5 Introductory Pointers for Starting Your Own Family Farm

Guest post by Kara Masterson

A family farm is a great job choice for people who love to work on the land. It’s also a wholesome way for a family to work together. When you’ve decided to own a family farm, you may not know where to start. Here are 5 introductory pointers for starting your own family farm.

Develop a Plan

The first thing you need to do is create a business plan for your farm. First, you need to establish your niche. There are a number of different options when it comes to what you want to do. Once you create a plan, you will be able to take the next steps.

Find a Location

Farms take up a lot of space. You need to find a location for your farm. It needs to be large enough to accomplish what you want to do. It also shouldn’t be too big that you aren’t able to manage it. You want a location without too many trees or other obstructions. You also need to consider the soil of the area. Is the soil ideal for what you want to do? Finally, you need to pick the right location. You need to farm somewhere close enough to a metropolitan area where you can sell things easily without being so close that pollutants or other things can affect your crops.

Get Financing

You need money to start your farm. This means you need to work on your credit to get the best loan possible. This can take a significant amount of time, so start years in advance. You also want to be sure to take out enough to cover all expenses and plan how you will pay your loan back.

Equipment

In order to be able to work smart you are going to need to have the equipment to handle the number of crops you are managing. There aren’t enough hours in the day for you to be able to be successful if you just rely on your own two hands. The key to being able to yield enough to make a living comes from sound investing in the right farmall tractor, plow, planters, and sprayers. You don’t want to spend your time fixing old equipment. Make sure you realize what you spend your time on. Time is money, and nobody knows this better than successful farmers.

Market Your Farm

When you are ready to harvest, you need people to buy your crops. Get out and market your farm in the community at local farmer’s markets. Farms are also becoming much more active online these days, too. Market events on social media and on a high-quality website.

Family farms are a great way to make money if done correctly.

These tips can make your family farm something you and the people in your community can enjoy and learn from for years to come. You can enjoy the benefits of working from home while you are able to market your produce to local restaurants and residents.

Kara Masterson is freelance writer from Utah. She enjoys tennis and spending time with her family.

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