Every so often, I get curious and take a closer look at the stats for this blog. Every time I do, I’m amazed at the number of people who find us by typing ‘How to Start a Farm’ into their search engine. All of these hits are part of the reason I started the series about starting a farm. People seemingly want to know. (The last post in that series is still to come. Hey, good things take time. 
)
I write my experiences and thoughts about the realities of starting a farm, no holds barred, no rose coloured glasses, and people find me. In startling numbers. These days, one of my ‘How to Start a Farm’ series can usually be found on page one or two of Google. (You can buy a $90 e-book on how to get yourself on the first pages of a Google search!)
I’m so encouraged that such numbers of you want to start farms! I can’t tell you what that would do for our communities, our health and our economies if you all actually did it!
(Come on! You can do it!)
So, give me a moment of your time, and tell me what it is about farming that interests you. I’m including some questions to get you started. But don’t feel you need to answer them. Just take a minute to tell me where you’re at with your farm dream and where you want to be.
If you’re not among the ‘dreaming about farming’ group but have already reached your farm dream, in whole or in part, put your two cents in! I’m looking to get some serious farm-start-up momentum going over the next little while!
I’ve gone through the family farm situation while growing up and I’m deeply embroiled in creating and re-creating a farm now. Creating a farm has so many facets. It can get beyond overwhelming. Tell me where your overwhelm is. I’ve been to enough of the valleys and peaks that small farm start up can take you to.
There is a reason things get repeated enough times to become cliche. Usually, they get said a lot because they’re true.
So here’s mine: If I can help just one person succeed at a new farm, I’ll be happy.
I’m fascinated to know what draws different people to farming. And, I love writing about the process we’re going though on our farm. Give some good thoughts and I’ll have writing fodder for the upcoming winter writing season!
Here are those questions (should you want them):
- If you’re looking into what it takes to start a farm (or turn your farm into your job), do you truly think you might do it some day?
- If you already have started your own farm, is it working out the way you imagined it would?
- What part of starting your farm (or expanding from hobby farm to income farm) has got you stumped?
- In your wildest dreams, what does your farm look like?
Hi! So, this is like the ninth entry I’ve read in your blog. You are an excellent writer, very conversational. Which is why I wanted to answer your question! And ask you a million more (like you probably don’t get that!).
So here goes.
1. Farming is most definitely at this point a dream. And it absolutely has all of the rosy-tinged, definitely-the-better-life magnetism about it. But, and that’s a big but, I don’t know the first thing to do or even where to try to start. So I turned to Google, and here I am! Researching was my first inclination, and I hope to learn that it is possible—as I said, right now it’s a dream. Financing and marketing and livestock and equipment….it’s a lifestyle and a business, and seems monumental as I write this, ha. There’s my overwhelm at farming for the moment thrown in there too. We want this, my husband and I, so I’m going to say yes, I truly think we might do it someday. After we graduate from farmers’ college
By: Chris on January 31, 2011
at 10:20 pm
I’m 23 and from Bergen County, New Jersey…a suburb right outside of New York City. I don’t know much about farming and there aren’t many farms near me at all but I’ve been very drawn to the idea for the last 2 years. I absolutely intend on making it a reality some day and plan on WWOOFing soon. I have basically no money. I have a job where I support myself but don’t have anything saved so I realize that making this a reality is a long way away. I’m starting to work more and more (I’m a musician) and have been starting to save recently, with the thoughts of farming one day being a big motivation for me to think about the future. Some of the questions that I have are…How much money do you need/what are the initial expenses of starting a farm? How much do I need saved up before I can even start? Also, before my farm is able to make me money, will I be able to work in order to supplement my income starting with a small farm and then expand it until it requires all of my time and is by that point hopefully earning enough money? Being single and not having anyone to consider this with is more overwhelming. It is definitely something that I really want to make happen, I just don’t know where to start and what to start considering.
By: Chris (also but different) on February 6, 2011
at 12:30 am
I just want a hobby farm, not a farm business, really. I want to do it because I want a lot of animals, I want to garden, I want to being in touch with the earth, and I want to have close contact with my food. Plus I lived on a ranch when I was a child and I loved it.
By: Anon on April 18, 2011
at 2:05 pm
*that should say “be in touch” not “being in touch”
By: Anon on April 18, 2011
at 2:07 pm
Thank you for your posts. My husband and I (and 5 kids 8ys-1yr old) really do want to have a farm. We are researching land that has plenty of water, rich soil, and in our price-range right now.
Yesterday, my husband- who is not the “farming type” asked me, Could you really give up everything for this (dream of farm).
1. Going through your 5 steps to starting a farm has convinced me that I can. I’m not sure he can be the Mr. Fix-It you describe your husband as, but I know he’ll try his best. I’m know we will start a farm, I just don’t know when or how big. Maybe I’ll just be enough to sustain us, and not to market.
3. The part that has be stumped is just the fear that goes along with not knowing everything there is to know. I get that is a continuing learning experience…but that can be scary
4. In my wildest dreams our farm has all the food, animals and beauty that we could imagine or need and is run on solar and wind power ( we live in sunny AZ).
By: vintagemamasew on December 9, 2011
at 6:07 pm