by Aaron Newton, CFSA Lomax Farm Manager

Today less than 2% of the US population is employed in agriculture and that number has been similarly low for several decades. That means aspiring farmers are less likely to have grown up on a farm and are less likely to have access to family land on which to establish a farm business.

Perhaps you are one of these landless, aspiring farmers. You want to go into farming because you want to help provide healthy food for the people in your community or you are interested in the proper stewardship of our natural resources. Maybe you feel a strong desire to work for yourself or to spend time working outdoors. Whatever the combinations of factors leading you to explore a career in farming, perhaps you should take a step back and think through all the practical matters involved in this life-shaping decision.

When considering farming as a career have you taken into consideration all aspects of owning and operating a farm?

  • Are you prepared to work long, hard hours including weekends and holidays?
  • Are you willing to work at a job that offers earnings below that of many other career opportunities?
  • Are you prepared for the relative isolation of this work?
  • Can you handle the physical demands of farming?
  • Do you have the determination needed to succeed in a job that takes a long time to learn and a lifetime to master?

If so you will face many challenges, chief among them is access to land. But before you begin to look for land it’s important to have a better understanding of what your farm business will ultimately look like. These are important questions that will shape your search for land and help you to develop a farm business plan; perhaps the most important step in establishing a successful farm business.

  • What do you want to grow? And perhaps the more important question: are people in your community willing to buy it?
  • Where will you sell your product and to whom?
  • How much land and what type of land will you need to produce it?
  • What kinds of equipment and facilities will you need on your farm to be successful?

More resources for creating your successful farm business plan are here.

When I work with new growers, I start by asking them to write a one-page description of their farming operation 10 years into the future. The physiological effects of envisioning your future have been described by many but the practical considerations are also important when looking for land. Perhaps you want to grow blueberries or raise alpacas, or both! Different farming businesses will require different kinds of farms. Start with a vision for what you want to do and then consider all the aspects needed from the land you wish to acquire.

  • Does it need to have water and if so, how much and from what sort of source?
  • Does it need to have electricity?
  • What sort of security will be needed?
  • Dry storage, post-harvest handling, greenhouses or other facilities?
  • Will you live on the land?

Next, consider different land access strategies and their implications.

  • Do you want to own your land or rent it? And what are the advantages and disadvantages of these strategies for you?
  • What are the costs of purchasing or renting land in your area?
  • Who will be your neighbors?
  • What are the planning, zoning, and tax considerations of purchasing (or renting) different parcels of land in your area?
  • What sort of financing might be available to you?

To answer these questions you will need to answer some additional questions regarding your personal finances, which include:

  • What are your non-farm financial needs (including insurance!)?
  • Do you have adequate personal savings?
  • Do you have a college fund for your children?
  • What are your retirement needs?

In 2018, with funding from the NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, CFSA will develop a manual and training material, to be published on our website, to provide new and beginning farmers with the resources and tools they need in order to transition from apprenticeship or incubator farm programs to running their own farming operations on rented or owned land. CFSA will also conduct three workshops statewide on land acquisition and rehabilitation of marginal land into productive cropland.

In addition, CFSA will offer consulting services to 10 new and beginning farmers to provide direct technical assistance aiding in their acquisition of land and the development of a transition plan in order to rehabilitate marginal land into production.

Do you want to be a farmer? Do you think you have what it takes? In answering the questions above you are taking the first steps towards starting a farm business and CFSA would like to help.

More resources:

QUESTIONS?

Reach out to Aaron Newton, Lomax Farm Manager via email or phone (919-542-2402)