Becoming a new farmer is not as easy task. Yes, it is very, very hard work. Yes, there are many economic barriers. Yes, you will struggle. Fortunately, once established, becoming a successful small-scale farmer may be one of the most rewarding and meaningful jobs on earth. Why do I think being a farmer is so great?

1. You get to be your own boss!

2. You have a beautiful working environment...you are not stuck in an office on beautiful days.

3. You can work where you live. Nothing is more satisfactory to me than getting out of my front door and walking the field in the morning.

4. You get to eat really good, fresh food.

5.You are a steward of the land, air, and water. Managing it properly for future generations brings responsibility and meaning to your life.

6. People love to cook with great vegetables and they will tell you how much they love your produce.

7. You have a connection to your community by selling directly and you can build community around the farm

8. Your creative potential is limitless. Growing and harvesting crops efficiently is challenging work. Creating systems and understanding the growing potential of vegetables on your farm will be a difficult but rewarding process. You never stop learning.

9. You do not have to go to a gym to stay in shape! Farming will pretty much kick your butt every day during the season. Winter fat should fly off quickly in the spring. 

10. Once established, it is actually possible to make money from farming and have winters off. If you love to travel, it is a great career choice.

 

Where Do You Begin?

Before starting a farm, you must first become a proficient grower. This doesn't happen over night. Farming is not gardening. It is an entirely different scale and requires a different kind of attention to details.

You can certainly gain growing experience through gardening, but I highly recommend working on other farms prior to starting your own enterprise (unless you have a lot of money to burn!). Wwoofing (a work/trade program) is a great way to gain exposure to farming and traveling at the same time. I have wwoofed in Hawaii and Arizona on small-scale farms and had excellent experiences. Meeting other farmers (the more, the better) and asking them questions is the best way to learn about farming. The farm work itself is also a very valuable experience. It may also be a good way to "weed out" those who cannot quite make the cut. It is very physically demanding work and has monotonous moments that are clearly not for everyone. It is far better to start out, though, trying to wwoof on other peoples' dime than it will be on your own after you've purchased thousands of dollars worth of seeds, equipment, and supplies for the season. See if you like it/can handle it first.

Organic Volunteers is an excellent resource to find a farm to work on. Many Michigan farms are listed as are other across the country and the world.

You may also be able to find farms who are willing to pay you a stipend in addition to housing and food. In many cases, an intern will make a commitment for one month or the entire season under such programs. ATTRA is providing an excellent resource for those interested in internships here. In fact, Michigan is home to about 30 internship opportunity farms already.

Other farms may also be willing to pay you a full wage (normally minimum) with some/no housing, but usually vegetables. In Oregon in 2007, I worked at Winter Green Farm and they did pay an hourly wage, all the vegetables I wanted, plus a field to camp in. It was great!

An image of a friend in one of Winter Green's fields:

 

So, after a couple years of farming, you may be ready to launch your own farm. Where do you go from here?

Access to good land and financial resources are normally your two top needs when starting a farm enterprise.

 

To be continued...