My fiance and I would like to start a farm, how do we get going?

Question

My finance and I are very interested to start up a farm - we are both very industrious individuals and don't mind the hard work it would take. Mostly, we are influenced due to the various food market fluctuations and believe it would be a valuable asset to practice self sufficiency. We live in Ontario Canada, and are somewhat bewildered by all of the seemingly plenty "resources" offered by the government for farm start up costs. Is there anyone out there who might be knowledgeable of the best path for a couple of young people to get start-up loans for farms, or perhaps any good ideas to assist us in our search for information? His family currently owns 120 acres of good land north of Kirkland Lake Ontario which has been proven solid farming soil - as it used to be a functioning farm in his grandfather's days. Does anyone have any advice? We're in the dark and in need of some guidance. Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to respond.

Answer 1

I think you have a great idea!!!!  I live in the US, so I am unaware of the process of obtaining loans from the government in Canada.  One thing - look up Monsanto on the internet.  They make Round Up herbicides and have been in the practice of genetically altering seeds to make them resistant to the herbicide, which is just wrong.  Trust me on this - they are still practicing it in Canada (I just found out yesterday).  Self sufficiency with your own food is the best thing you can possibly do.  If you want, maybe plant a few crops at first and sell your bounty at a farmers market - they do really well around here.  You can build up a few rows at a time as to not overwhelm yourselves.  When you get your crops, just wait to see how many people will flock to you!!!  Get ready, because you will be the most popular people around!!!!  I'll try to get more information for you, and feel free to e mail me so that I can send some links!!!!  Good luck!!!!  Hey, would you be willing to send some tomatos to me? See, you're already popular!!

Answer 2

ya dont over look the obvious things that need to be fixed arround the farm get some good work gloves some knee high t**d kickers some good work boots fix the windmill cause whats a farm with out a windmill and there is no crop you can grow that will out perform a windmill and you can farm arround it some thing that does some kinda work for you you can collect rain water you can have free roaming chickens be carefull of the old impliments do you want to have draft horses and do some teamster stuff or do you like pumper hand wells do you like organic would you like to rebuild the soil to make it produce year after year do you want to set aside some land for habitat for animals do you want to use chemicals that kill our ground water and the micro animals in the soil the soil is alive you may not see any improvements when you start to improve the soil you know your getting somewere when you start seeing earthworms and you start getting a black soil not a dust thats dead like you see in most fields do you want to black smith to make your own tools are you willing to work like bokoo hours to slowly wip it back into shape you see those old fruit trees you dont just cut them down you have to nurse them back to health keep mulches away from the base of plants 4-8 inches if you can help it will you have a retention pond you dont have to cut down the whole dang forest to start you project cause like the slash and burn in other countrys it lasts for a short time use wood ashes manures seaweed if you can git it all the stuff from the kitchen that are biodegradeable do you want to have fish in a pond for food do you want to have wild and domestic animals that you can live off of you have to start small you have to think people take take take from the land but dont put anything back do you want to have small plots were lots of people farm on it an share personally i dont like to pull up any plants i like to broad cast i like bushes wild flowers and trees will you plant 3 rows of evergreens in the areas were the sun does not shine start were it goes down and stop were it raises what do you like or what are you intrested in you can build raised beds and have a higher yield

Answer 3

I would suggest volunteering or interning on the kind of farm you want to run eventually. You will learn a lot quickly and find out if you actually like farming

It's good that you are hard workers and not afraid of work but farming can be grueling and the pay is generally terrible, especially the first 5 to 10 years as you learn the ropes. I would suggest not getting a loan if you can possibly avoid it because farming when you carry a lot of debt can be financial ruin for someone who does not know what they are doing.

Grants that you do not have to pay back would be ideal. Or rent a farm for a while. that's what I did before I bought the farm-rented for ten years and learned how to grow produce and poultry for sale direct to the public before searching for a farm of my own.

Answer 4

I have a small farm in California, I started around 30 years ago. It was not always mine. Over the years lots of my friends have said to me: "I'd just love to do what you are doing!" like I am some kind of lucky, smart or rich person...none of which are true... and I always say: "well, why don't you then?" Most of them come up with some answer...not enough money, don't know anything about farming, they usually say: maybe, someday they will get back to the land...when they get it together... and so on and so forth... ho humn.

I tell you I started out with $40 US dollars, very little know how... I just knew I wanted to live in the country and begin growning my own food and being self sufficient. I just began, I moved to the country found jobs on farms... did what I had to do.

So what is my point? It is this: START, begin anywhere, but begin! If you want to start a farm, then begin the process... like:drive up and look at the land, walk around on it. Take a shovel, dig up some soil samples, send them off to be analized, find out what used to grow there, inventory the property... how many acres of crop land? What kind of water does it have? Are there any out buildings? Is there electricty....? That is a good place to begin...do you like the place?

Wether you have start up money or no, if you want to start a farm you must convert this idea you have of: "starting a farm" from a theoretical abstract...into real action. If you do this and meet each obstical as it comes then you will have your farm...just like I do. Go for it !

Answer 5

One of the handy things about the government websites, you do not have to live in teh US to get to them for information. The USDA and various university extension services (tied to major college and university campuses) give a lot of info about agriculture and farming.

do your homework and do your research. I was in Manitoba a couple years back and they were getting too much rain, could not get into the fields to harvest, so bad crop year for the big farms.

There are a number of worksheets and plan papers you can get and go over. Just like any business, you need a business plan. What are your goals and objectives?

What are the cash issues and budget needs?

While it is nice that the govt. in your area makes funding available, remember, none of their stuff is guaranteed for more than a short amount of time.Budgets dry up, programs change, along with elected or appointed officials.

So, here is some homework for you !!

Good luck, and happy farming!

Kay

http://www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/pages/...

http://www.smallfarm.org/explorer/

http://journeytoforever.org/farm_link1.h...

http://journeytoforever.org/farm_link1.h...

http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/library/

http://www.2farm.co.nz/farm-essentials.h...

http://www.csrees.usda.gov/smallfarms.cf...

http://www.usda.gov/oce/smallfarm/hotlin...

Answer 6

If his family own 120 acres of good farm land that is currently idle, which is the way that I interpret your question, maybe you could farm the land under a lease arrangement. Part of the lease payment could go toward the purchase of the land until eventually you owned the farm outright. That would seem to be a win-win situation for all parties. Sorry I know nothing about any start up help that your country may be offering.