There’s a lot of reasons people dabble in farming. Some are enchanted with the romantic idea of it. Some think that they can cut back on their food costs. Others think that farming is a lucrative endeavor and is the path to riches. Still other do it because their families have always done it and they don’t know any other life. A lot of people though actually want to be more connected to the soil and the food they eat.
So why do you want to farm? What is it that draws you? There is no one right answer and there might be a number of reasons. There are a couple things that I feel are necessary to reconcile yourself with before you take the first step.
- Cheap? Permaculture, backyard farm, hobby farm and several other types of farm are probably going to be the most expensive food you’ll ever eat for the first few years. If cheap is your motivation then I suggest you tap out now before spending all the money and time.
- Debt? Don’t go in debt to take your first farming steps. Making a profit with farming is a long game and requires knowing your numbers. Until you know how fast you can get your animals to gain weight, lay eggs etc. don’t put yourself under the pressure of debt just because you’re excited
- I need a barn! Get rid of the traditional farmer mindset of putting everything in a barn. Most animals were created to deal with the weather and have been doing so for thousands of years. You do not need to spend big bucks on facilities and cute accommodations for your barnyard friends.
- Fail forward. Take your first steps fully preparing to fail. If the animals die or the crop fails, will it bankrupt you? If so then find another way. Failure is the fastest way to learn. Failure can probably be avoided but if its going to happen, always fail forward. Find out where you went wrong. What should you have done and what will you do next time? Plan for failure but do your best to find success.
So what are good reasons to farm? There are lots of them and will probably be different for everyone but here’s a few of my favorites.
- Lifestyle. You love doing it. You enjoy the animals, the plants, spending time outside, being in touch with nature. There will be times it gets hard and you wonder why you chose this. If you can remember to just enjoy the moment it’s going to be a lot easier to stick it out.
- Nutrition. Most of the foods we eat today are void of nutrition. If you care about health and improving peoples lives this is a good choice! You’re never going to find anything at the supermarket that can even come close the quality and freshness of the food you raise yourself.
- Cost. While raising your own food is never cheap, if you’re serious about getting the nutrition and are willing to work it can be much cheaper than purchasing similar quality food from other farms.
What are your farming goals? I personally feel that if you don’t love the lifestyle and are passionate about raising healthy nutritious food, that you would be better off not doing it. If you’re in it for the money you’d probably be better off investing elsewhere. If you’re doing it because you’re expected to, you should free yourself from that burden. When it really comes down to it, I believe YOU need a passion for the lifestyle and a commitment to nutrient dense foods to be successful.
