I was just thinking, and this has been on my head for a long time - I'd like to live on a farm. The problem is that at the moment my family lives in town (albeit very close to out of town), and so I have no idea of what I would need to make this transition. Thinking about it, I'd need chickens, goats, etc... and crops. But I really don't know where to start. Can anyone help me make a "price list"? I'd just like to get it realistically ground in my head how much it would cost to live on a farm, as I feel this is a very serious decision to make.
thinking about doing the same thing friend. I recomend you learn and practice growing simple veggies, herbs or even flowers earn some money for land, look for cheap land too and learn how to negotiate. I reccomend you look into Permaculture. John Seymour's "The self sufficient life and how to live it" is a good intro into general self sufficiency and organic farming. Learn, practice and think and you will go far. If you need any more info, just ask
oh yeah, also cheack out attra.org good place to read about sustainable agriculture. and check out the free school on hipforums too, there is a forum about organic farming
At 16, and with school starting soon, I suggest you get with your ag teacher and see if he can help you get work on a local farm. That'll give you a feel for things. Can't beat direct experience. You might even get school credit for it. x
Living on a farm takes a lot of work. I've lived on one since I was 7, and we don't even have a large amount of crops or animals to take care of. You really should check out your local farmers market and see what's available and what's lacking in regards to crops... You probably won't be able to afford beginning anything large, even the people who have large corn or barley crops don't make a lot of money off of it - let alone getting new land to farm it - churning it up and clearing it will take lots of time. If you're thinking about animals, you really have to think about where you're gonna keep them, depending on the number you'll need a fair sized barn or shed for winter, and for goats you'll need to learn how to build some good fences... they'll destroy your lawn and garden!!! lol And probably with animals, your biggest expense will be feed... I just realized how depressing this post makes farming sound... But those are just some things to keep in mind. But a good idea is to go around to some farmers offer a helping hand for the harvest or something and get them to teach you hands on. It's really the best way to learn. Keep in touch with the earth for now, maybe start a small garden in your backyard. You can grow lots of food with very little amount of land.
Thanks for the suggestions - I currently have a rather busy job doing waitering, but I'll see if our school has an ag. teacher and talk to him. Thanks for the post too sun-shine. I know it'd be really hard work, but I think it'd be also very satisfying. I currently have a small plot of garden I'm growing tomatoes and watermelon on - it's only 9 square feet or so, but it's all my parents would let me have. It's fascinating watching the plants grow. I'm a semi-accomplished carpenter, so I won't worry about fences ;P Sun-shine, what types of animals do you have on your farm? Are your parents farming sustainably of with chemicals? And is it a commercial farm or noncommercial? Just curious.
Well we used to have much more than we do now, but we've had horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, and chickens. We have 3 medium sized apple orchards and my parents haven't used chemicals in at least 10 years. Occasionally we sell apples and apple cider (and sometimes veggies from my mother's garden) at the local market but for the most part we let people come up to our place and pick their own apples. My parents don't have enough time to be full time farmers. Not a whole lot of money to be made from apples in this area, there are many orchards around us who are better known and can hire workers to help pick 'em. The way my family makes money from their land now is really renting it out to other farmers who need pastures for their sheep or cattle. I think if you've got your heart set on it, go for it. Being out in the country really is wonderful. I wish you all the best in finding a place for you.
You're off to a good start with your garden. Look for a local farmer and see if they could use some help. Maybe they would let you use a spot to grow some plants of your own.
cost of a farm depends on the type of farm and where in the world its located and how much land you want. There are too many variables to figure in. I can buy 100 acres in Tenn for less than 1 acre in California. What you grow will have alot of bearing on what cost will be involved. Is it an orchard you need trees. Is it traditional row crops? Will you need a tractor? The more land you have the bigger the tractor you may need. Storage buildings for tractors, outdoor kitchens to process crops. Are yougoing to have animals? if so what kind? feed, medicine, housing, equipment for these animals. Chickens are cheaper to raise than horses. The ammount of animals has alot to do with pricing. 1-12 chickens is nothing and can be done in a 1/4 acre lot in town. 100 chickens cost alot more money to house and feed and fence in from predators. This is just scratching the surface I could go on and on and on. You get the point there are alot of variables involved in the question of how much is it going to cost to farm. Talk to more people learn as much as you can start small and grow slowly. Dont try to do everything overnight it can be overwhelming at times so dont let it get you down. I wish you luck Thanks Mike
You don't have to have a lot of land to farm. I suggest reading the book Micro Eco Farming to get some good ideas. It is not heavy on specific details but introduces you to different methods that people use to farm on just a few acres or less. Also I highly suggest the Chicken Tractor book, which focuses on chickens but also applies to other animals.
Punjohn,I saw a book in Mother Earth news years ago titled "5 acres and Independence"I never bought it ,but skimmed some of the the articles.It told how and where to put everything to gain maximum advantage of the avaliable space such as gardens ,fruit trees,animals,buildings,ect.You can find it I'm sure thru Mother earth news or a book store.Hope this helps.Good luck.
you should try this out this allows you to work on farms in your local area or all over. It gives you a little idea if you really want to live and work or own your own farm or not. http://www.wwoof.org/
