Q&A for How to Become a Farmer Without Experience

There are special low-interest loads available through the Farm Home Loan Association. Just keep in mind that you'll need to have a business plan for these, so it's important to study that along with the enterprise budgeting associated with the crops you'd like to grow.

A child can get started by planting herbs and vegetables in the corner of the garden or in a container. The child could also get some chickens to take care of as well.

Yes, you can also use micro hydroelectric power. One reader uses a mix of micro hydro and solar to power their entire house, chicken coop, cow milking machine, barn, and pumps for the fish pond. solar panels are on the barn, all connected to an inverter and battery bank, which provides more than enough power during the day, and uses hydro electric at night to run all the main things like the entire house and some lights outside. It is expensive upfront but if you do your own, for all the parts, bits and pieces, it will be around $25,000, but you will also not have an electric bill in over five years. Aim to take your property completely off the grid but have all the luxuries of living in the city thanks to solar/hydro power.

A farmer uses literacy in many, many ways, from reading labels on pesticides to reading current crop or livestock market reports. Also, farmers read classifieds, newspapers, ag magazines, books, etc. to learn more about better farming practices and what interesting things other farmers are doing. Literacy is also necessary for mathematics, which are needed for planning out grazing management plans, figuring out how to build or fix things on the farm, the list goes on. In the 21st century, there is no reason why farmers cannot be literate to improve farming operations.

If your credit is great, go for standard financing through a bank. If not, you can buy land on the internet. For example, you can purchase 30 or 40 acres for around $6000; it's owner-financed with no credit check, and there's a down payment of around $250 and monthly payments of around $100. The best part is that you can pay for the land while you use it.

Not much to start, but when you start to make profit, it would be best to expand by purchasing new fields and animals.

It depends what crops you want to grow and where you are located. Do research on soil fertility, fertilizers, soil types in the area you would like to farm, and which crops are best suited for the soil and climate. Save as much money as you can for a down payment on land and equipment. Work out a budget and marketing plan; know your cost going in and how much you could profit or loss. Be conservative when figuring profit -- there will be good and bad years (drought and low market prices). Have a back up plan and/or other sources of income when you get started. Grow slow.

You don't have to have any degree to become a farmer, but a degree in something related to agriculture or business management can be useful.

I don't think it matters your age but you should be young and healthy and not of retirement age. Farm work isn't like a 9 to 5 job, so the younger you start the better. By the time you get to your late 50s, you are ready to rethink the farm life unless you are a hobby farmer. Hobby farming means you have a couple of chickens, ducks, a couple of milking cows and goats, a pig, and are raising them for your own good food; it is still a lot of work but very satisfying.

Start farming while still in school. If you can, join agriculture classes, start a garden and get some chickens. Try to do work on local farms and learn as much as you can. Where possible, shadow a farmer as part of work experience.

Make sure you have machinery for your potato plot/s, even if you have to start small, such as a rototiller. Second, plan the food you'll need for your poultry. How many hens can you afford to feed? Third, make sure you have enough money to build shelter for them, with a fence to keep out predators. Many US farmers in high predator areas, such as bobcats and foxes, bury fencing at least 1 foot deep plus high enough they can't jump over (at least 6 feet). Of course, this answer assumes you have shelter for yourself before you do anything else.

You could start with a good book on crop farming, such as Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Farming. This book has resources on just about any plant you could imagine, plus helpful tips on keeping your garden or farm pest free.