Nibletz Staff
Getting into farming isn’t easy. In fact it is incredibly hard and not everyone makes it. The margins for success and failure are so low and you need a huge swathe of knowledge to make a go of it. There are success stories out there, and you can make it work. But it takes more work than most businesses as you need to essentially run a business while also working on the actual farm itself. Here are certain things you’ll need to think about before you commit everything into starting up your own farm.
Machinery Cost Is Heavy
The cost for farming machinery is huge. It means you’ll need a large business loan to buy it all which you’ll be hampered with until you end up paying it back. You need the machinery because otherwise you’ll need to put in way more hours of work and employ other people, so it really does pay to have it in the long run. It helps with the movement of your harvested stock. Whether you use nuts, seeds or cereals of some kind, a cable conveyor can help you transport these to where they need to go. The machinery cost is large, but you need to make the financial sacrifice to run a worthwhile farm.
Getting The Location
Finding the right location can be tough too. You can buy a farm from someone who already runs one. Doing this ensures the setup and facilities are already there for you to get started and they may even sell it to you with some of the machinery. Otherwise, you’ll have to find somewhere with arable soil, something not easy, especially if you live in a country with lots of mountains. You also need to decide what kind of farmer you want to be. If you want to use livestock then you will need a whole different set of skills compared to if you are a grower. And if you want to be both then the learning curve is even harder to get.
The Know How Curve
You need to know how to properly grow certain crops. Otherwise you could risk serious failures. If a whole crop fails you could potentially lose hundreds of thousands. You need to learn and learn fast. Read books, visit other farms and just practice. Consider hiring people who have the experience of farming. They can help you out and impart knowledge which you can use. Don’t worry about their cost of employment because you’ll reap the rewards in the form of good crops and produce which sell for a decent price.
Be Sure You Like It Before Going Ahead
You need to be sure you like it before you get into it. You don’t want to spend hundreds of thousands on a farm only for you to then realize living in the countryside just is not for you at all. Try helping out on a farm for a few weeks. See if you like the work and the running of the business. See if the countryside suits you over city life. The smart entrepreneur checks before investing huge sums into something they aren’t overly sure about.
