faithful4ever
Full Member
Posts: 56
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2007 10:34 am
Location: North Carolina

wanting to start a small farming business

Hi all,

I hope everyone is just as excited about spring as Iam...lol
Does anyone in this forum have a small farming business? I would like to know how do I start? do I need to take classes? I do garden I plant fruit vegetables and flowers, My husband and I are seriously thinking about this for the future. I would like an organic farm, Iam also thinking about raising chicken's for the eggs. anyones help would be greatly apprieciated :D

cynthia_h
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7500
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 7:02 pm
Location: El Cerrito, CA

Have you contacted your county agricultural extension office? They can probably provide you with some numbers (expected yield, ounces/lb per X row of planting, etc.) for your local region.

There's also bound to be a professional organic growers' association near you. These people would be the ones who show up at local farmers' markets, whether those farmers' markets are all-organic or not. An internet search on "community supported agriculture" will also give you the names of local growers/producers.

As to taking courses, I would recommend a basic grounding in bookkeeping (community college?) and required record-keeping for anyone starting a business. Whether you acquire this knowledge from books tailored to your state/county or from a class is dependent on your own situation: time frame, need to ramp up, etc.

Have you found yourselves with excess produce? Do you have any idea of how much you'd be producing over what period of months? Etc.

A big undertaking, but probably a tremendously fulfilling one!

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

User avatar
rootsy
Green Thumb
Posts: 435
Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 1:58 pm
Location: Litchfield, Michigan

I run a small produce farm in addition to my regular 40 hour a week job. Depending upon the size of your operation... going from two hands and a hoe to needing much more equipment and different techniques can be taxing for some. Especially if you've never been exposed to it before. Luckily I was raised farming, worked a large produce farm operation in HS and now do my own thing.



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