only a couple enterprises at first before you start weighing the options of diversification. This is so that you don’t spread yourself out too thin when you first start up, because it’s so easy to spend a lot of money on a lot of things and then realize that you may have wasted a lot of money on something[s] that turned out to be wrong for you.
Start off with talks of the weather (because farm folk always like to talk about the weather) and how it’s impacting their operation. Introduce yourself as well and tell them, albeit briefly, about what you want to do. Usually that will open them up more than someone suddenly inundating them with questions without giving them a sense of who you are and why you are so interested in what they do. Then you can follow up by asking if they wouldn’t mind you asking about their own operation: What they do, how they do it, what’s changed and what hasn’t, and if they have any advice for you. You could also bring up the idea of coming out to their farm to see what the do for yourself. Farmers markets are also a great place to meet producers. Not only do you have an opportunity to purchase their product to try out at home, but to also talk with them about their own farming operations. They may appear to specialize in one particular thing (i. e. , goat-cheese making, or jam-making), but you don’t know without asking them first. They may even allow you to come out to their farm to talk with them more and get a personal tour.
Read books that discuss the kind of farming you want to get involved in. The library is a great place to start, and ideally a library of a post-secondary institution will give you more resources than one at a local elementary, secondary school. A bookstore is also ideal if you want to start your own collection of farming-related books that you can reference any time you like through purchasing and/or ordering any book you need. On-line book sites are also good to look through. Search the Internet for various articles that cover the many topics of the particular enterprise you want to get started in. In the United States, the Center of Rural Affairs also offers online PDF documents that contains lots of information for beginning farmers and ranchers. A PDF link gives some advice for those wanting to get into agriculture. There is also a beginner farmers website called Beginning Farmers that contains a lot of information for beginner farmers. Quite frankly, if you search Google with the search term “beginner farmer” you will find a large number of links to look at that caters to those wanting to get started in farming. Look for and read some online discussion forums that contain various topics on agriculture, from cattle to goats to crops and machinery. Online forums are great places to discuss a number of topics in farming and ranching with other producers and agricultural experts. In your research, find out every aspect of farming that you need to know about, from skills needed to accomplish various jobs (basic mechanical aptitude, how to operate machinery, knowing animal behavior, growth stages of crops, etc. ), market potential for your product (where, how, what, when, to whom, and even why), environmental conditions and changes of your area (soil type and quality, vegetation [type, above-ground biomass, natural biome], topography [flat or hilly, high elevation or low] and climatic conditions [precipitation amount, storm frequency and type, drought/flood frequency]), and things you need to know about how to perform the many duties on your farm (from how to harvest a grain crop, feeding cattle, or bottle-raising a goat kid, to knowing how to make a rope halter or to drive a tractor).
Attending university or college to study agriculture is not required, but recommended if you want to learn more than what you need for running a farm. Depending on the institution, you may want to get into animal sciences, agri-business, agricultural management and production, crop sciences, animal health or pre-veterinary medicine, horticulture, agricultural mechanical engineering, and many others. You have the choice of getting a diploma, a certificate, or a degree if you decide to go into college or university. However, choose wisely and if you can, incorporate classes on business, economics and financial management to your education so that you are not going to be caught unprepared for the amount of financial and economic decisions that you will ultimately need to make for the betterment of your operation. Typically a college diploma or certificate would be recommended, if not a university degree, however learning to farm does not really require formal education because there are many aspects to it that cannot be covered in the classroom. As mentioned, you do not need to attend college or university in order to qualify to start farming, even though the studies will help immensely in the long-run. Attend some informational sessions held in your area or within your state or province (or, if necessary, in a different province or state in your country, or even in a neighboring country). They will give you the information you need to run your farm. Such sessions may be on farm economics and finances or how to grow and harvest a certain crop. They may be even on the advancing technologies of your sector of interest, or even on improving management on your farm to be more sustainable and environmentally-conscious. . Some sessions are free, others may require an entrance fee or admission to attend
In your research that you would have been doing above, you will need to find out which location[s] is/are more suited to the kind of operation you are interested in starting up. Note that environmental conditions were mentioned above based on soil, climate, topography and vegetation. The reasons these were included was because all of these determine what kind of farm you can have and what kind of operation you should not even bother considering. For example, an area that has rocky soil is ideal for raising livestock and some hay, but not growing crops.
There are several ways to start working for a farm: Look for government-run programs that cover agriculture and farming[2] X Research source . For beginning American farmers especially, the Center of Rural Affairs offers many different programs that new farmers can enroll in. These classes are fantastic because they link new farmers up with more experienced farmers or retiring landowners. Programs can range from getting advice from farmers, to linking up with landowners to take over their farm once they retire[3] X Research source . For new Canadian farmers, a program called Farm Start was started in 2005 for the purpose of educating those new farmers with non-farming backgrounds. Beginning Farmer is also a website that has job and internship postings for anyone interested in getting involved in farming and needing the experience. Job and internship opportunities are available not only in the US, but also internationally. Join a beginning farmer training program. There are quite a few of these that can be found through a basic internet search (just type “farming programs [your location]” into your search engine). A program such as WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) allows you opportunity to get involved in organic agriculture and allows you to explore many different options because you can travel from farm to farm during your time as a WWOOFer[4] X Research source Select your country and then explore all of the options available in your area. Find a summer job as a research assistant for a college or university that holds research trials on one or more research farms. You will get the opportunity to not only participate in research activities, but also learn some duties that are pretty much parallel to what you would have to do on a farm. Put your resume out to various farms that both need the extra seasonal help and will be open to taking in someone with no or very little prior farming experience in to provide a learning opportunity over the busy season. Some of these opportunities may not be seen in the local newspaper or listings on Kijiji, but rather by word of mouth. Many opportunities can be based on who you know, because they may know someone (or ask any of their connections if they know of anyone) who can take in and mentor an aspiring future farmer like yourself by giving them some work over the season. Be aware that salary payment may not be higher than minimum wage. The pay for farm laborers or hired hands is nothing to be excited about, primarily because most farmers are strapped for cash themselves and will not be able to pay an expected hourly wage that is well above the minimum. Many positions include housing, but usually only on a seasonal basis (i. e. , during growing and harvest seasons but not during the winter).
Do not expect that you know everything and how to do it simply because you have read about it somewhere in book or even on wikiHow. You will find that the things you can read about are an entirely different thing when put into practice. Experience is everything, and the more experiences you gain, the better equipped you will be to start up a farm on your own. You cannot expect to be a farmer without knowing the seemingly-trivial technicalities and understanding the art and science that goes into how various enterprises are managed on the farm you are working at, and the farm you will eventually own and operate.
Other tasks you may not like to do at first because of certain fears or aversions include: Mucking out barns and stalls of animal manure. Climbing ladders or climbing up on top of grain bins. Operating machinery like a skid steer, tractor or combine to do various tasks like hitching up, backing up a machine (which is as hard as backing up a trailer), maneuvering in tight quarters, etc. Operating a tractor and the machine hooked up to it to cut, till or harvest a crop. Killing pests like rats, mice, gophers, and rabbits. Handling and catching unruly animals that may harm you in some way if they decide they don’t like being chased anymore. Keeping on top of feeding and milking schedules. Weeding or harvesting for 12 straight hours or more often with few to no breaks. Applying pesticides to fields. Slaughtering and butchering an animal or participating in the activity. Dehorning/disbudding/polling, branding, tagging or castrating livestock (also includes detusking and/or tail docking in pigs, clipping wings in poultry, etc. ) Fixing and/or maintaining machinery, treating sick livestock etc.
Invest in a good pair of work gloves because you will have to handle materials and tools that could give you some nasty slivers, cuts, abrasions, or blisters in a short period time. They’re also ideal if you don’t wish to get your hands very dirty. If you have long hair, tie it back in a braid or ponytail so it doesn’t get caught in anything and stays out of your eyes. A hat or cap is ideal as well, to keep your eyes and head shaded from the bright sun.
For more information, please see the article How to Start a Farm.
