How New Farmers Can Prepare for Common Challenges in the First Year of Farming

By Emily Folk

More young people are getting into farming, and many do not come from farming families. Family farms make up a large percentage of farms in the United States, but most are concentrated in the realm of commodity crop production, or dairy and livestock. New and beginning farmers tend to embrace farming on a smaller scale, and many seek to support a more sustainable type of agriculture.

Because most individuals do not inherit land or the basic knowledge of how to run a farm, many new farmers face overwhelming challenges in their first year of farming. Here are some ways new farmers can prepare for and overcome these challenges.

Know Your Why

If you are looking to strike out on an entrepreneurial path, knowing your "why" is one of the first things you'll hear about when seeking advice. If you want to start your own business, you need to have a good reason. Chasing a dream can sound romantic and exhilarating, but the exhaustion of daily tasks is much more difficult.

Farming is an incredibly rewarding career, but it is also extremely difficult. You may not make a profit for years, you rely on the weather to not completely destroy your crops, and you may find yourself trying to survive without a single vacation day or even a weekend. So, what's your "why"?

The first year of farming is challenging, and everything is a learning experience. Know why you started and why it matters to you so much. Reminding yourself of those reasons, whatever they are, can help you keep your head down and keep marching in the face of adversity.

Make Plans

Running a farm is running a business, and there is so much more to it than just harvesting delicious food or taking care of cute animals. Farming requires you to be an accountant, marketer, social media expert, human resources manager, public relations firm — and somehow still keep your crops alive. Before you can plant crops, you need to know what equipment to purchase, if you have the right infrastructure and whether you have a market that will buy your crops.

Entering your first year of farming without a plan will result in a hectic and unnecessarily stressful season. Write down a detailed business plan, including your mission statement, what you plan on selling and what sets your farm apart from others. Make a marketing plan to figure out who your target audience is, where you will sell your crops and what strategies you'll use to find and keep customers.

Lastly, create an operations plan. What does your daily routine look like? If you are farming with another person or hiring employees, what are their responsibilities? Setting up plans ahead of time will relieve headaches down the road, especially in the middle of summer when you are hot, exhausted and cannot think of any constructive solutions.

Find Your Network

Farming can be lonely. Most new farmers today lack the traditional family or community network that existed in traditional agricultural communities. Without a group of people to learn from and rely on, being a new farm can feel especially isolating.

Whether through online resources or by reaching out to other growers in the area, find a network of other farmers who can offer you advice. Especially look for older populations, who are especially well-versed in proper growing techniques and have weathered many a storm and unprofitable season.

Be Patient

Starting a farm is not easy. It can be incredibly exciting, and there is nothing better than harvesting the fruits of your labor. But one of the biggest challenges for farmers in their first year is the hope that they'll figure out everything all at once. Unfortunately, in farming, you learn a little bit every year and make a lot of mistakes. Don't expect to have everything figured out before your first growing season.

Even if you worked for other farms for years before setting out on your own, running your own business is a whole new ballgame. Be patient with yourself and focus on slow growth rather than a quick reward. Farming can take several seasons to become profitable. Just like the plants you care for, learn to weather the storm. Each season offers a new lesson, so be ready to stay in the game for the long run.

About the author: Emily is a sustainability writer and avid gardener. You can read more of her work on her site, Conservation Folks, where she writes about helping tomorrow’s planet today.