Any anons have experience being or becoming farmers? Been temporarily stationed in rural Ohio for my job and the tranquility of the lifestyle has made me consider becoming a farmer. Advice?
Like professionally or as a hobby? Because my wife and I are hobbyists that grow the bulk of our own fruit and veg, and we raise chickens and goats for eggs and milk, respectively. However, though we've considered doing it as a profession, ultimately it wouldn't be as tranquil and serene as we want it to be - being a farmer as a livelihood is stressful, and unless you're doing a monoculture farm (as in basedbeans or corn for biofuel) you're going to be living on a razor edge when it comes to your finances. To succeed as a small farm, you have to have some kind of gimmick or edge, whether it's turning your farm into a tourist attraction, specializing in unusual fruits and vegetables that aren't often cultivated, or fostering relationships with local restaurants and co-ops to sell your wares - and even if you do all of these, the ravages of weather can destroy your year in a matter of days or even hours, and farmers insurance can only take you so far.
>>33687749Professionally. And also I wouldn't mind having a monoculture farm either
>>33688020modern agriculture is pretty grimyou can be a heavy machine operator on someone else's land, or a heavy machine operator who takes insane risks as a pseudo contractor for billion dollar corporationsand then theres chemical exposure
Here in Indiana a lot of first time farmers build 1 or 2 Turkey barns and sell them through Purdue. Everybody else grows corn or beans to spell to livestock farms. First decide if you want to do livestock or crops..
>>33687690>tranquility of the lifestyleIf this is what attracts you then don't become a farmer. You work yourself to the bone for no money. Unless you grow fruits and veggies, then you can actually make money, but you still have to work yourself to the bone.
>>33687690I worked on a vegetable farm. Go to your local farmers market locally and ask if anyone is hiring. It's a bit late in the year now though. Working on someone's established farm will give you an idea how it's done.
>>33687690Being a farmer isn't easy, you have to operate heavy machinery, be able to maintain it. You have to do certain tasks in a small window of time, there is danger from all the pesticides and other chemicals. It isn't cheap, you need machines for tilling, for planting, spraying, harvesting and if you want you also need an irrigation system. Also you earnings are tied to weather, if it's too hot plants might not pollinate, too much rain they get sick or rot, no water they dry out, a hale happen and you can lose a lot of plants same with a sudden frost or a storm. If you want to raise animal you need a place to keep them safe from the weather and predators, you need feed for them, water, and sometimes they get sick and you cull them, so there is less money. Being a farmer isn't easy, you work a lot for not a lot of money and your profit can go out in a puff of smoke. The only people who are farmer are idiots, stubborn idiots or rich idiots who can larp.
>>33687690Farming is very, very, very hard work. I is also financially precarious. Just consider the basic economics - you spend all your money in advance - seed, feed, labor, machinery, etc - and don't get paid until harvest time, when you hope the prices you get will cover the expenses already laid out. (There are hedges, but generally you spend most of your life in debt, borrowing in the spring to pay for everything and hoping you can pay it back after harvest)
