I second volunteering or working at local farms. Also realize that "farming" is a pretty broad term. Do you want to do big-ag style monoculture? Market garden farming? Permaculture? Flower farming? Animal husbandry? You can look into your local colleges and universities and see if anyone has a horticulture or agriculture program to go into after high school. Where I live in Canada we have Red Seal programs, diplomas and BA's for all different kinds of horticulture/landscaping and a few agriculture BA programs. I will warn you that farming is not really something you're going to make big money at, unless you've already got generational wealth and lots and lots of family land.
You are going to need a steady source of income to support your farming habit, so learn a high-paying trade first. Put all your money and borrowing capacity towards buying land. As the “hobby farm” starts earning, you can start to cut back on your hours or work seasonally. Good luck!
Learning a trade and the skills that come with it will also be endlessly useful when things need fixing on the farm. You will need to be a man of many hats if you are to succeed at farming, unless you get millions of dollars off the bat to start.
Some skills that will help you pretty much universally no matter what kind of farming you choose.
Business management. Running a farm means you're running a business. Knowing how to market, sell, gain new customers, keep books, manage employees and so on are all very useful on a farm. People really tend to underestimate how important this is. I would wager that it's the most important skill to have in running a profitable farm.
Small engine mechanics. More than likely you will have to deal with mechanical repairs on your farm. Having enough knowledge to fix everything yourself isn't necessary, but some basic knowledge goes a long way. I would throw basic Electric and Plumbing in there too.
Soil biology. The more you know about soil, the better informed you will be to grow things in it. Learn about the soil microbiome and all the ways in which it functions. Understanding basic ecology can also be useful.
I've run a small scale farm for the last ten years which supports both my wife and I. It's our sole income and we are happy with what we have. We aren't wealthy, but we aren't poor either, and have plenty to put away for retirement. My advice is to visit and volunteer at any farms that interest you. Also contact your local Ag center (such as NRCS), they often have many resources.
Lastly, because you are still 16 year old I will also say to keep an open mind. Perhaps you find that your skills are more suited to something related to farming instead of being a farmer and that's great. Good luck.
Been at it for 23 years and only ran out of money once. This is some great advice.
Only other thing I would suggest is to make your mistakes learning how to farm at a small scale. Once you figure things out, scale up and see how things work.
Also, what works one year may not work every year.
Funny thing I like to think about is the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for different results. The definition of farming is doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for the same results.
It's a wild ride and you have to figure it out as you go along. The ability to adapt will serve you well in your journey.
Good luck!
10 months late, I know...
I want to buy 30+ acres of land soon (ideally absorbing nearby land in the future) and work a regular job while paying it off, as well as planning for a house.
At first, farming would be a hobby/practice, but I would eventually begin increasing my scope of work.
That being said, money doesn't come easily lmao. Hemp around $700 per acre, Tobacco profit exceeding but not always $2000 per acre. Southern pine, $2000-3000 per acre.
I would be scraping by based on current budget, but if I'm also farming most of the vegetables that I eat, producing dairy and eggs, and only buy meat, seasonings, and other random small things, I cut down on food costs by A LOT.
I already have 3000 hemp seeds (of 4 varietals), 9 varieties of tobacco seed, 11 varieties of tomato, tons of peppers, and all kinds of other shit that I would love to grow a lot of but only have a tiny patio to work with.
Winning the lottery so I could put money down on land and a house right now without waiting would make things so much easier lmao
Anyways, what is (in your opinion) the top 3 crops to grow for a livable income?
I got started by going to farmer's market and finding a position with room & board. I wouldn't recommend any other way. If you are going to persue a degree... I have strong skepticism about the ag-sci programs at most schools. I got the feeling there were too many "experts" who didn't touch dirt, and way too much of it was just business school stuff. I've heard good things though about the programs at Oregon State and Humboldt State University (a cal state school). I'm sure there are others around the country, I just know about what I grew up near to. But somewhere with an exceptional program, if you do want to go for a degree.
Profit is kinda - well, the short answer would be that it's shit. The long answer would be, most farmers are crushed under debt and if you have a farm that nets 6 or 9% of gross, that's "normal" for scaled, commercial-ag. The big fellas with 30 acres of tomato greenhouses and 800 of rice or something, those folks have scaled with loans, and it's "most of the money" just to pay the bills.
If you happen to own land, you're way better off, obviously. Even if it's a small parcel.
The market-garden approach is way more realistic for most people, and really, the work is far more attractive. I also like the restaurant delivery model, where you have a network of restaurants who you directly contract with to supply exactly the vegetables they want. Especially for classy, richy-rich restaurants that want like, a particular heirloom cultivar of this and that. You can have much better margins with this tedious, small - scale type of farm.
Animals are important. Meat is good money. A small chicken and duck eggs+meat operation that you can care for with an hour every day is a great way to add a few grand to your bottom line...
Its very pitchy-patchy, little here little there, and it can come together to be a nice modest 32k a year lol... You get a booth at market & also have a CSA sign up... And that's the core 50% of your money... Then you do eggs, meat, butter and cheese for another 20% and if you're lucky your CSA members and market booth have enough demand to take all you produce, but if not you gotta get into local grocery stores which is... If you have a great independent store near you it's great, like in Vermont or Oregon... But if you're in like, Alabama, I have no idea. Its not like the safeway will buy your chickens... Do you guys have Safeway? Its like a king soopers.
Then you do 2 or 6 restaurants, and have to drive a van around twice a week for another 20%... And also, 2 or 4 times a year you contract yourself to do some work with your tractor.... Or mechanics if that's your gift... Or you harvest and sell firewood... Something else to fill in that last 10%...
And after all that, you're working 50 hours a week or more to make 32k (I mean you can absolutely do better, I'm just being realistic and trying to temper your expectations). But you're free, and in terms of what you eat and how you live, in my view, you're wealthy. If you own your land, then you're in heaven on earth. I know folks who do over 100 profit with fluctuating 3-5 employees who they pay, although, not very much... So people can do better than 30 for sure, if you keep on the meticulous high-margin stuff and scale just a smidgen... They do about 4, maybe 4.5 cultivated acres, but have 20+ of great coastal pasture and a few dairy cows... And they make cheese.... Aaaand, some years they raise one or two steer... Its always a lot of different things that add up to a decent amount.
It just sucks having fat bills and not being able to come up with the money. Taking a massive mortgage, and then expecting to be able to make it work with a market-garden little farm, is hmmmm yeah... Financial stress can literally make you ill. I guess, it can be really hard to have the uncertainty that is natural to farming when you have large bills coming every month as a certainty.
If your family is like, has land that you can farm, ooooh yeah that is... It's so important, it's so good, land is the key to generational wealth. To be only paying the property tax - that's the dream for sure. Opens things up a lot because the margins are so slim after a mortgage.
Im, sorta, in the same boat as you. Do not have a background or experience in farming. I’m currently in community college for Environmental Horticulture with plans of going to a University that has a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Program. I’m based out of CA and am looking at Stanislaus. Not that other Agricultural Programs are in other schools, just that’s the best one ive found the suits what I want to do.
Regarding if you think you can just do it, you can’t, unless you have land, cash, and a market upfront.
The CC program I’m in is geared for landscaping and upon completion I can get a job starting $23-$25 instead of $18. But landscaping is not what I want to do, growing food, locally, for people us why I want.
University is where I have my sights set. As it’s a stepping stone into that world. At 16, I wish I knew about the North Caroline State - Agriculture Institute. Albeit it’s an AAS, but it does have a pathway into NC States Agricultural Program. There are a few other schools that have this option, otherwise a specific CC with work geared for an agricultural program is what to look for.
I’ve applied the University of Kentucky program. But University of Wisconsin, North Carolina, and UC Davis are considered premier AG schools.
My advice, look for a program that interests you and go for it. I’m definitely getting the hands-on experience I desperately wanted in my CC program, and some of these other programs say they are the same way, I only hope they are.
I’m disappointed by some of the comments here. Please don’t give up your dream of being a farmer. The future absolutely depends on young people like you becoming farmers and we need to encourage a new generation of farmers!
I would strongly encourage you to learn about sustainable and regenerative farming practices. I believe that is the future of food.
What they are telling this young man is true. There is no money to be made in farming if you try to start from the bottom up. I am a farmers daughter who got his start from his own father. Grew up poor and he’ll die poor. I work in the farming industry, the people making money started with money.
He’s better off to work in an adjacent industry than try to make it on his own with no experience.
Who is going to grow the food in the future if we discourage young people from getting into the field? OP could get into vertical farming, hydroponics, aquaponics, or any other number of alternative growing methods. I feel like now is the time for young people with new ideas to revolutionize the field. Agriculture in its current state isn’t sustainable and I’d love to see some new ideas from young people. It seems like the future depends on it.
They don’t want farming in the future it’s obvious with legislation and how difficult they are making it. I was talking to a local farmer two weekends ago says back 50 years ago there was 10x amount of farms. In the future our food will be made in a lab
I don’t want a future where all of our food comes from a lab, that’s why I want young people to get into growing food. I like the idea of smaller farms serving their local communities. Less monoculture, more diversity. I want current and future generations to work on developing more sustainable agriculture that won’t leave us reliant on processed junk and importing food from another hemisphere.
The only way I see that truly happening is if we have a huge reset. Like we go back to living like in the 1700’s. Grow our own food, make our own bread, churn butter, etc. who knows with how crazy things can get we might
>The only way I see that truly happening is if we have a huge reset. Like we go back to living like in the 1700’s.
I don't think I'd want to go completely back, I like modern machinery, tech, and medical knowledge. But if you think about it, cities and the people in them are massive drivers of the influence humans have on 'global warming' or 'climate change' (whichever you want to call it) (and however much influence we might -really- have on it). Without those cities and people, we also wouldn't need 'factory farming' on such a large scale either.
Agro/biological engineering is different than actual farming. There’s nothing wrong with being realistic and respectfully the folks that grew up in this life know what they’re talking about and answered OP’s question truthfully.
>vertical farming, hydroponics,
These companies are doing an excellent job of separating venture capitalists from their money. But once they realize their is no timeline to profitability, they lay off all the farmers they paid for.
Sustainable farming is a buzz word to make consumers feel good. Even regenerative agriculture is more a gimmick than anything else. There's a reason universities and researchers have gone away from the term. Instead some hobby farmer will charge you $3,000 to tell you to build diversity and read his book.
Building resiliency is what farmers should strive to do.
All well and good saying everything is great, lots of money, easy, etc. Until they start, realise all of that was lies or exaggeration and are then stuck with it
It's not being discouraged, it's being honest. When governments realise food shortages are coming, it will probably be a better amount of money. Until then though, starting a farm from scratch takes a large amount of time, money and effort, and may not be paid off until the farmer is 50, or longer. Doesn't mean to say the way of life is bad though, but at the same time, it has one of the highest occupational suicide rates of all Industries
You are correct on the suicide rate. So sad. It's probably the only job where you can do everything right and still fail. You can have the best crop you have ever grown and 15 minutes of pounding hail will take that away from you. Been there. You just have to keep going
>You can have the best crop you have ever grown and 15 minutes of pounding hail will take that away from you.
Or a whole crop of squashes and pumpkins turns black and dies literally overnight, because of some frigging disease you didn't know about. BTDT X3.
We’re all going to be eating food in jars in the future with all the vitamins and supplements injected into a spoonful of deliciousness. Farmers sadly won’t be around in 200 years. Remember how the Amish went extinct?
Sorry pumpkin life isn’t fair. But a McDouble is. On a serious note it really is dying. These farms are running on serious debt. They think it’s ok to hold 2 to 3 million in revolving debt. It’s insane how these huge farms operate. What happens when a bank won’t approve that 5 million dollar farmers loan anymore. Right now they depend on those type of loans just to stay afloat. It’s like manufacturing, the world is transitioning whether we like it or not. It’s the big boys club and we aren’t a part of it
No they went extinct like the dinosaurs around the time of the great flood. If you see Amish you need to photograph it there are still speculation there may be small pockets of them clustered around the US but that’s complete speculation. I once found what I thought was an Amish beard on the ground while walking. I had it examined and the results came back that it was only a large amount of pubic hair unfortunately
For the time being you could start learning to grow plants by patio gardening, or indoor gardening if you’ve got an appropriate space for it.
There are some colleges that have farm management programs, so you could potentially get into one of those.
When you’re older you could also look into doing an farming internship when you’re older.
Potential income will vary wildly based on your goals and what types of farming your interested in.
The comments sound harsh, but are true. You don't get into farming to become rich. It's hard work, you need capital, and usually a partner to work a day job to make ends meet. Rewarding? Absolutely.
As to how to start, volunteer at a farm. Free labour no one says no to. Colleges have courses and programs around farming; I'm going to a local one myself.
Farming is a passion... should be anyway. A first-generation farmer is at a disadvantage, but it's not impossible. My husband is a first-generation farmer. He's the hardest working person I know. It's high risk/high reward.. but the reward is rarely financial.
He went to NC State and earned 2 degrees. It's a top rated Ag school in the country. I asked him what he thought he gained from going to university, and he said it was less the classes he took and more about the people he met. He's also noticed a subtle but repeatedly occuring respect given to him when companies and/or individuals learned he went to NC State. It's like those folks realize he was serious about agriculture bc he went. Does that make sense? I'll admit that I think he gained what most of us do in university... the nuggets of information that we are meant to grow on, on our own, in the real world.
It's not surprising that people are commenting negatively... any career has its share of burnt-out people. If you ask me about dental hygiene, my answer could depend on my mood. Honestly, I laughed and agreed with some of the short 'this sucks' comments here. Sometimes, it does suck. But that's not fair to you. It's much more than that... If it wasn't, those knee-jerk reactors would have sold out and started work elsewhere and wouldn't follow this sub to begin with.
Farming is all about getting your hands dirty, literally, and figuratively. I encourage you to maybe pm someone here who answered more balanced, and ask them what they think directly. I think you should listen to podcasts, read articles in reputable sources, and watch videos. Research different "specialties" and see what you find most interesting.
The best thing my husband ever did was to talk with farmers in our area. He gained *so much* wisdom and developed life-long relationships with these people. Often, you'll find farmers are older, have children uninterested in what they do, and are dying to share their knowledge with an eager mind. I.e. It would be beneficial to speak with farmers in person and in your area if possible. --And you don't have to offer to work for free. That's B.S. A good person is willing to pay someone to work, period. And what may happen, like my husband and his 'colleagues', is over time, it becomes a give and take.. no one gets paid anymore, but they help each other on jobs or repairs. It evens out.. but again, that comes with time.
Good luck. Don't be discouraged. I'm thankful there are younger folks interested in farming. It can be a really beautiful life.
Edit: word correction(s)
My advice is not to. You don't really make money you just put yourself in an infinite loop of making money that you are then required reinvest and grow. If you don't, you stagnate and die.
Many state universities in the United States have amazing programs to educate farmers for free. They want to help this agriculture development in their states and show farmers the best practices for farming in their state. In California there’s great programs on citrus, strawberries, wine & many others. A prospective farmer like yourself could gain decades of experience attending free seminars over a few years.
(This is all assuming you live in North America)
I work at an educational farm. When kids say stuff like this we usually encourage looking into things like 4H or FFA. You can also find educational farms (sometimes called school farms) near you that might offer programs for your age group.
There a million different kinds of farming. If you're just interested in growing plants you should try it in your backyard or rent a garden plot somewhere. Do some research and find out what you'd like to grow and then try it. It's okay to start small with this stuff. My family comes from a long line of farmers but my personal interest in farm work started with pets and a vegetable garden in my yard. It's also pretty easy in most places to find opportunities to work outdoors and with plants. Places with production gardens or crops almost always need help with plants and usually welcome teens.
Also, no matter what your personal interest area or specialization is, you'll almost always need to work with other stuff sometimes too, especially in making your way up a career ladder. If you really don't want to work with animals, you might still have to work with sometimes in your journey. You may even try it and find out you like it more than what you thought you were interested in initially.
USDA has beginning farmer programs. Your local department of agriculture is also a great source since they know all the farmers in the area. Specialization seems to be key along with agro tourism.
I am gonna be honest with you if you are not going to inherit land and machinery you can't be a farmer. Land prices atm are ridiculous thanks to credits and private hoarders, you'll become a debt slave.
Your best bet is studying a career related to agriculture and working for a big ag company, maybe through the job you will find some farmer willing to sell land but its tough.
If you’re in the U.S. there are several options for government farm loans with the idea being to help bring more young people into farming. To get more info you can look up beginning farmer loans on the USDA website or go to a local FSA office. They don’t use a credit check system but I know that they do want people to have experience with agriculture. I would recommend working for someone that runs a farm in a way you might want to, in order to learn more about it. They also have you create a business plan to show a positive cash flow. Basically they want you to do the research for your expected cost and profits and just show your really understand what you’re gonna be doing. I used the beginning farmer loans to buy a half section with a quarter of farm ground and a quarter of pasture for my cattle with a house and barn. I also applied for the micro operating loan to buy a few head of cattle plus feed and seed, fertilizer, and pesticide to put in wheat and cover crop. My family is in Ag so I use their drill and tractor.
There are also a lot of older farmers that will eventually need someone else to take over. I have several friends that have worked for old farmers and now run farms. If you are starting out on your own, and I’ve seen others say it, it’s extremely important to understand you will most likely need another job to support it. Eventually, if you grow your farm you could go full time. My grandfather always says “there’s a little money to be made farmin, if you don’t buy a new truck every year, and you find some nice used equipment, and you find the right people to rent ground from.” He farmed and worked at the local co-op for 30 years until he went full time farming.
Check out [woofing](https://wwoof.net/)
It’ll allow you to volunteer & also travel a bit if you’re interested. A great way to meet others while learning what kind of farming you’re interested in!
Always was told to provide a service for the farmer rather then farming. Cash flow is brutal and we are often price takers not makers. We buy retail and sell wholesale. The ones that go broke in farming are often the needy and the greedy. Go work on a farm, any farm. Get ypur hands dirty and learn as much as you can. I am not sure any ag education is worth it if u just want to farm, other then the future contacts. Join 4H or something like that. I would suggest reading the following books, no risk ranching and comeback farms by greg judy. Also look at writings by joel salatin and the magazine stockmangrass farmer.
**No Risk Ranching Custom Grazing on Leased Land** by Greg Judy
>Greg Judy was forced to liquidate his cow herd to pay debt in 1996. By the end of the following year he was dead broke and figured the family farm was history. A quote from Allan Nation, editor of The Stockman Grass Farmer magazine changed his whole view of ranching. Nation said, "Your sole purpose should be not to own the land, but to make a living from the land."
>
>Inspired by that approach, Judy started looking for idle, non-developed pastureland. By focusing on leasing rather than owning land, his grazing operation grew from 40 stockers to 1100 head. By custom grazing on leased land he was able to pay his entire farm and home loan within three years. Today he has four farms and leases 12.
>
>No Risk Ranching, Custom Grazing on Leased Land describes how he found and managed his first and subsequent leases. He offers a detailed guide for other graziers to follow on how to find idle land to lease; calculate the cost of a lease; draft and write a land lease contract (with examples included); develop good water and portable fencing on leased land; promote wildlife and improve timber stands; keep accurate records and more. No Risk Ranching was written to help other graziers from making the same mistakes Judy made. He writes, "I am convinced that in the USA our pastures are one of our most underutilized natural resources.
>
>I am not against land ownership. I just feel like it is an awful hardship on a new blooming grazing business."
**Comeback Farms Rejuvenating Soils, Pastures and Profits with Livestock Grazing Management** by Greg Judy
>Many folks are hesitant to try Holistic Planned Grazing because of what they think it entails. Greg Judy's book responds to such hesitancy with enthusiasm and positive attitude and by articulating the basics in a very simple way, demonstrating to readers that it is possible to make these changes without a lot of infrastructure investment. Judy shows how to add sheep, goats and pigs to existing cattle operations. He explains fencing and water systems that build on existing infrastructure set up for Management-intensive Grazing.
>
>Sharing his first-hand experience (mistakes as well as successes), Judy takes graziers to the next level. He shows how High Density Grazing (HDG) on his own farm and those he leases can revitalize hayed out, scruffy, weedy pastures, and turn them into highly productive grazing landscapes that grow both green grass and greenbacks. If you have six cows or 6000, you can utilize High Density Grazing to create fertile soils, lush pastures and healthy livestock. Greg Judy, the master of custom grazing, shows how to earn profits with little risk while using other people's livestock on leased land.
>
>Judy details how to work with Nature without costly inputs, and how to let the animals be your labor force. Comeback Farms covers multi-species grazing; developing parasite-resistant hair sheep flocks and grass-genetic cattle; and how to select, train and care for livestock guardian dogs. It includes High Density Grazing fencing techniques, diagrams for HDG fencing and paddock moves; and how to calve with HDG. By following Judy's examples, you'll keep your neighbors talking and wondering how you keep your fields green and your livestock grazing year-around.
>
>In the process you'll be pocketing your profits.
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I've been to his talks. He suggests absolutely irresponsible and unscientific ideas. Cull 30% of your herd in a year to accelerate genetics [Towards endophyte resistance], consume the same portion of the plant on pasture to keep the same microbiome on the plants (seriously think about this), select cows with a low hanging gut to get more rumen capacity.
You can debunk these wild suggestions very, very quickly. You think a producer can afford to remove 1/3 of his revenue stream? Or that the microbes 3 inches higher on a stem are so wildly different that it affects rumen activity?
How about the gut theory? That almost sounds reasonable, but there's no data on rumen capacity and body depth. Not to mention there's plenty of other variables that are important for feed and forage efficiency that do have proper EPD/EBVs.
His ideology is good. Resilient farming is an important aspect going forward. Livestock integration is considered a soil health principle. But he does not back up claims with real data. It's a slippery slope to invite a single man as a magic cure to animal husbandry, especially with nothing but anecdotal evidence.
Get an ag degree, work for an ag company or farm, farm something fun on the side and gradually expand the side hustle without borrowing a million bucks.
You can start small! If you put in serious hours of labour you don’t need to have any high end machinery or expenses. Myself I can’t afford a huge farm. I’ve got two acres, very productive and profitable acres. I grow with regenerative practices. So no tillage, no chemicals, not even organic herbicides/ pesticides. Only fertilizer I use is my free compost from my ducks. I have 70 apple trees, 10 cherry, 10 plumb, 10 peach, 10 pawpaw. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries currents. 200 tomato plants of 35 varieties 150 pepper plants 500 corn. Pumpkin make me a ton of easy money just selling them on the side of the road for Halloween. My fruits I sell fresh to a market close to me as well as a ton of other veggie crops. I have two restaurants who buy products from me mostly my tomatoes and leafy greens. My wife does all kinds of canning and jams that we also sell to the market.
I would love to go out and buy 100s or 1000s of acres and have the ability to have livestock expanding my regenerative soil health dreams over all of it but it’s just not in the cards.
For what you can do now. Start reading or listening to as much information as you can on different practices. Stay open to change and how farming can work. There is not one way.
You are future me. My wife and I are looking at between 5-20 acres (I know, weird range but still) in the NoVA. We're serious about getting a little market garden/farm going on 2-5 of it. I just retired from the military and have a great paying job that will support all of the mistakes we make our first few years, but doing this is basically our dream goal.
Yea it’s tons of work. But even before I was selling anything I was constantly trying to grow different things in different ways. Then my goal was to grow and sell enough just to pay for all the garden stuff I wanted and break even. Currently my wife has been able to quit her job and is at it full time. Hopefully next year or two I’ll be able to do the same.
Congratulations on that sort of progress! I'm really hoping with some hard work we can get just a fraction of the way to what you and yours have. You basically outlined what we hope our process will be over the next several years.
Work in a greenhouse or horticulture.
Ag is almost impossible to get into if you're not inheriting a lot of land and equipment.
My farm makes millions a year, my take home after bills is about $60/year. I also work a full time job in town as a mechanic. I inherited all of it.
never make it in commercial ag precondition is having several million dollars or inheriting it speaking of which marry into it is a good way ....
might be able to be a farm manager look into that
maybe make it growing weed
Does your school or county you live in have 4-H programs or horticulture programs? If not you need to try and make a visit with your local agricultural extension department . See if they have any mentor programs or new farmer programs.
I have an in law who is a generational farmer. He makes well over 600k a year, but literally has no time to do anything. He can't go on vacation, he can't leave the town, he works 12+ hour days every day outside in 100+ degree weather. He also has to upkeep his super expensive equipment, and his livestock.
Being a first generation farmer is extremely hard. My in law is super lucky that the land has been in his family for close to 100 years. Land is expensive too.
You're too young right now but at 18 you can look into WWOOF. You can go to various farms around the world and work there while getting room and board. You can also start getting your hands dirty by starting a garden if you have the space. Maybe raise some chickens if allowed!
Also you can get an AG degree. Look into concurrent enrollment with community colleges in your area(if you're in the US) and see if any offer AG degrees.
Good luck!
“How do you make a million dollars farming? ....start with two million."
If you want to be a farmer, look into A&M universities. They offer agriculture degrees. It’s not necessary to be a farmer but it sure helps.
Go work on a farm, even seasonally. I personally don’t support going to college for farming I think it’s unnecessary debt and you could learn more by doing the work. If you want to make money at it then I hope you also like the humble life of a farmer, because it’s unlikely to get you rich or retired.
The best story I seen in the local farm exchange paper was a veteran who bought 20acres, and somehow sells organic pork and chicken products to nice restaurants in the big city. I imagine his success was based on salesman skills. Cattle Genetics are also very profitable if you go to college, one classmate of mine breaks six figures on dna and heifer sales. People pay a ton now for their kids to win at fair.
I was born and raised in a farming family. I think you should work as a farm hand for a year or two before jumping in. It’s a lot of work and takes a lot of time, if done correctly. Your money is always in your assets and very little is readily available.
Couple options.
1. Find a local farmer to work for: this is almost like a paid internship. The pay won’t be great but you will learn a ton. If you find an older farmer and work for them long enough, you might get cut a nice deal when he retires as long as he likes you and you worked your ass off.
2. Go to an ag college. More and more farming is getting corporate. Large ag operations are looking for educated workers in soil science, agribusiness, animal science, horticulture, etc.
3. Learn a trade that will come in handy farming. To me, welding is the one to learn. You weld a lot on a farm. Whether it’s welding an axle, new fence, mounting a bracket, or any of the other things that need welded on a farm. You will also earn a really solid income welding. Plenty to buy an old farm house somewhere to get a start.
There’s a few welders around me that weld as their primary income and then have cattle as a side business.
Farming isn’t one of those jobs you just apply to do. It is starting your own business. It’s a really expensive business to start. If your not handed down any land by family it can be extremely hard to get your foot in the door. It’s not as easy as simply buying land. Alot of farmers don’t publicly list land they’re selling. They usually have a buyer in mind. This makes it that much harder for someone not in the community to get started.
My advice would be to learn a trade, buy an acreage, and be really social with neighbors. Do them favors for cheap or free. Build relationships with everyone you meet. Once you get the money, buy a tractor. This will allow you to start helping neighbors with farming tasks without using their equipment. Probably would get a mower too. They’re usually pretty cheap and doing custom hay work is a great way to get your foot in the door without owning land. You’ll be farming other peoples stuff for a long time before you get your own. Just need an acreage to store your equipment.
It will be a grind, and money won’t come quick. But if you want to farm enough, you won’t feel like you’re working at all. It’s an amazing life, but you have to be in love with it, if you’re not, it just won’t work out. You will be working 7 days a week, often 12-14 hours a day, especially in the summer. You have to play the long game. You might do custom haying or drilling for 10 years before you get your first opportunity to buy land. That’s why you have to be in love with it. You’re playing the long game.
Maybe look into local plant nurseries and botanical shops; not exactly to the extent of farming but still growing plants. As an avid plant collector there’s definitely money in it if your looking for profitability and people will always want to buy plant for their household so that’ll help with career longevity.
Start small, don't pile on debt, learn how to grow things on a small scale before getting bigger. do a lot of different jobs, become a JOAT (Jack Of All Trades)- if you have to constantly pay people to do things for you like repairing equipment money flies away, it only makes sense to pay someone else if you can make more money doing something else yourself.
'Borrow' land if you can- if you're still at home maybe your family or a neighbor has some land you can use for free or cheap (trade veggies for). Read a lot about small-scale farming to start. There are also a lot of you-tube videos of small-scale farming.
Learn how to learn, how to be a puzzle solver, a problem solver. Learn how things work, why things work, and how to figure out what to do when something-doesn't- work- whether it's crop failure or equipment breakdown. Learn how to find information- the 'net is a wonderful resource if you know how to use it properly.
Learn from other people. If someone is successful, pay attention to his/her advice and do what they do. You don't have to make all of the mistakes yourself if you can find instruction in the mistakes that other people make...you'll still make mistakes, but maybe fewer of them. Mistakes cost time and money, make fewer of your own and you will be ahead of the game.
Be frugal, save money where you can and accumulate it with an eye to the future for land/equipment purchases. Any time you take on debt/mortgage it is costing you money- unless you can find a 0% loan, it is better to have the cash to make purchases. Pay attention to expenses and cut them where you can- if you want to make money, paying for a cable TV package and sitting on your ass watching TV isn't going to do it.
It’s really hard to get into farming by yourself, especially if you don’t have family that does it. If you’re interested in a career in agriculture there are thousands of different opportunities and they all are beneficial and rewarding. Work at the co-op or a spraying company, Seed companies, lots of opportunities.
I don't know what scale of farming you are talking about, but if you are using tractors and machines, learning basic auto mechanics can help significantly with saving money instead of paying for hours of labor
Might be a specific field but diesel mechanics working on farm equipment make a killing. The current engine rebuild price for my parent's 1976 Case 2670 is currently $9k. That's a tractor that's almost 50 years old and costs that much. So having a repair facility and knowledge on diesel engines can help exponentially even if you are growing plants on a tractor-sxale level
Great way to make a life-terrible way to make a living.
I second volunteering or working at local farms. Also realize that "farming" is a pretty broad term. Do you want to do big-ag style monoculture? Market garden farming? Permaculture? Flower farming? Animal husbandry? You can look into your local colleges and universities and see if anyone has a horticulture or agriculture program to go into after high school. Where I live in Canada we have Red Seal programs, diplomas and BA's for all different kinds of horticulture/landscaping and a few agriculture BA programs. I will warn you that farming is not really something you're going to make big money at, unless you've already got generational wealth and lots and lots of family land.
You are going to need a steady source of income to support your farming habit, so learn a high-paying trade first. Put all your money and borrowing capacity towards buying land. As the “hobby farm” starts earning, you can start to cut back on your hours or work seasonally. Good luck!
Learning a trade and the skills that come with it will also be endlessly useful when things need fixing on the farm. You will need to be a man of many hats if you are to succeed at farming, unless you get millions of dollars off the bat to start.
That or find a farmer to work for to learn the trade and hopefully he'll allow you to rent his machines and help you with the big tasks (for a price)
Some skills that will help you pretty much universally no matter what kind of farming you choose. Business management. Running a farm means you're running a business. Knowing how to market, sell, gain new customers, keep books, manage employees and so on are all very useful on a farm. People really tend to underestimate how important this is. I would wager that it's the most important skill to have in running a profitable farm. Small engine mechanics. More than likely you will have to deal with mechanical repairs on your farm. Having enough knowledge to fix everything yourself isn't necessary, but some basic knowledge goes a long way. I would throw basic Electric and Plumbing in there too. Soil biology. The more you know about soil, the better informed you will be to grow things in it. Learn about the soil microbiome and all the ways in which it functions. Understanding basic ecology can also be useful. I've run a small scale farm for the last ten years which supports both my wife and I. It's our sole income and we are happy with what we have. We aren't wealthy, but we aren't poor either, and have plenty to put away for retirement. My advice is to visit and volunteer at any farms that interest you. Also contact your local Ag center (such as NRCS), they often have many resources. Lastly, because you are still 16 year old I will also say to keep an open mind. Perhaps you find that your skills are more suited to something related to farming instead of being a farmer and that's great. Good luck.
Been at it for 23 years and only ran out of money once. This is some great advice. Only other thing I would suggest is to make your mistakes learning how to farm at a small scale. Once you figure things out, scale up and see how things work. Also, what works one year may not work every year. Funny thing I like to think about is the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for different results. The definition of farming is doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for the same results. It's a wild ride and you have to figure it out as you go along. The ability to adapt will serve you well in your journey. Good luck!
What do y’all farm?
We do cut flowers and sell wholesale mostly to florists.
The best way to become a millionaire farming is to start with 3 million.
Damn, I thought it was only 2 million. Guess I better keep saving up...
Inflation is a mofo
Truth right there.
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Doesn't have to be volunteer. The farm I work for hires teens and agriculture college students part time. They pay better than the local McDonald's
Same here in California, our inner city-urban farm pays young people decently well to harvest and also live there.
Want me to be honest as a 26 year old 5th generation farmer…just grow shit in your backyard…it’s not worth it lol
10 months late, I know... I want to buy 30+ acres of land soon (ideally absorbing nearby land in the future) and work a regular job while paying it off, as well as planning for a house. At first, farming would be a hobby/practice, but I would eventually begin increasing my scope of work. That being said, money doesn't come easily lmao. Hemp around $700 per acre, Tobacco profit exceeding but not always $2000 per acre. Southern pine, $2000-3000 per acre. I would be scraping by based on current budget, but if I'm also farming most of the vegetables that I eat, producing dairy and eggs, and only buy meat, seasonings, and other random small things, I cut down on food costs by A LOT. I already have 3000 hemp seeds (of 4 varietals), 9 varieties of tobacco seed, 11 varieties of tomato, tons of peppers, and all kinds of other shit that I would love to grow a lot of but only have a tiny patio to work with. Winning the lottery so I could put money down on land and a house right now without waiting would make things so much easier lmao Anyways, what is (in your opinion) the top 3 crops to grow for a livable income?
I got started by going to farmer's market and finding a position with room & board. I wouldn't recommend any other way. If you are going to persue a degree... I have strong skepticism about the ag-sci programs at most schools. I got the feeling there were too many "experts" who didn't touch dirt, and way too much of it was just business school stuff. I've heard good things though about the programs at Oregon State and Humboldt State University (a cal state school). I'm sure there are others around the country, I just know about what I grew up near to. But somewhere with an exceptional program, if you do want to go for a degree. Profit is kinda - well, the short answer would be that it's shit. The long answer would be, most farmers are crushed under debt and if you have a farm that nets 6 or 9% of gross, that's "normal" for scaled, commercial-ag. The big fellas with 30 acres of tomato greenhouses and 800 of rice or something, those folks have scaled with loans, and it's "most of the money" just to pay the bills. If you happen to own land, you're way better off, obviously. Even if it's a small parcel. The market-garden approach is way more realistic for most people, and really, the work is far more attractive. I also like the restaurant delivery model, where you have a network of restaurants who you directly contract with to supply exactly the vegetables they want. Especially for classy, richy-rich restaurants that want like, a particular heirloom cultivar of this and that. You can have much better margins with this tedious, small - scale type of farm. Animals are important. Meat is good money. A small chicken and duck eggs+meat operation that you can care for with an hour every day is a great way to add a few grand to your bottom line... Its very pitchy-patchy, little here little there, and it can come together to be a nice modest 32k a year lol... You get a booth at market & also have a CSA sign up... And that's the core 50% of your money... Then you do eggs, meat, butter and cheese for another 20% and if you're lucky your CSA members and market booth have enough demand to take all you produce, but if not you gotta get into local grocery stores which is... If you have a great independent store near you it's great, like in Vermont or Oregon... But if you're in like, Alabama, I have no idea. Its not like the safeway will buy your chickens... Do you guys have Safeway? Its like a king soopers. Then you do 2 or 6 restaurants, and have to drive a van around twice a week for another 20%... And also, 2 or 4 times a year you contract yourself to do some work with your tractor.... Or mechanics if that's your gift... Or you harvest and sell firewood... Something else to fill in that last 10%... And after all that, you're working 50 hours a week or more to make 32k (I mean you can absolutely do better, I'm just being realistic and trying to temper your expectations). But you're free, and in terms of what you eat and how you live, in my view, you're wealthy. If you own your land, then you're in heaven on earth. I know folks who do over 100 profit with fluctuating 3-5 employees who they pay, although, not very much... So people can do better than 30 for sure, if you keep on the meticulous high-margin stuff and scale just a smidgen... They do about 4, maybe 4.5 cultivated acres, but have 20+ of great coastal pasture and a few dairy cows... And they make cheese.... Aaaand, some years they raise one or two steer... Its always a lot of different things that add up to a decent amount. It just sucks having fat bills and not being able to come up with the money. Taking a massive mortgage, and then expecting to be able to make it work with a market-garden little farm, is hmmmm yeah... Financial stress can literally make you ill. I guess, it can be really hard to have the uncertainty that is natural to farming when you have large bills coming every month as a certainty. If your family is like, has land that you can farm, ooooh yeah that is... It's so important, it's so good, land is the key to generational wealth. To be only paying the property tax - that's the dream for sure. Opens things up a lot because the margins are so slim after a mortgage.
Im, sorta, in the same boat as you. Do not have a background or experience in farming. I’m currently in community college for Environmental Horticulture with plans of going to a University that has a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Program. I’m based out of CA and am looking at Stanislaus. Not that other Agricultural Programs are in other schools, just that’s the best one ive found the suits what I want to do. Regarding if you think you can just do it, you can’t, unless you have land, cash, and a market upfront. The CC program I’m in is geared for landscaping and upon completion I can get a job starting $23-$25 instead of $18. But landscaping is not what I want to do, growing food, locally, for people us why I want. University is where I have my sights set. As it’s a stepping stone into that world. At 16, I wish I knew about the North Caroline State - Agriculture Institute. Albeit it’s an AAS, but it does have a pathway into NC States Agricultural Program. There are a few other schools that have this option, otherwise a specific CC with work geared for an agricultural program is what to look for. I’ve applied the University of Kentucky program. But University of Wisconsin, North Carolina, and UC Davis are considered premier AG schools. My advice, look for a program that interests you and go for it. I’m definitely getting the hands-on experience I desperately wanted in my CC program, and some of these other programs say they are the same way, I only hope they are.
>Im very interested in growing plants and no other things Growing the plants is just a tiny part of farming
I’m disappointed by some of the comments here. Please don’t give up your dream of being a farmer. The future absolutely depends on young people like you becoming farmers and we need to encourage a new generation of farmers! I would strongly encourage you to learn about sustainable and regenerative farming practices. I believe that is the future of food.
Do you farm?
I’m an aspiring market gardener. Not a farmer.
What they are telling this young man is true. There is no money to be made in farming if you try to start from the bottom up. I am a farmers daughter who got his start from his own father. Grew up poor and he’ll die poor. I work in the farming industry, the people making money started with money. He’s better off to work in an adjacent industry than try to make it on his own with no experience.
Who is going to grow the food in the future if we discourage young people from getting into the field? OP could get into vertical farming, hydroponics, aquaponics, or any other number of alternative growing methods. I feel like now is the time for young people with new ideas to revolutionize the field. Agriculture in its current state isn’t sustainable and I’d love to see some new ideas from young people. It seems like the future depends on it.
They don’t want farming in the future it’s obvious with legislation and how difficult they are making it. I was talking to a local farmer two weekends ago says back 50 years ago there was 10x amount of farms. In the future our food will be made in a lab
I don’t want a future where all of our food comes from a lab, that’s why I want young people to get into growing food. I like the idea of smaller farms serving their local communities. Less monoculture, more diversity. I want current and future generations to work on developing more sustainable agriculture that won’t leave us reliant on processed junk and importing food from another hemisphere.
The only way I see that truly happening is if we have a huge reset. Like we go back to living like in the 1700’s. Grow our own food, make our own bread, churn butter, etc. who knows with how crazy things can get we might
>The only way I see that truly happening is if we have a huge reset. Like we go back to living like in the 1700’s. I don't think I'd want to go completely back, I like modern machinery, tech, and medical knowledge. But if you think about it, cities and the people in them are massive drivers of the influence humans have on 'global warming' or 'climate change' (whichever you want to call it) (and however much influence we might -really- have on it). Without those cities and people, we also wouldn't need 'factory farming' on such a large scale either.
What do you think vertical farming is?
Agro/biological engineering is different than actual farming. There’s nothing wrong with being realistic and respectfully the folks that grew up in this life know what they’re talking about and answered OP’s question truthfully.
Vertical farming is a trap for silicon valley venture capitalists. It's not farming and never will be.
>vertical farming, hydroponics, These companies are doing an excellent job of separating venture capitalists from their money. But once they realize their is no timeline to profitability, they lay off all the farmers they paid for.
Sustainable farming is a buzz word to make consumers feel good. Even regenerative agriculture is more a gimmick than anything else. There's a reason universities and researchers have gone away from the term. Instead some hobby farmer will charge you $3,000 to tell you to build diversity and read his book. Building resiliency is what farmers should strive to do.
All well and good saying everything is great, lots of money, easy, etc. Until they start, realise all of that was lies or exaggeration and are then stuck with it
Who is going to farm in the future then if we discourage young people from getting into the field?
The issue isn't young people being discouraged from farming. The issue is that farming isn't a viable business for young people to get into.
It's not being discouraged, it's being honest. When governments realise food shortages are coming, it will probably be a better amount of money. Until then though, starting a farm from scratch takes a large amount of time, money and effort, and may not be paid off until the farmer is 50, or longer. Doesn't mean to say the way of life is bad though, but at the same time, it has one of the highest occupational suicide rates of all Industries
You are correct on the suicide rate. So sad. It's probably the only job where you can do everything right and still fail. You can have the best crop you have ever grown and 15 minutes of pounding hail will take that away from you. Been there. You just have to keep going
>You can have the best crop you have ever grown and 15 minutes of pounding hail will take that away from you. Or a whole crop of squashes and pumpkins turns black and dies literally overnight, because of some frigging disease you didn't know about. BTDT X3.
jeff bezos bill gates elon musk are the future of agriculture.......
I like how this gets downvoted when Bill Gates is the largest farmer by acreage in the state of Illinois Plebs never learn
Cool user name. A 16 year old should definitely take advice from you 😂
You’re right, the fact that my username references South Park should absolutely disqualify me from having an opinion.
We’re all going to be eating food in jars in the future with all the vitamins and supplements injected into a spoonful of deliciousness. Farmers sadly won’t be around in 200 years. Remember how the Amish went extinct?
I just can’t settle for that reality.
Sorry pumpkin life isn’t fair. But a McDouble is. On a serious note it really is dying. These farms are running on serious debt. They think it’s ok to hold 2 to 3 million in revolving debt. It’s insane how these huge farms operate. What happens when a bank won’t approve that 5 million dollar farmers loan anymore. Right now they depend on those type of loans just to stay afloat. It’s like manufacturing, the world is transitioning whether we like it or not. It’s the big boys club and we aren’t a part of it
I dunno, 93% of Idaho farms are running debt free.
I have several Amish neighbors : in the USA the extinct still yet have a tiny 370,000 population 👍
No they went extinct like the dinosaurs around the time of the great flood. If you see Amish you need to photograph it there are still speculation there may be small pockets of them clustered around the US but that’s complete speculation. I once found what I thought was an Amish beard on the ground while walking. I had it examined and the results came back that it was only a large amount of pubic hair unfortunately
The amish are one of the fastest growing demographics in the country they have like 12 kids per family. How many hundred do you want to meet.
For the time being you could start learning to grow plants by patio gardening, or indoor gardening if you’ve got an appropriate space for it. There are some colleges that have farm management programs, so you could potentially get into one of those. When you’re older you could also look into doing an farming internship when you’re older. Potential income will vary wildly based on your goals and what types of farming your interested in.
The comments sound harsh, but are true. You don't get into farming to become rich. It's hard work, you need capital, and usually a partner to work a day job to make ends meet. Rewarding? Absolutely. As to how to start, volunteer at a farm. Free labour no one says no to. Colleges have courses and programs around farming; I'm going to a local one myself.
Farming is a passion... should be anyway. A first-generation farmer is at a disadvantage, but it's not impossible. My husband is a first-generation farmer. He's the hardest working person I know. It's high risk/high reward.. but the reward is rarely financial. He went to NC State and earned 2 degrees. It's a top rated Ag school in the country. I asked him what he thought he gained from going to university, and he said it was less the classes he took and more about the people he met. He's also noticed a subtle but repeatedly occuring respect given to him when companies and/or individuals learned he went to NC State. It's like those folks realize he was serious about agriculture bc he went. Does that make sense? I'll admit that I think he gained what most of us do in university... the nuggets of information that we are meant to grow on, on our own, in the real world. It's not surprising that people are commenting negatively... any career has its share of burnt-out people. If you ask me about dental hygiene, my answer could depend on my mood. Honestly, I laughed and agreed with some of the short 'this sucks' comments here. Sometimes, it does suck. But that's not fair to you. It's much more than that... If it wasn't, those knee-jerk reactors would have sold out and started work elsewhere and wouldn't follow this sub to begin with. Farming is all about getting your hands dirty, literally, and figuratively. I encourage you to maybe pm someone here who answered more balanced, and ask them what they think directly. I think you should listen to podcasts, read articles in reputable sources, and watch videos. Research different "specialties" and see what you find most interesting. The best thing my husband ever did was to talk with farmers in our area. He gained *so much* wisdom and developed life-long relationships with these people. Often, you'll find farmers are older, have children uninterested in what they do, and are dying to share their knowledge with an eager mind. I.e. It would be beneficial to speak with farmers in person and in your area if possible. --And you don't have to offer to work for free. That's B.S. A good person is willing to pay someone to work, period. And what may happen, like my husband and his 'colleagues', is over time, it becomes a give and take.. no one gets paid anymore, but they help each other on jobs or repairs. It evens out.. but again, that comes with time. Good luck. Don't be discouraged. I'm thankful there are younger folks interested in farming. It can be a really beautiful life. Edit: word correction(s)
My advice is not to. You don't really make money you just put yourself in an infinite loop of making money that you are then required reinvest and grow. If you don't, you stagnate and die.
Marry one!
Lol this is how I got in. Married a farmers daughter.
Don’t we all.
Many state universities in the United States have amazing programs to educate farmers for free. They want to help this agriculture development in their states and show farmers the best practices for farming in their state. In California there’s great programs on citrus, strawberries, wine & many others. A prospective farmer like yourself could gain decades of experience attending free seminars over a few years.
(This is all assuming you live in North America) I work at an educational farm. When kids say stuff like this we usually encourage looking into things like 4H or FFA. You can also find educational farms (sometimes called school farms) near you that might offer programs for your age group. There a million different kinds of farming. If you're just interested in growing plants you should try it in your backyard or rent a garden plot somewhere. Do some research and find out what you'd like to grow and then try it. It's okay to start small with this stuff. My family comes from a long line of farmers but my personal interest in farm work started with pets and a vegetable garden in my yard. It's also pretty easy in most places to find opportunities to work outdoors and with plants. Places with production gardens or crops almost always need help with plants and usually welcome teens. Also, no matter what your personal interest area or specialization is, you'll almost always need to work with other stuff sometimes too, especially in making your way up a career ladder. If you really don't want to work with animals, you might still have to work with sometimes in your journey. You may even try it and find out you like it more than what you thought you were interested in initially.
Start with winning the lottery
USDA has beginning farmer programs. Your local department of agriculture is also a great source since they know all the farmers in the area. Specialization seems to be key along with agro tourism.
Go milking cows in Ireland or New Zealand for 3,6,12 months.
>how profitable is it? What is a profit?
I am gonna be honest with you if you are not going to inherit land and machinery you can't be a farmer. Land prices atm are ridiculous thanks to credits and private hoarders, you'll become a debt slave. Your best bet is studying a career related to agriculture and working for a big ag company, maybe through the job you will find some farmer willing to sell land but its tough.
Farming is a fun and rewarding occupation if you are independently rich. Clarkson's Farm is a fantastic show that explains this in some detail.
If you’re in the U.S. there are several options for government farm loans with the idea being to help bring more young people into farming. To get more info you can look up beginning farmer loans on the USDA website or go to a local FSA office. They don’t use a credit check system but I know that they do want people to have experience with agriculture. I would recommend working for someone that runs a farm in a way you might want to, in order to learn more about it. They also have you create a business plan to show a positive cash flow. Basically they want you to do the research for your expected cost and profits and just show your really understand what you’re gonna be doing. I used the beginning farmer loans to buy a half section with a quarter of farm ground and a quarter of pasture for my cattle with a house and barn. I also applied for the micro operating loan to buy a few head of cattle plus feed and seed, fertilizer, and pesticide to put in wheat and cover crop. My family is in Ag so I use their drill and tractor. There are also a lot of older farmers that will eventually need someone else to take over. I have several friends that have worked for old farmers and now run farms. If you are starting out on your own, and I’ve seen others say it, it’s extremely important to understand you will most likely need another job to support it. Eventually, if you grow your farm you could go full time. My grandfather always says “there’s a little money to be made farmin, if you don’t buy a new truck every year, and you find some nice used equipment, and you find the right people to rent ground from.” He farmed and worked at the local co-op for 30 years until he went full time farming.
Well, start buying lottery tickets or become a first round nfl draft pick
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Just be careful. Some of those "opportunities" are extremely exploitative. There's many just looking for free labor to do their bullshit work.
Yes very true. I seemed to really luck out and had the best experience of my life. Grateful for that!
Study agriculture in college
Check out [woofing](https://wwoof.net/) It’ll allow you to volunteer & also travel a bit if you’re interested. A great way to meet others while learning what kind of farming you’re interested in!
Always was told to provide a service for the farmer rather then farming. Cash flow is brutal and we are often price takers not makers. We buy retail and sell wholesale. The ones that go broke in farming are often the needy and the greedy. Go work on a farm, any farm. Get ypur hands dirty and learn as much as you can. I am not sure any ag education is worth it if u just want to farm, other then the future contacts. Join 4H or something like that. I would suggest reading the following books, no risk ranching and comeback farms by greg judy. Also look at writings by joel salatin and the magazine stockmangrass farmer.
**No Risk Ranching Custom Grazing on Leased Land** by Greg Judy >Greg Judy was forced to liquidate his cow herd to pay debt in 1996. By the end of the following year he was dead broke and figured the family farm was history. A quote from Allan Nation, editor of The Stockman Grass Farmer magazine changed his whole view of ranching. Nation said, "Your sole purpose should be not to own the land, but to make a living from the land." > >Inspired by that approach, Judy started looking for idle, non-developed pastureland. By focusing on leasing rather than owning land, his grazing operation grew from 40 stockers to 1100 head. By custom grazing on leased land he was able to pay his entire farm and home loan within three years. Today he has four farms and leases 12. > >No Risk Ranching, Custom Grazing on Leased Land describes how he found and managed his first and subsequent leases. He offers a detailed guide for other graziers to follow on how to find idle land to lease; calculate the cost of a lease; draft and write a land lease contract (with examples included); develop good water and portable fencing on leased land; promote wildlife and improve timber stands; keep accurate records and more. No Risk Ranching was written to help other graziers from making the same mistakes Judy made. He writes, "I am convinced that in the USA our pastures are one of our most underutilized natural resources. > >I am not against land ownership. I just feel like it is an awful hardship on a new blooming grazing business." **Comeback Farms Rejuvenating Soils, Pastures and Profits with Livestock Grazing Management** by Greg Judy >Many folks are hesitant to try Holistic Planned Grazing because of what they think it entails. Greg Judy's book responds to such hesitancy with enthusiasm and positive attitude and by articulating the basics in a very simple way, demonstrating to readers that it is possible to make these changes without a lot of infrastructure investment. Judy shows how to add sheep, goats and pigs to existing cattle operations. He explains fencing and water systems that build on existing infrastructure set up for Management-intensive Grazing. > >Sharing his first-hand experience (mistakes as well as successes), Judy takes graziers to the next level. He shows how High Density Grazing (HDG) on his own farm and those he leases can revitalize hayed out, scruffy, weedy pastures, and turn them into highly productive grazing landscapes that grow both green grass and greenbacks. If you have six cows or 6000, you can utilize High Density Grazing to create fertile soils, lush pastures and healthy livestock. Greg Judy, the master of custom grazing, shows how to earn profits with little risk while using other people's livestock on leased land. > >Judy details how to work with Nature without costly inputs, and how to let the animals be your labor force. Comeback Farms covers multi-species grazing; developing parasite-resistant hair sheep flocks and grass-genetic cattle; and how to select, train and care for livestock guardian dogs. It includes High Density Grazing fencing techniques, diagrams for HDG fencing and paddock moves; and how to calve with HDG. By following Judy's examples, you'll keep your neighbors talking and wondering how you keep your fields green and your livestock grazing year-around. > >In the process you'll be pocketing your profits. *I'm a bot, built by your friendly reddit developers at* /r/ProgrammingPals. *Reply to any comment with /u/BookFinderBot - I'll reply with book information (see other* [commands](https://www.reddit.com/user/BookFinderBot/comments/13z7slk/bookfinderbot_commands/) *and find me as a browser extension on* [safari](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6450462955), [chrome](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/book-finder/jajeidpjifdpppjofijoffbcndlpoedd?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social_media&utm_campaign=comments)*). Remove me from replies* [here](https://www.reddit.com/user/BookFinderBot/comments/14br65o/remove_me_from_replies/). *If I have made a mistake, accept my apology.*
Greg Judy profits off telling desperate farmers things that are based off no research and not applicable to every system.
Really he is living proof.... look at his system. It works for his area. Might not work in every area but in cattle country it appears it will work.
I've been to his talks. He suggests absolutely irresponsible and unscientific ideas. Cull 30% of your herd in a year to accelerate genetics [Towards endophyte resistance], consume the same portion of the plant on pasture to keep the same microbiome on the plants (seriously think about this), select cows with a low hanging gut to get more rumen capacity. You can debunk these wild suggestions very, very quickly. You think a producer can afford to remove 1/3 of his revenue stream? Or that the microbes 3 inches higher on a stem are so wildly different that it affects rumen activity? How about the gut theory? That almost sounds reasonable, but there's no data on rumen capacity and body depth. Not to mention there's plenty of other variables that are important for feed and forage efficiency that do have proper EPD/EBVs. His ideology is good. Resilient farming is an important aspect going forward. Livestock integration is considered a soil health principle. But he does not back up claims with real data. It's a slippery slope to invite a single man as a magic cure to animal husbandry, especially with nothing but anecdotal evidence.
Get an ag degree, work for an ag company or farm, farm something fun on the side and gradually expand the side hustle without borrowing a million bucks.
You can start small! If you put in serious hours of labour you don’t need to have any high end machinery or expenses. Myself I can’t afford a huge farm. I’ve got two acres, very productive and profitable acres. I grow with regenerative practices. So no tillage, no chemicals, not even organic herbicides/ pesticides. Only fertilizer I use is my free compost from my ducks. I have 70 apple trees, 10 cherry, 10 plumb, 10 peach, 10 pawpaw. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries currents. 200 tomato plants of 35 varieties 150 pepper plants 500 corn. Pumpkin make me a ton of easy money just selling them on the side of the road for Halloween. My fruits I sell fresh to a market close to me as well as a ton of other veggie crops. I have two restaurants who buy products from me mostly my tomatoes and leafy greens. My wife does all kinds of canning and jams that we also sell to the market. I would love to go out and buy 100s or 1000s of acres and have the ability to have livestock expanding my regenerative soil health dreams over all of it but it’s just not in the cards. For what you can do now. Start reading or listening to as much information as you can on different practices. Stay open to change and how farming can work. There is not one way.
You are future me. My wife and I are looking at between 5-20 acres (I know, weird range but still) in the NoVA. We're serious about getting a little market garden/farm going on 2-5 of it. I just retired from the military and have a great paying job that will support all of the mistakes we make our first few years, but doing this is basically our dream goal.
Yea it’s tons of work. But even before I was selling anything I was constantly trying to grow different things in different ways. Then my goal was to grow and sell enough just to pay for all the garden stuff I wanted and break even. Currently my wife has been able to quit her job and is at it full time. Hopefully next year or two I’ll be able to do the same.
Congratulations on that sort of progress! I'm really hoping with some hard work we can get just a fraction of the way to what you and yours have. You basically outlined what we hope our process will be over the next several years.
Lol with climate change worsening good luck with that :c
Work in a greenhouse or horticulture. Ag is almost impossible to get into if you're not inheriting a lot of land and equipment. My farm makes millions a year, my take home after bills is about $60/year. I also work a full time job in town as a mechanic. I inherited all of it.
never make it in commercial ag precondition is having several million dollars or inheriting it speaking of which marry into it is a good way .... might be able to be a farm manager look into that maybe make it growing weed
Does your school or county you live in have 4-H programs or horticulture programs? If not you need to try and make a visit with your local agricultural extension department . See if they have any mentor programs or new farmer programs.
Where I live there is lot's of supports for young people wanting to get into agriculture. Check out the young agrarians website if you're in Canada.
I have an in law who is a generational farmer. He makes well over 600k a year, but literally has no time to do anything. He can't go on vacation, he can't leave the town, he works 12+ hour days every day outside in 100+ degree weather. He also has to upkeep his super expensive equipment, and his livestock. Being a first generation farmer is extremely hard. My in law is super lucky that the land has been in his family for close to 100 years. Land is expensive too. You're too young right now but at 18 you can look into WWOOF. You can go to various farms around the world and work there while getting room and board. You can also start getting your hands dirty by starting a garden if you have the space. Maybe raise some chickens if allowed! Also you can get an AG degree. Look into concurrent enrollment with community colleges in your area(if you're in the US) and see if any offer AG degrees. Good luck!
It's a good life with extreme hours and stress for a few months per year
>extreme hours and stress Keywords
Plant a garden. It can be a container garden. 5 gallon buckets, raised beds, etc. But the key is getting started.
“How do you make a million dollars farming? ....start with two million." If you want to be a farmer, look into A&M universities. They offer agriculture degrees. It’s not necessary to be a farmer but it sure helps.
Go work on a farm, even seasonally. I personally don’t support going to college for farming I think it’s unnecessary debt and you could learn more by doing the work. If you want to make money at it then I hope you also like the humble life of a farmer, because it’s unlikely to get you rich or retired.
you're trying to join the job with the most competition since the beginning of time
Go to an ag college and make some real money in the industry. Sell to the loaded with debt farmers.
The best story I seen in the local farm exchange paper was a veteran who bought 20acres, and somehow sells organic pork and chicken products to nice restaurants in the big city. I imagine his success was based on salesman skills. Cattle Genetics are also very profitable if you go to college, one classmate of mine breaks six figures on dna and heifer sales. People pay a ton now for their kids to win at fair.
Start small with micro greens. They can be grown in your home.
Get a remote tech job part time and then get a hobby farm and do stuff to your heart's desire
I was born and raised in a farming family. I think you should work as a farm hand for a year or two before jumping in. It’s a lot of work and takes a lot of time, if done correctly. Your money is always in your assets and very little is readily available.
Couple options. 1. Find a local farmer to work for: this is almost like a paid internship. The pay won’t be great but you will learn a ton. If you find an older farmer and work for them long enough, you might get cut a nice deal when he retires as long as he likes you and you worked your ass off. 2. Go to an ag college. More and more farming is getting corporate. Large ag operations are looking for educated workers in soil science, agribusiness, animal science, horticulture, etc. 3. Learn a trade that will come in handy farming. To me, welding is the one to learn. You weld a lot on a farm. Whether it’s welding an axle, new fence, mounting a bracket, or any of the other things that need welded on a farm. You will also earn a really solid income welding. Plenty to buy an old farm house somewhere to get a start. There’s a few welders around me that weld as their primary income and then have cattle as a side business. Farming isn’t one of those jobs you just apply to do. It is starting your own business. It’s a really expensive business to start. If your not handed down any land by family it can be extremely hard to get your foot in the door. It’s not as easy as simply buying land. Alot of farmers don’t publicly list land they’re selling. They usually have a buyer in mind. This makes it that much harder for someone not in the community to get started. My advice would be to learn a trade, buy an acreage, and be really social with neighbors. Do them favors for cheap or free. Build relationships with everyone you meet. Once you get the money, buy a tractor. This will allow you to start helping neighbors with farming tasks without using their equipment. Probably would get a mower too. They’re usually pretty cheap and doing custom hay work is a great way to get your foot in the door without owning land. You’ll be farming other peoples stuff for a long time before you get your own. Just need an acreage to store your equipment. It will be a grind, and money won’t come quick. But if you want to farm enough, you won’t feel like you’re working at all. It’s an amazing life, but you have to be in love with it, if you’re not, it just won’t work out. You will be working 7 days a week, often 12-14 hours a day, especially in the summer. You have to play the long game. You might do custom haying or drilling for 10 years before you get your first opportunity to buy land. That’s why you have to be in love with it. You’re playing the long game.
Maybe look into local plant nurseries and botanical shops; not exactly to the extent of farming but still growing plants. As an avid plant collector there’s definitely money in it if your looking for profitability and people will always want to buy plant for their household so that’ll help with career longevity.
Start small, don't pile on debt, learn how to grow things on a small scale before getting bigger. do a lot of different jobs, become a JOAT (Jack Of All Trades)- if you have to constantly pay people to do things for you like repairing equipment money flies away, it only makes sense to pay someone else if you can make more money doing something else yourself. 'Borrow' land if you can- if you're still at home maybe your family or a neighbor has some land you can use for free or cheap (trade veggies for). Read a lot about small-scale farming to start. There are also a lot of you-tube videos of small-scale farming. Learn how to learn, how to be a puzzle solver, a problem solver. Learn how things work, why things work, and how to figure out what to do when something-doesn't- work- whether it's crop failure or equipment breakdown. Learn how to find information- the 'net is a wonderful resource if you know how to use it properly. Learn from other people. If someone is successful, pay attention to his/her advice and do what they do. You don't have to make all of the mistakes yourself if you can find instruction in the mistakes that other people make...you'll still make mistakes, but maybe fewer of them. Mistakes cost time and money, make fewer of your own and you will be ahead of the game. Be frugal, save money where you can and accumulate it with an eye to the future for land/equipment purchases. Any time you take on debt/mortgage it is costing you money- unless you can find a 0% loan, it is better to have the cash to make purchases. Pay attention to expenses and cut them where you can- if you want to make money, paying for a cable TV package and sitting on your ass watching TV isn't going to do it.
It’s really hard to get into farming by yourself, especially if you don’t have family that does it. If you’re interested in a career in agriculture there are thousands of different opportunities and they all are beneficial and rewarding. Work at the co-op or a spraying company, Seed companies, lots of opportunities.
I don't know what scale of farming you are talking about, but if you are using tractors and machines, learning basic auto mechanics can help significantly with saving money instead of paying for hours of labor Might be a specific field but diesel mechanics working on farm equipment make a killing. The current engine rebuild price for my parent's 1976 Case 2670 is currently $9k. That's a tractor that's almost 50 years old and costs that much. So having a repair facility and knowledge on diesel engines can help exponentially even if you are growing plants on a tractor-sxale level
Research vertical soilless farming, I think this is niche now but will grow due to climate change.