FOR ASPIRING FARMERS
How to own a farm when you didn't inherit one
By Sam Marwood
You want to own a farm. You didn't inherit one, and you don't have millions of dollars to buy one outright.
That's exactly who You Can Own a Farm was written for. Its first message is simple: it's possible.
What stands in the way
Access to capital and land are the biggest barriers to next generation farmers owning a farm. Too many people turn away at those barriers. They set aside their farming dreams and take jobs that leave them unsatisfied and unfulfilled.
Farming is a good life, and a chance to do right by the soil, the stock and the district.
How to own a farm: what you need
Inspiration, to know it's possible. With it, the cost of owning a farm stops looking impossible, and becomes a challenge to work through.
Perseverance, to find opportunities. You get up every day and find ways to build relationships with people who could own a farm with you, or who could help you find them. You may not have the money to buy outright. But there are retiring farmers, local backers and structures out there that can help.
Planning, to show you have a pathway. A clear plan tells retiring farmers and backers, and you, that you can run a successful business, scale up for better profit and build a life on the land.
How long does it take?
This is the most important advice of all: you may work through many retiring farmers and many local backers before you get onto a farm.
It can take years, and success isn't a given. Being driven and patient is what keeps you in it. You can't stop when people say no, and there will be plenty of them. Convincing one retiring farmer, or approaching fifty, takes time, and it's up to you to make it happen.
No farm is going to be perfect. No opportunity ever is. But if you can see the start of a great opportunity, you can build on it.
A retiring farmer who wants to work with you is the break you're after.
Your first pitch probably won't work
No doubt your first pitch to a retiring farmer won't come off. So find another farm, and pitch for it using what you learned the first time.
It can take many pitches to get onto your farm. Along the way you'll pick up useful feedback, handy hints and ideas to improve your approach.
Take it well, pick yourself up and keep going. It shows everyone you're open to ideas, willing to adjust and able to work with others.
If you're already farming a little
Maybe you already lease a bit of land, and you're not sure what to do next. You're doing what you need to.
Build your skills, create a bit of wealth, and show by your actions that you're serious. Then get to know the retiring farmers in your district and see how you can help them. They need to know and trust you.
Over time, one of them may start talking about their future plans. You only need one farmer to back you.
The ones who make it
It isn't an easy road, and nobody hands you a farm. You build your way toward one through relationships, fair structures and sheer persistence.
Thousands of aspiring farmers have set out on this road. Nobody got there without starting.
The full guide, You Can Own a Farm, is free at cultivatefarms.com/resources.
You can build your own plan at cultivatefarms.com/plan.