Ideas for beginning farmers and ranchers
Apr 22, 2008 11:29 AM
Source: Center for Rural Affairs
Q. How do I find land to farm or ranch? Competition for land is fierce, and it’s so expensive.
A. The biggest hurdles for beginners are land and financing (often the same thing). There are a number of programs like our Land Link that match beginning and retiring farmers – most are listed here: www.farmtransition.org.
However, most transfers happen between people who already have some connection to each other. To get into that network, tell everyone you know that you’re looking. Folks who know your abilities and interests won’t hesitate to recommend you. And you can start small and build a reputation with one landowner, which will grow around the neighborhood, opening up more opportunities.
Q: Where do I start with my ideas for a farm business?
A: You’re right to consider a farm-based enterprise as a business. You have to make enough money to support yourself and pay the unavoidable costs (like taxes), or someone else will soon be working your land.
It’s a good idea to start with a business plan, which will lay out your plans and goals for the business, the obstacles you’ll encounter and your responses, your competition and your advantages, and the ebbs and flows of your cash. Especially the cash – because you want to ensure you’ll have a profit before your spend any of it!
There are several sources for business plans, assistance, and training courses. Numerous business plan outlines are available online, such as at the Center for Rural Affairs and Small Business Administration websites, http://www2.cfra.org/reap/loan_programs.htm and www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan/index.html .
Assistance is available from some Cooperative Extension programs (ask your local county Extension agent or your land-grant university) and for non-production ag businesses through state Small Business Development Centers.
Courses run the gamut from the classic Farming Alternatives booklet, to the extensive Tilling the Soil of Opportunity (10 weeks). Other courses can be self-directed, online, or classroom, including Cornell, NESFI, Farm Beginnings, and IFARM. These all have a core of sustainable farming, goal-setting, financial literacy, production planning, marketing, and legal issues.
Additional information about farm production, management, and marketing is available from ATTRA, Missouri Alternatives Center, and USDA SARE.
Contact: The Center for Rural Affairs’ Wyatt Fraas, wyattf@cfra.org or 402.254.6893 for more information on beginning farmers and ranchers.
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