5 Ways Beginning Farmers Can Get Started NOW

Beginning farmer Michael Robertson with his pastured laying hens in Red Hook, NY at Grady's Farm
I often think about the struggles young and beginning farmers face accessing the adequate land and capital required to farm. The recently released survey Building A Future With Farmers from the National Young Farmer's Coalition confirms that these are the two biggest hurdles to new farmer growth. “Lack of Capital” and “Land Access” (78% and 68% of respondents) are far and away the most limiting factors for aspiring farmers, with “Healthcare” coming in a distant third (47%).
 
The survey proposes a number of policy recommendations, which are very much needed, but will take substantial time and effort before making an impact on the current system. Young farmers faced with an increasingly dismal fiscal situation in the U.S. might not be able to hold their breath that long. So how do young and beginning farmers to take action NOW using the tools available today?

5 Ways to Start Farming NOW

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To Blog or Not to Blog, is that the Question?

Come on outta that shell little guy
Sometimes I debate with Sweetbreads about what to blog and what not to blog. At first the idea of not blogging about something never really crossed my mind. That was until we pre-emptively discussed an internship opportunity that ultimately didn’t pan out. For us, that wasn’t a whole lot of fun to blog about. No one enjoys putting their life plans out there and then seeing them go unrealized. So we largely wrote off the idea of making a similar “mistake” in the future.

But is that really the correct decision?
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What If Farming Isn't For Us?

It's a stark question, but before making a life-altering decision such as starting a farm it needs to be taken into account. We have never farmed, so we cannot be sure that it's really the end-all, be-all for us. We think it is. We hope it is. Our hearts believe it is. But nothing is guaranteed. So what are the exit strategies if it doesn't work out?

Exit Strategies for the Small Farm: “Exit strategy” is a term for the process by which a business is sold. Eventually every business goes through an ownership transition. With family farms the situation is highly unique and if you’re thinking of starting a farm it’s worth some thought before devoting your life (and your savings) to it.

Continue Reading at Beginningfarmers.org