FOR ASPIRING FARMERS

Seven doubts about owning a farm, and the answers

If you want to farm your own land, you can probably list the reasons it won't happen. Next generation farmers can think up all sorts of them.

These are the most common, as You Can Own a Farm sets them out, and why none of them should stop you.

I'm not ready to be a farmer

No one is much good at anything without training, mentoring and experience.

This isn't a blind leap into the unknown. It's a plan to reach a vision, so you're ready to move when the chance comes.

Working on a farm, or on many farms, is how you put what you know into practice and build your farming skills.

I don't have a big enough deposit

Some arrangements don't need a large deposit. They're built on relationships, and on moving to ownership over time by earning your way in.

The main thing is that you're dedicated, ready to go, and willing to work hard with the retiring farmer to earn your ownership over time.

Having some savings still helps. It signals to the retiring farmer that you're good with money.

I can't make a living off the farm

Aspiring farmers commonly hold on to their jobs while they make the move. If your farming isn't yet making enough to live on, you keep an off farm income while you get to scale. The farm income builds equity, and a base to find the next farm to add.

Either way, you won't know what your financial future looks like until you do a plan. Planning creates opportunities: new crops, new markets, more productive ways of working.

And don't limit yourself to what the current farmer is doing. Many retiring farmers have dwindling energy and would welcome new blood ramping up the operation.

I'm nervous about quitting my job

Plenty of aspiring farmers have seen interesting opportunities but are nervous about leaving a secure job, uprooting the family, then landing in an arrangement that doesn't work out.

The way through is a clear vision, real relationships, and an agreement that plans for the chance of a bad outcome.

Problems often arise when the owner doesn't know how to manage the handover. They're just as worried as you. Talking it through usually brings out ideas the retiring farmer hasn't thought of.

I'm sceptical of partnership deals

A lot of people have been burnt in farm management roles, or in share farming arrangements that went badly.

The way to avoid that is to put the relationship first. If you get along with each other, everything is easier.

And if you have advisers helping you set up a formal arrangement, they'll help make sure everyone does what they should.

I don't feel people support me

Surround yourself with positive people who understand and share your vision. They give you the energy to chase your dream every day. That might mean spending less time with a few friends.

Many aspiring farmers are embarrassed to tell people about their bold vision. But if you don't tell them, how will they know what you want, and how can they help?

Bigger buyers will outbid me

What you can bring is a relationship. You can drive up the driveway, get to know the farmer, and show your passion to get farming.

Plenty of farmers care about what happens to their land and their community, and they can find the passion of an aspiring farmer irresistible. If you've built a relationship, you may be the first person they think of when they decide to sell.

When a farmer wants the farm to stay a farm

There is a way for a retiring farmer to step back from the farm without selling it. It's called the Cultivate Trust: their farm moves into the Cultivate Trust, which runs it on their behalf, with the right farmer on it.

The right farmer goes on it: the best farmer for the farm, not the highest bidder. Your Farm, Your Legacy explains how it works, free at cultivatefarms.com/cultivate-trust.

Whatever the path, the relationships come first, and they're yours to build.

The full guide, You Can Own a Farm, is free at cultivatefarms.com/resources.

You can build your own plan at cultivatefarms.com/plan.